# Pronouncing Acheron: ASH, or ACK?



## Castellan (May 12, 2006)

Which do you prefer?

I know that the traditional Greek pronunciation is ACK-eron, but with modernization (Asheron's Call, etc) do you prefer to pronounce the name old-school, or new-school?

I'm getting ready to dump my players onto the Outlands near the Portal Town of Rigus, which leads to Acheron and I hope to encourage them to visit -- however briefly. Which pronunciation do you feel more correctly reflects that plane's "personality?"


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## Shemeska (May 12, 2006)

Acheron = ACK-eron


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## Knightfall (May 12, 2006)

Shemeska said:
			
		

> Acheron = ACK-eron




I don't think every pronounced it this way, but I see it now. Interestingly enough, I tend to butcher the word and pronounce it ARCH-eron. I know, I know, there isn't an "r" in there, but for some reason that's the way I say it.

Weird.

Knightfall1972


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## Dog Moon (May 12, 2006)

Shemeska said:
			
		

> Acheron = ACK-eron




Same here.


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## Shade (May 12, 2006)

I'm sure I'm wrong, but I pronounce it ATCH-eron.


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## Emirikol (May 12, 2006)

DICTIONARY.COM

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=acheron

(Ak-e-ron))
n. Greek Mythology

    The river of woe, one of the five rivers of Hades.


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## Arnwyn (May 12, 2006)

Shemeska said:
			
		

> Acheron = ACK-eron



Ditto.


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## Castellan (May 12, 2006)

Emirikol said:
			
		

> DICTIONARY.COM





Subtle hints aside  I was interested in a concensus of gamers based on the fact that there's at least a sizable group of folks who say ASH-eron. I've always said ACK-eron, but never really discussed it with anybody, and have never been able to run a game set there.

Thanks, folks! I'm looking forward to tomorrow's game more and more!


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## The_Gneech (May 12, 2006)

I always pronounced it _ACHE-a-ron_ myself (as in head-ache-eron) ... but I'm not a Greek. 

-The Gneech


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## jester47 (May 12, 2006)

Its only ASHeron when its spelled that way...  I don't think that Asheron in Asheron's call has anything to do with ACKeron the region/river of hell.  Its like Aragon in spain and Aragorn in LotR.  Sound the same in some respects but completely different words.


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## RichGreen (May 12, 2006)

ACK-eron for me. I did study Classical Greek at university but I wasn't very good at it.


Richard


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## werk (May 12, 2006)

Shemeska said:
			
		

> Acheron = ACK-eron




Likewise.


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## Castellan (May 12, 2006)

jester47 said:
			
		

> I don't think that Asheron in Asheron's call has anything to do with ACKeron the region/river of hell.




I agree that Asheron's Call is using the name for the sake of the name, however the pronunciations I've found while searching around are split between ASH and ACK.

If nothing else, it's good to make sure I'm not starting another *Ill*ithid/Il*lith*id war.


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## BOZ (May 12, 2006)

Shade said:
			
		

> I'm sure I'm wrong, but I pronounce it ATCH-eron.




LOL!  i'm not the only one.


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## Crothian (May 12, 2006)

According to the Pronuciation guide in the first dragon compendium it is : @TCH-ur-un


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## The_Gunslinger658 (May 12, 2006)

The_Gneech said:
			
		

> I always pronounced it _ACHE-a-ron_ myself (as in head-ache-eron) ... but I'm not a Greek.
> 
> -The Gneech




Yup, thats how I pronounced it. 


Scott


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## Gold Roger (May 12, 2006)

I think I tend to say ARCH-eron like knightfall. And spontaniously asked I would have guessed Ach-eron with a guttural prnunciation of the ch. But then, I didn't know it's out of greek.


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## Shemeska (May 12, 2006)

Wierd, I've never actually heard anyone pronounce Acheron as anything other than ACK-eron.

For what it's worth though, the mimir in 'Players Primer to the Outlands' pronounces it ATCH-eron.


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## demiurge1138 (May 12, 2006)

BOZ said:
			
		

> LOL!  i'm not the only one.



No, no you're not. That's what I do.

Demiurge out.


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## Tiberius (May 12, 2006)

I'm apparently different from everyone, for I pronounce it "a-KARE-on".


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## Sammael (May 12, 2006)

Shemeska said:
			
		

> For what it's worth though, the mimir in 'Players Primer to the Outlands' pronounces it ATCH-eron.



I just re-listened to it and it sounds more like ASH-eron to me.


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## Richards (May 13, 2006)

Right or wrong, I've always pronounced it ATCH-er-on.

Johnathan


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## TheAuldGrump (May 13, 2006)

Heh, I have always gone with 'ACK', which fits when folks in game get there... *ACK!*

The Auld Grump, who last used Acheron in 1st ed....


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## Psion (May 13, 2006)




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## interwyrm (May 13, 2006)

As much as I hate the way it sounds, I think ack er on is probably the most correct people have mentioned so far. The ch is likely a throwback to the greek chi, which is not pronounced like a ck, but more like a ... a cat hissing. The a is probably an alpha. So ack (with a soft consonant) is probably the most correct.

I say atcheron though.


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## Odhanan (May 13, 2006)

ACK-eron.
Looking in a dictionary can indeed help for classical names.


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## Voadam (May 13, 2006)

ch as in chew.

So I guess atch would be the phonetic.


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## Ripzerai (May 13, 2006)

I say "Acchh-er-on," with full pseudo-Yiddish or Scottish acchh.

The origin of the "Archeron" pronunciation would probably be Robert Asprin's Myth series, which had a race of humanoids called the Archers from a plane called Archeron.


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## Klaus (May 13, 2006)

Akeron.

In Portuguese the name is written Aqueronte ( qu == k ). For completeness' sake, the Styx is Estige, Tarterus is Tártaro.


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## Land Outcast (May 13, 2006)

Akeron

Portuguese? ok, I'll com defending spanish then.

Styx -> Estigia ("gi" sounds like "he", est-e-he-ah)   

Acheron -> Aqueronte

Tarterus -> Tartaro (where punishment adequates itself to the crime)


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## Perun (May 13, 2006)

I pronounce it with 'ch' as in scottich 'loch' or german 'Ich'.

And in Croatian, it's spelled Aheron. And while we're already mentioning, Styks is either Stiga or Stiks, and Tarterus is Tartar.

(For those interested, Greek names are generally translated to Croatian based on the genitive case of the original Greek form, not the nominative case. For example, Artemis (the goddess) is the nominative case, and the genitive is Artemidos. The Croatian version is Artemida.)

Regards.


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## Ryltar (May 13, 2006)

Perun said:
			
		

> I pronounce it with 'ch' as in scottich 'loch' or german 'Ich'.




ACKeron. "ch" is too soft a sound, I think.


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## Tarril Wolfeye (May 13, 2006)

Perun said:
			
		

> I pronounce it with 'ch' as in scottich 'loch' or german 'Ich'.



Which One? They're pronounced differently.

I pronounce it as if it were a german word, somewhere near scottish 'loch', but slightly higher.


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## Wayside (May 13, 2006)

Castellan said:
			
		

> I know that the traditional Greek pronunciation is ACK-eron, but with modernization (Asheron's Call, etc) do you prefer to pronounce the name old-school, or new-school?



The Greek pronunciation is actually a sound that English doesn't have, so it's been simplified to ACK. An equivalent would be that back-of-the-throat hocking-a-loogie sound English-speakers tend to associate with German, minus the hyperbole of course.


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## exile (May 13, 2006)

It seems the official pronunciation has already been hit upon (and my vocabulary appropriately modified), however I always pronounced it Ahk-er-on.
Chad


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## RichGreen (May 13, 2006)

Crothian said:
			
		

> According to the Pronuciation guide in the first dragon compendium it is : @TCH-ur-un




I have no idea how to pronounce the word based on that. What does @ mean?

Cheers


Richard


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## Huw (May 13, 2006)

Ancient Greek would be ACK'- (with slight aspiration, like English), modern AKH- (like German ch). Ditto Charon (the boatman).

I say ACK-eron. ASH-eron is wrong, but you've got to admit, does sound good. Since the DnD Acheron has nothing to do with mythological Acheron, there's nothing wrong with changing its pronunciation - they're different places coincidentally spelt the same.


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## Perun (May 13, 2006)

Tarril Wolfeye said:
			
		

> Which One? They're pronounced differently.
> 
> I pronounce it as if it were a german word, somewhere near scottish 'loch', but slightly higher.




Exactly!  

I don't know how to accurately describe the sound... it's not as "sharp" as either, really, and can be somewhat likened to the "wh" in "who", although certain ways of pronouncing the german "Ich" come close (don't know what dialects those would be).

Regards.


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## Heathen72 (May 13, 2006)

It's pronounced Pa-LAD-in


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## DragonLancer (May 13, 2006)

Shemeska said:
			
		

> Acheron = ACK-eron




Yep, same here.

When I first started playing D&D I used to pronounce it as ACK-air-on for some reason.


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