# Russian Name pronunciation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453 "2015-12-04T22:40:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **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:** [December 4, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/1 "2015-12-04T22:40:25Z")
How is this name pronounced? Phonetic approximation for an American English speaker is close enough for me. _ **Vasili Arkhipov** _ ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/2 "2015-12-04T23:12:58Z")
American English approximation (stressed syllables capitalized): **VASS-i-lee ark-i-POFF** The last name should rhyme with “cough”. The “-i-” symbols stand for the short “i” in “pig”. … In standard Russian, I forget whether the name **Василий** is stressed on the second syllable or one of the other ones. Also, the “kh” in “Arkhipov” stands for a single Russian letter which is pronounced unlike either English “k” or “h”. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/3 "2015-12-04T23:36:55Z")
**bordelond** , I think your stressed syllables are not correct (bearing in mind that I studied Russian over 40 years ago, but I did study it for 4 years). I think it should be **va-SEE-lee ARK-i-poff** I’m only pretty certain about the first name, but definitely certain about the family name. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/4 "2015-12-04T23:38:09Z")
The “kh” is pronounced as the “ch” in Scottish “loch.” Stress in Russian is unpredictable and usually must be learned by rote. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/5 "2015-12-04T23:43:36Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > American English approximation (stressed syllables capitalized): > > **VASS-i-lee ark-i-POFF** > > The last name should rhyme with “cough”. The “-i-” symbols stand for the short “i” in “pig”. > > … > > In standard Russian, I forget whether the name **Василий** is stressed on the second syllable or one of the other ones. Also, the “kh” in “Arkhipov” stands for a single Russian letter which is pronounced unlike either English “k” or “h”. Both words wrong - that’s a 100 per cent failure rate. Why would you comment if you don’t know Russian? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/6 "2015-12-04T23:52:31Z")
Plus, it would depend on how you pronounce “cough”. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/7 "2015-12-04T23:56:37Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > The “kh” is pronounced as the “ch” in Scottish “loch.” I think it’s more guttural than that; it makes me think of words I have heard in Hebrew (although since I don’t know Hebrew I can’t say which letter that would be). In any case, for a foreigner’s pronunciation a hard K is probably good enough. > [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Stress in Russian is unpredictable and usually must be learned by rote. My Russian teachers never mentioned anything about this, although I suppose it could be the case for dialects. Isn’t there a sort of Standard Received Moscow Russian pronunciation, like in British English? Especially with names, your statement seems to me unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/8 "2015-12-04T23:59:37Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > My Russian teachers never mentioned anything about this, although I suppose it could be the case for dialects. Isn’t there a sort of Standard Received Moscow Russian pronunciation, like in British English? Especially with names, your statement seems to me unlikely. He means that there’s no straightforward rule about which syllable takes the stress. Just like in English, but unlike e.g. French. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/9 "2015-12-05T00:13:01Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > **bordelond** , I think your stressed syllables are not correct (bearing in mind that I studied Russian over 40 years ago, but I did study it for 4 years). > > I think it should be > > **va-SEE-lee ARK-i-poff** > > I’m only pretty certain about the first name, **but definitely certain about the family name**. [Wikipedia](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%80%D1%85%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9_%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) seems not to agree with you! > [@](#): > > Васи́лий Алекса́ндрович Архи́пов That should be **ark-EE-poff**. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/10 "2015-12-05T01:03:31Z")
[This PBS documentary](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-man-who-saved-the-world-watch-the-full-episode/905/) has _vuh-SEE-lee AR-kee-poff_ at 5:41. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/11 "2015-12-05T01:30:33Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Both words wrong - that’s a 100 per cent failure rate. Why would you comment if you don’t know Russian? 😕 The OP requested an American English approximation. Often, even basic stress patterns of foreign words don’t get faithfully carried over with Angliciization. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/12 "2015-12-05T01:34:35Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Plus, it would depend on how you pronounce “cough”. I figured for an approximation, it wouldn’t matter much either way. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/13 "2015-12-05T04:26:43Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > The OP requested an American English approximation. Often, even basic stress patterns of foreign words don’t get faithfully carried over with Angliciization. Oh please. They especially don’t get carried over faithfully when the person doing the carrying over doesn’t know where the stress is in the first place. Which you admit to in your first post. So stop trying to hide behind BS and cop to your ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/14 "2015-12-05T05:40:56Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Oh please. They especially don’t get carried over faithfully when the person doing the carrying over doesn’t know where the stress is in the first place. Which you admit to in your first post. So stop trying to hide behind BS and cop to your ignorance. So, could you give us the pronunciation, and not denunciations? I’m curious now. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/15 "2015-12-05T06:45:15Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Both words wrong - that’s a 100 per cent failure rate. Why would you comment if you don’t know Russian? 😕 Jeez, this is what I love about some dopers, swoop on in just to say “_ **You’re wrong!!** _” and to ridicule, without helping or saying what is the correct or better way. Is this how we’re to be helpful? Come on, people. Let’s be more helpful than that. And here too: > [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Oh please. They especially don’t get carried over faithfully when the person doing the carrying over doesn’t know where the stress is in the first place. Which you admit to in your first post. So stop trying to hide behind BS and cop to your ignorance. Come on, **Švejk** , help us out, please. And I am part Russian, BTW. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2015, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-name-pronunciation/739453/16 "2015-12-05T07:30:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > [This PBS documentary](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-man-who-saved-the-world-watch-the-full-episode/905/) has _vuh-SEE-lee AR-kee-poff_ at 5:41. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > **bordelond** , I think your stressed syllables are not correct (bearing in mind that I studied Russian over 40 years ago, but I did study it for 4 years). > > I think it should be > > **va-SEE-lee ARK-i-poff** > > I’m only pretty certain about the first name, but definitely certain about the family name. I’m going with this one, thanks all. And like wow, man- I didn’t mean to start an argument.