# The Jeopardy thread \[was James Holzhauer\]\[contains spoilers\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [April 17, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696 "2019-04-17T21:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 76
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1501 "2020-11-06T18:33:13Z")
How did he pronounce Laos? Like _louse_? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1502 "2020-11-06T18:39:57Z")
I missed “guerilla”, but I did get the three countries. Two of them came to me right away, and the third took a few seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1503 "2020-11-06T19:05:26Z")
> [@kk\_fusion](#): > > How did he pronounce Laos? Like _louse_? Yes, he did. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1504 "2020-11-06T19:06:58Z")
“Guerilla” is literally “warrior”. And I don’t see how knowing that the Peninsular Wars were in Spain would help, given that the clue also says that the word is Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1505 "2020-11-06T19:32:08Z")
I got Spain, Greece, and France, in that order. Dunno why it took me longer to think of France than the others. Now that I think about it, I’d definitely pronounce Laos with two syllables. It’s got two vowels. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1506 "2020-11-06T20:21:33Z")
_Spain_ has two vowels also. Laos is always pronounced “louse” in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1507 "2020-11-06T20:30:17Z")
_Spain_ has a diphtong, which is still one syllable. In _Laos_, I’d tend to separate the vowels into two syllables, but _louse_ with the diphtong is an acceptable pronunciation according to Wikipedia. Anyway, the question is an old chestnut, but typically the three European countries are given and you have to guess _Chad_ (or _Laos_). ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1508 "2020-11-06T21:00:16Z")
I also have always pronounced it ‘louse’. And I got France and Spain immediately, but couldn’t think of Greece. As I stated earlier, I was (and am) ashamed of not being able to come up with the complete answer. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1509 "2020-11-06T21:45:31Z")
Wait! Spain has three syllables! Es Pan Ya Greece has two. Slly American-centric questions! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1510 "2020-11-07T00:35:42Z")
Spain has a dipthong. (As noted above.) I don’t think I’ve ever heard Laos pronounced _louse_. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1511 "2020-11-07T13:39:50Z")
The official name of Laos (in English) is “Lao People’s Democratic Republic”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1512 "2020-11-07T15:15:54Z")
To my ears, “Laos” has two syllables. It’s not quite the same as “louse,” more like “La-ose” than an actual dipthong. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1513 "2020-11-07T15:49:34Z")
How do you pronounce Laos with two syllables? Lay-ohs? I have never heard that. Every time I have ever heard the name spoken it’s rhymed with _mouse_. ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1514 "2020-11-07T16:09:24Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’d definitely pronounce Laos with two syllables. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Every time I have ever heard the name spoken it’s rhymed with _mouse_ . I checked multiple resources. Both pronunciations are acceptable, but the consensus is that 2 syllables is more preferred than 1 syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1515 "2020-11-07T22:20:42Z")
I’ve only ever heard “Laos” with one syllable. “Laotian”, however, has three; so the ‘a’ and ‘o’ can be distinct. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1516 "2020-11-08T00:55:48Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > How do you pronounce Laos with two syllables? Lay-ohs? As for me, I pronounce it LAH-os. Short “a”. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1517 "2020-11-08T03:20:00Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > As for me, I pronounce it LAH-os. Short “a”. This. I remember, back during the latter years of the Viet Nam war, we heard about Laos quite often, and it was always pronounced this way, NEVER rhyming with “mouse.” ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1518 "2020-11-08T13:49:31Z")
[quote=“panache45, post:1517, topic:832696, full:true”] > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > > > How do you pronounce Laos with two syllables? Lay-ohs? > > > [/quote] > > > > > > As for me, I pronounce it LAH-os. Short “a”. > > This. I remember, back during the latter years of the Viet Nam war, we heard about Laos quite often, and it was always pronounced this way, NEVER rhyming with “mouse.” Hmm. My memory is the exact opposite. FWIW, this [Trip Savvy](https://www.tripsavvy.com/how-to-say-laos-3976795) article says: _The correct way to say “Laos” is the same as “louse” (rhymes with blouse)._ [Merriam Webster Online](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Laos?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=gg&file=gglaos01) does give two alternate pronunciations, but the first listed, and the only sound clip says “Louse”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1519 "2020-11-08T14:19:30Z")
And of course, the true reality is that syllables are not actually discrete countable things, and it’s possible to have a verbal sound that’s somewhere in between one and two syllables. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1520 "2020-11-08T14:48:49Z")
I trust someone that lived there: [A landlocked country between Viet Nam and Thailand. population 4.7 million.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_CaZ4EAexQ) The first time he says it it sounds like say it “LAH-os”. Very little distinction between the syllables. (Though the second sounds more like “Louse”.) Espana strill has three, and Hella has two, no doubt there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=75) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=77)