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Your Pronunciation Of Voldemort Is Wrong — You Know Who’s Name Is Actually French

By Shelley Hazen
Published on: 04:00 PST, Sep 10, 2015

As Hermione would say — you were saying it wrong. Though technically, we’re not supposed to be saying Voldemort’s name at all (You Know Who, or He Who Must Not Be Named is preferable), author J.K Rowling has revealed the name’s proper pronunciation.

The woman who introduced the world to boy wizard Harry Potter in books and films has corrected nearly every single person in the world by unveiling the actual pronunciation of Harry’s terrifying nemesis, Voldemort, CNN reported.

Apparently, the “T” is silent.

Potter fan Michael Lucero began the debate about the pronunciation of Voldemort with this tweet.

And Rowling soon agreed. Voldemort’s name is, in fact, said in the French style. For years, Harry’s fans — and maybe some of Voldemort’s, if he has any — have been carelessly adding the hissing “t” at the end, but they’re not the only ones.

As The Guardian pointed out, seven films and its associated audiobooks have given everyone a different impression. In fact, the guy who reads the books for the audio version left off the “t” in Voldemort before the movies.

But even Rowling noted that she thought she was “the only person who pronounces (Voldemort) that way.”

The pronunciation clarification is just another fun way Rowling interacts with her devoted fans on social media, where she provides updates on the characters’ daily lives (like James Sirius Potter’s first day at school, accompanied by #backtoschool). Rowling also trades both barbs and compliments with fans.

Recently, she got into a spat with a fellow Tweeter over the refugee crisis in Europe. The fracas followed a tweet in which the author said: “If you can’t imagine yourself in one of these boats, you have something missing. They are dying for a life worth living. #refugeeswelcome,” The Daily Mirror added.

Besides dropping the bomb on the pronunciation of Voldemort, J.K. also recently hinted at the direction of the newest film in the Harry Potter universe — Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Independent reported.

The spin-off movie just started filming with Eddie Redmayne in the lead role, and apparently, the movie will be all about the Hufflepuffs. Now, everyone knows that Hufflepuff is the least desirable house — Gryffindors are just plain cool, the Ravenclaws are smarty-pants, and well, Slytherins are good in a duel.

But Hufflepuffs have their merits, too. They are “just and loyal, patient, true and unafraid of toil.” And the book on which the film is based was written by a Hufflepuff — Newt Scamander. It looks as though the oft-teased house will finally get its moment in the spotlight.

[Photo Courtesy Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images]

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