20 Neopian Words You're Probably Pronouncing Wrong

The world of Neopia is fascinating, full of wondrous beings and things. With an interesting world comes interesting names, some of which are very difficult to pronounce! I've done my research on Neopian linguistics and am here to shed light on some of the most mispronounced words in Neopia.

Let me give you a fair warning before you read any further. You may become distraught that you've been saying your beloved pet's species wrong for twelve years. You may think the official pronunciation of a word is rather distasteful compared to your version. You may never be able to look at an Usul again without having an internal crisis. But carry on, young Neopian, it’s normal. If you can't wrap your brain around some of these pronunciations, no one will mind if you speak in an accent for the rest of your time in Neopia. Cho-kay-to, cho-kah-to, I always say.

Here we go. Let’s see how well you know these Neopian words! Keep track of how many you already pronounce correctly, for I will score you on your knowledge after.

Aisha

Ah, the Aisha, a favorite species of many. There are over 400 Aisha related items in Neopia, which can make for some uncomfortable situations with shopkeepers if you’re unsure how to pronounce the word. I have heard them called ay-shas, and a-ee-shas, among other things. However, the official pronunciation is eye-sha.

Dieter the Polarchuck

You would think that the Polarchuck from Snowmuncher’s name would be diet-er. It would make sense, while being kind of ironic, considering how much he eats. However, according to a past NT editorial, his name is pronounced deet-er.

Elephante

This was the big heartbreaker for me in my research. No, Elephante is not pronounced ella-font-ay. The E at the end is silent, and the word is simply pronounced ella-fant.

Eyrie

Eyries are another popular pet species, and the largest in size. Their name is up for discussion sometimes, but it is officially pronounced ear-ree. Hm, I did always think there was something a little eerie about them... *drumbeat* An item that makes another (and probably better) Eyrie pun is the book An Eyrie Evening.

Fyora

Fyora is one of the most famous Neopians, and yet some of us may be saying our beloved Faerie Queen’s name wrong! It is fee-ora instead of feye-ora.

Gelert

The G in Gelert is soft, like the G in Gadgadsbogen. So yes, it is gell-ert, not jel-ert.

Gnorbu

The Gnorbu is a relatively newer pet species not yet added to the pronunciation page. However, after searching the Neopian Times archives, I can confirm that the G is silent. It is norr-boo.

Grarrl

Don't go too heavy on the R's while talking about this prehistoric pet species. It is pronounced grahl.

Jhuidah

You've visited her Cooking Pot many times in Mystery Island, but you may have said her name wrong while you were there. Well, that's awkward, because she never corrected you that it's actually jwee-dah.

Kau

Ah, the sweet, bovine Kau. It is simply pronounced cow. And similarly, Kauvara’s name is pronounced cow-vah-ra.

Kadoatie

Alright, all you Kad feeders, let's see if you know this one. When saying this crybaby petpet’s name, don’t linger too long on that A, because it is pronounced ka-dote-ee.

Kreludor

Shh, don't tell your Grundo friends, but I've been calling the moon krel-oo-dor this whole time. It is actually krel-yoo-dor.

Lupe

Similar to the situation with Elephante, Lupe is not pronounced loop-ay. It is just loop.

MAGAX

Ah, MAGAX, the redeemed ex-villain. Well not only am I terrible at the game MAGAX Destroyer II, but I am also terrible at pronouncing it. The G is similar to magic, with a J sound. So it’s not mag-ax, but maj-ax.

Mynci

Mynci is a tricky one, and a pronunciation I wouldn't have figured out on my own. It is officially pronounced mwn-sea.

Pteri

This one may not have tripped you up as much as the others, but it is still one up for much debate. Let me just clear the air here. The P in Pteri is silent. It is ter-ree. Now you can read The Pterrible Pteri without trouble!

Qasala

The Lost Desert land of Qasala is pronounced kuh-sawl-uh, since there is no U after the Q.

Taelia

Taelia the Snow Faerie has a rather difficult name spelling. She pronounces it tee-lee-a. Maybe if she didn't stay so tucked away in Terror Mountain, this would be more common knowledge to the rest of us.

Usul

Do you ever get confused when you see someone write "an Usul?" That's because it's oo-sul, not yoo-sul. I think this is one of the most mispronounced words in Neopia, which is surprising with how popular Usuki collecting is. Needless to say, Usuki is oo-suki. Now try to say “Ooh, an Usuki!” three times fast!

Vira

Last but not least, is Vira the Acara. She’s in the Gallery of Evil, and you may have seen her avatar floating around. It’s not a difficult name to say, but it is pronounced veer-ah not vi-rah.

And there you have it, a quick rundown of some of Neopia's trickiest words and names to say! How did you do? Are you already a master at the Neopian language, or do you have some learning to do? Find the number of words you already pronounced correctly below.

0-5 correct: Well you definitely have your work cut out for you. I hope I didn't overwhelm you too much. At least by the end of this article, you will have learned at least fifteen new words!

6-10 correct: You’re not the dimmest light bulb, that’s for sure. Keep practicing!

11-15 correct: Above average pronunciation. You have been in Neopia for quite a while, but you still have a little bit left to learn about the world.

15-19 correct: You must have studied the Neopian language before. I commend you for your attention to detail and your desire to pronounce things correctly.

20 correct: GRAND MASTER! You are a better linguist than I. You pay attention and you make sure you get it right.

Regardless of your score, I hope you learned at least one new word today, and that your brain didn’t implode from all of these new pronunciations to remember. Now you can go about your business in Neopia confidently, without worrying about offending your Neopet or the Faerie Queen herself!