J.K. Rowling Reveals Most ‘Harry Potter’ Fans Are Pronouncing Voldemort Wrong

J.K. Rowling surprised Harry Potter fans when she revealed earlier this week that most of them have been pronouncing the name of Voldemort – the series’ main antagonist – incorrectly all along.

Voldemort Pronunciation

Potterhead Michael Lucero tweeted out a bit of little-known trivia about the series, claiming that according to Rowling, the “t” at the end of Voldemort is silent. While some may have been dubious about Lucero’s claim, Rowling stepped in to confirm it.

@Universe_Box One piece of Harry Potter trivia I always forget to mention: the “t” is silent in Voldemort, according to @jk_rowling.

— Michael Lucero (@mhenrylucero) September 9, 2015

… but I’m pretty sure I’m the only person who pronounces it that way. https://t.co/HxhJ5XY5HP — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 9, 2015

Rowling, who meticulously chose words for spells, creatures and characters in the Harry Potter universe, was duly discerning when it came to naming Harry Potter’s nemesis. Voldemort happens to be a French word, which means “flight of death,” and as pronounced in French, the “t” is silent.

@jk_rowling No you’re not 😉 The whole France is too !

— Carole Bouchard (@carole_bouchard) September 9, 2015

Other tweeters pointed out that Jim Dale, who narrated U.S. audiobooks of Harry Potter, had correctly pronounced Voldemort – at least until it started getting pronounced incorrectly in the Harry Potter films.

@sQverma @jk_rowling I was going to mention Jim Dale too. I noticed he started pronouncing the T after the first movie was released. — Nick Xylas (@nxylas) September 9, 2015

In other Harry Potter news, the spinoff film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is currently filming, with Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne starring in the lead role of Newt Scamander.