Name Pronunciation for Commencement

Graduating student standing smiling at commencement

Getting your name right is important to us. As you can imagine, reading names at commencement is a daunting task, which is why our name reader needs your help. If you have an unusual or difficult-to-pronounce name, please write it out as phonetically as possible, using ALL CAPS for the syllables that get emphasized, with spaces between syllables, something like this:

  • Ludwig von Beethoven
  • LOOD vik fon BAY toe vun
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • VOOLF gong ahm uh DAY oos MOW tsart

A few other tips:

  • If it is commonly mispronounced, tell them what NOT to say (for instance, "PED-er-son, not PEET-er-son").
  • If it rhymes with another word mention that other word too (so if "Gough" is pronounced "GOFF" you might mention that it rhymes with "cough").
  • If it has an ending vowel, tell them whether to say the vowel or not (for instance, Brekke; tell me if it is "Breck" or "BREK-key").
  • Don’t forget your first name and/or middle name. If you are a Kara, tell them if it is CAR-uh or CARE-uh.
  • Record yourself saying your name and upload it in the pronunciation form.

Pronunciation form