TypeTalk: Tongue-Twisting Type

TypeTalk is a regular blog on typography. Post your questions and comments by clicking on the Comments icon above. If Ilene answers your question in the blog, you’ll receive one Official Creativepro.com T-Shirt!
Some typeface names are difficult to pronounce correctly. Here’s my list of the 12 most commonly mispronounced typeface names followed by the correct pronunciation based on their place of origin… plus one important extra.
Antique Olive: Ahn-teek’ Oh-leev’
Benguiat: Ben’-gat
Bodoni: Buh-dough’-nee (not Bo-dee’-nee)
Didot: Dee’-dough or Dee-dough’
Fenice: Feh-nee’-tchay
Fette Fraktur: Fet’-teh Frak’-tour
Kabel: Kah’-bel
Koch: Kock (ending in a hard k as in lock) or Kocch (with a gutteral ch as in chutzpah)
Neue Helvetica: Noi’-eh Hel-ve’-ti-ka
Peignot: Pen’-yoh
Sabon: Sah-bon’
Univers: Oo’-nee-ver (don’t pronounce the s at the end)
Tschichold: Tchee’ -kold (Not a typeface, but the 20th century typographer who designed Sabon.)
Antique Olive

ITC Benguiat Pro

ITC Bodoni Pro

H&FJ Didot

ITC Fenice

Fette Fraktur

Kabel

Koch Antiqua

Neue Helvetica

Peignot

Sabon

Univers

Jan Tschichold

Love type? Want to know more? Ilene Strizver conducts her acclaimed Gourmet Typography workshops internationally. For more information on attending one or bringing it to your company, organization, or school, go to her www.thetypestudio.com. You can also follow Ilene on Facebook and Twitter.

Ilene Strizver is a noted typographic educator, author, designer and founder of The Type Studio in Westport, Connecticut. Her book, Type Rules! The designer’s guide to professional typography, is now in its 4th edition.
  • Anonymous says:

    MP3s of the correct pronounciation would be brill.

  • johnkramerdesign says:

    You really want me to say oo-nee-VER and ahn-TEEK o-LEEV???
    Even though I am a snob, I try not to make it too obvious.

  • Anonymous says:

    Peignot is French. The “gn” combo is pronounced as “ny” (as in “nyuck, nyuck”, see any Three Stooges film featuring Curly).

    Peignot should be pronounced “Peh-nyough’ “. For the final “o” sound, shape your lips into an “o” and be quick about it. Stop short at the “o”, don’t follow through as if in English.

    The “wa” represents the sound the letters “oi” make, as in “patois”.

  • Strizver says:

    Thanks for the correction, my error. It will be corrected! Ilene

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    T H E T Y P E S T U D I O
    Westport, CT
    203.227.5929
    http://www.thetypestudio.com/

  • Strizver says:

    Note that a pronunciation in the language of origin and “common” pronunciation is not always the same. There is a fine line as to when common usage becomes acceptable. For instance, ITC pronounces ITC Kabel as Kah-bel’ (never Kay’-bul) while the actual German pronunciation is Kah’-bel. Additionally, many pronounce Neue as “New” which is the English translation. But if you don’t want to be considered typographically unsophisticated, don’t pronounce Olive (as in Antique Olive) the same as the martini ingredient ;)

    Ilene

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    T H E T Y P E S T U D I O
    Westport, CT
    203.227.5929
    http://www.thetypestudio.com/

  • Anonymous says:

    Please … how do you pronounce “Frutiger?”

  • Anonymous says:

    Enjoyed this. ‘Kabel’–who knew? After 25 years of mangling some of these pronunciations, it’s clear you can teach an old dog new tricks.

    Steven Brisson

  • Anonymous says:

    Wow! 30 years of mispronouncing Univers!

  • Anonymous says:

    I worked for a guy years ago who pronounced it “Ben-quait”

  • Anonymous says:

    I have seen your name often in print—but how do you pronounce it??

  • Strizver says:

    Ha, good one!

    It is Eye-een’ Striz’-ver.

  • Anonymous says:

    Peignot is French. The “gn” combo is pronounced as “ny” (as in “nyuck, nyuck”, see any Three Stooges film featuring Curly).
    Peignot should be pronounced “Peh-nyough’ “. For the final “o” sound, shape your lips into an “o” and be quick about it. Stop short at the “o”, don’t follow through as if in English
    sesli sohbet sesli chat

  • Niko says:

    To my utter dismay, my boss and some co-workers at my new job pronounce Bodoni in a way I’ve NEVER heard in my decades of life in the graphic arts. They pronounce it bo-DONNY and it drives me nuts; they continue to pronounce it the same way as the boss (owner). I feel like such a dick every time I correct somebody but I can’t help it. :(

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