# Russian Name Pronunciation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525 "2014-08-14T17:14:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525/1 "2014-08-14T17:14:31Z")
I’d like to know how to say this man’s name: \* Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov \* Can anyone give me a phoentic pronunciation? I don’t want to attempt any authentic Russian accents, I’m satisfied with an “American” rendition that wouldn’t make me sound foolish or disrespectful to a Russian listener. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525/2 "2014-08-14T17:45:31Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I’d like to know how to say this man’s name: > \* > Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov > \* > Can anyone give me a phoentic pronunciation? I don’t want to attempt any authentic Russian accents, I’m satisfied with an “American” rendition that wouldn’t make me sound foolish or disrespectful to a Russian listener. Based on my 6 months of Russian 1 🙂 I’d guess this: Vasili: Vuh-SIL-ee Alexandrovich: ah-lek-SAHND-ro-vitch Arkhipov: AR-key-pahv ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525/3 "2014-08-14T19:12:47Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > Based on my 6 months of Russian 1 🙂 I’d guess this: > > Vasili: Vuh-SIL-ee > Alexandrovich: ah-lek-SAHND-ro-vitch > Arkhipov: AR-key-pahv Of course, if you’re a purist, you’ll give the “r” the proper trill, and pronounce the “kh” like “ch” in Scottish \* Loch. \* Da? ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525/4 "2014-08-14T20:21:15Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > Based on my 6 months of Russian 1 🙂 I’d guess this: > > Vasili: Vuh-SIL-ee > Alexandrovich: ah-lek-SAHND-ro-vitch > Arkhipov: AR-key-pahv > [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Of course, if you’re a purist, you’ll give the “r” the proper trill, and pronounce the “kh” like “ch” in Scottish \* Loch. \* Da? Another quibble: Even if you are less of a purist, but still somewhat pure, the “v” at the end of a word is pronounced like an “f.” So: Arkhipov: AR-key-pahf And I am not exactly sure (or pure), but my inclination would be to put the accent on the second syllable. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525/5 "2014-08-14T20:47:04Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Another quibble: Even if you are less of a purist, but still somewhat pure, the “v” at the end of a word is pronounced like an “f.” So: > > Arkhipov: AR-key-pahf > And I am not exactly sure (or pure), but my inclination would be to put the accent on the second syllable. Spasibo. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525/6 "2014-08-15T12:33:43Z")
I don’t know how authentic Google Translate’s text-to-speech function sounds, but try going on [this link](https://translate.google.com/#ru/en/%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9%20%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87%20%D0%90%D1%80%D1%85%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B2) and clicking on the speaker symbol underneath the Russian text. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525/7 "2014-08-15T14:02:57Z")
> [@Kiyoshi](#): > > I don’t know how authentic Google Translate’s text-to-speech function sounds, but try going on [this link](https://translate.google.com/#ru/en/%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9%20%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87%20%D0%90%D1%80%D1%85%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B2) and clicking on the speaker symbol underneath the Russian text. I’d be worried I’d end up talking like Стивен Хокинг. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525/8 "2014-08-15T18:08:48Z")
Thanks folks. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/695525/9 "2014-08-16T03:44:49Z")
Go to Google Translator, enter the name in English, and select translation to Russian. Then click the little audio listen icon on the Russian side.