Here’s How to Pronounce the Names of 28 Famous Designers and Architects
The “Rohe” in Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is trickier than you might think.
Reading the names of well-known architects and designers is one thing—saying them aloud is another. If you’re shy about pronouncing Eero Saarinen or Smiljan Radic at a party—or overcompensating by speaking a little too loudly—arm yourself with this guide to saying the names of design’s all-time greats.
Jens Risom
Mid-century designer Jens Risom's A-framed prefab family retreat, located on the northern portion of Block island, is bordered by a low stone wall, an aesthetic element that appears throughout the land.
Photo: Floto + Warner
Sounds like: Yens Ree-sum
More straightforward than some, the labor here is in the "Ree," which rhymes with "three." It gets trickier from here.
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid
Sounds like: Zuh-huhr Ha-deed
Put her first name in the front of your mouth with your lips close together, and barely, just barely say that "r." For her last name, pronounce the "a" like "mattress." A little extra oomph into "huhr" and "deed" and you’ve got it.
László Moholy-Nagy
In the midst of Nazi-era Germany, Lásló Moholy-Nagy fled to Chicago to proliferate the Bauhaus school of thought. The New Bauhaus would go on to transform design, photography, and arts education with an influence that reached far beyond America’s borders. Award-winning Los Angeles–based director Alysa Nahmias brings his story to life.
Sounds like: Laz-lo Mo-HO-lee-Nahj
Whatever you do, don’t say the "Y." His first name should be an even ramp, and the last name is a free fall to the end.
Alleé Charlotte Perriand
Charlotte Perriand. Copyright Archives Charlotte Perriand.
Sounds like: Ally Shar-LOAT Pearee-uh
With this one, give that "T" in "Charlotte" a nice pop, and land the end of "Perriand" with a sound somewhere between "uh" and "ah." If you say "and," you’re gonna be asked to leave the party.
Bjarke Ingels
Sounds like: Be-YA-kah Een-gills
Most of the Danish architect’s name will rest just slightly in your throat. His first name kinda sounds like "Bianca." Just remember to say that "j" as a "y," and you’ve got it.
Eero Saarinen
Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen designed the Gateway Arch monument, completed in St. Louis in 1965 (it opened to the public in 1967). The world's largest arch, the iconic, 632-foot tall structure was built as a monument to westward expansion in the United States. Here, he's shown alongside models of the arch.
Credit: Yale University Library, Manuscripts and Archives; © St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Sounds like: Ay-roh SAHH-rinin
Make those consonants snappy and the vowels long (especially in "Sahh"). This one juts. As you round the corner of "Ayee," make the "roh" click your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Same for the "r" in the last name.
Isamu Noguchi
Isamu Noguchi. This 1982 photograph was my last black-and-white photograph, or it is the last that I remember, anyway. We were like water and oil in his studio, but when it came time for him to choose from thousands of images for a mini Pace Gallery retrospective, he chose this image. One of my proudest moments.
Photo: Richard Schulman
Sounds like: Ee-sah-mu Nuh-GOO-chee
When said correctly, Isamu Noguchi is satisfyingly rhythmic. It’s syllabic symmetry gives it a sing-song quality you’ll want to repeat over and over. Give each vowel its due.
Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier in his apartment and studio in Paris, France.
Sounds like: Loo Cahr-boos-yeh
Like Isamu Noguchi, this one is even and metered. Keep that "r" very soft and in the back of the throat, say "boos" like "loose," and don’t belabor "yeh."
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Karsh’s portrait of Mies van der Rohe in his Chicago apartment.
Sounds like: Lood-vieg Mees vahn deh ROH-uh
Though broken into many words, each zips to the next, gaining momentum until it balls up on a throaty "Roh" and then falls to the final "uh." Give "vahn" just a little extra oomph, too. This one’s meant to go fast.
Jeanne Gang
Jeanne Gang, who established the interdisciplinary design practice Studio Gang in 1997, has received numerous honors as a pioneer in architecture.
Sounds like: Jee-knee Gang
Her first name is just like a genie from a lamp, and her last name is exactly as you’d expect. Had to get your confidence back up after Mies van der Rohe.
Harry Bertoia
Harry Bertoia, sitting in one of his famous chair designs for
Sounds like: Harry Brr-TOY-uh
His first name is a familiar one, but his last is a bit of a jumble. Say "Brr" like you’ve caught a chill, then say "toy" like a child’s toy, then simply "uh." Done and done.
Smiljan Radic
You can see Chilean architect Smiljan Radic's finished 2014 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London from June 26 to October 14. Photo by Hisao Suzuki.
Sounds like: Smee-lahn RRA-ditch
With Croatian heritage and a Chilean upbringing, those "R"s in his last name are gonna roll a bit. Don’t get carried away, but make it heard. Emphasize the "a" in "Rra" when it comes, and be sure to end with the word "ditch." If you say the "j" they’re gonna call you a cab.
Antoni Gaudí
Sounds like: AN-toh-nee Gow-dee
To the say the Spanish architect’s name, keep each vowel’s shape throughout, except for when you get to "Gow"—say it like "cow."
Shigeru Ban
Sounds like: She-GEH-roo Bahn
Say it all like one word, with an emphasis on "geh." "Bahn" should start like "barn." Just don’t let the vowels change shape, at all!
Juhani Pallasmaa
"We now have the technological and engineering means to construct structurally ridiculous buildings. Gothic cathedrals had to be genuinely ingenious constructions in their time; today, skyscrapers are often forced constructions that work totally against natural laws." —Juhani Pallasmaa
Sounds like: Yoo-haw-nee Pall-ahs-mah
The vowels do all the work, so just follow them. Like Shigeru Ban, they don’t change shape. Every syllable is pretty much created equal. Let your voice rise and then fall, splitting first and last name like a perfectly symmetrical peak.
Jean Prouvé
"Never design anything that cannot be made," Prouvé once said.
Sounds like: Shjawn Proo-veh
In French, the "J" at the top of "Jean" does something no English word really does. Just think of the "zh" sound in "zhuzh," or "jus" in "Beef Au Jus."
Ilse Crawford
Ilse Crawford of Studioilse. Head to The Apartment to check out the full list of inventory in her residency, which runs through November 2, 2014. And for more background on the showroom, read Dwell's feature story from 2013.
Sounds like: Ill-suh Craw-ford
Nothing to overthink here. Give the "e" an "uh" sound and we’re on to the next.
Patricia Urquiola
Patricia Urquiola (born 1961)
Sounds like: Pah-TREE-see-ah Oork-ee-OH-lah
Get out your best Spanish accent, and away you go. Plant every vowel firmly and give a bump to those bolded moments. Both "Tree" and "Oork" have a little tongue trill in the "r."
Gaetano Pesce
Gaetano Pesce. Photo provided by Gaetano Pesce.
Sounds like: Guy-TAHN-oh PEH-sheh
Hailing from Italy, that "sce" does what an "sh" does in English. "Tahn" should sound like "on" with a "t" at the front.
Hella Jongerius
Hella Jongerius / Jongeriuslab in Berlin
Photo: Oliver Mark
Sounds like: Hell-uh Yong-GEAR-eeus
The Dutch industrial designer’s first name sounds just like it looks, easy. The "j" at the top of her last name makes a "y" sound and. Say "gear" as in the kind you shift.
Konstantin Grcic
Industrial designer Konstantin Grcic in his Munich studio. Photo by Oliver Mark.
Photo: Oliver Mark
Sounds like: Kahn-stan-teen GEAR-tchich
Say it "Kahn" as in Genghis Kahn. Where there’s a shortage of vowels in his last name, just add a couple to say "gear," like a bicycle gear.
Moshe Safdie
Builders toast the casting completion of the last box at Habitat ’67 in Montreal, Quebec.
Sounds like: Mo-shee Soft-ee
It’s as straight forward as it looks! Don’t overthink it and it’ll come out just right.
David Adjaye
Dwell: Your collection's release coincides with Knoll's 75th anniversary. What was it like to collaborate with a company that has such a long—and revered—history?
Adjaye: It has been a huge learning curve. It was like a testing ground for ideas that interest me and an opportunity to engage in a production process with Knoll’s technical team. While I have previously designed objects—I have never worked on production furniture. It is very different. Furniture can be everywhere and used by everyone, unthinkingly in their daily lives—it is a background. There is something very powerful and very rewarding about that.
Photo by Dorothy Hong
Photo: Dorothy Hong
Alvar Aalto at work.
Sounds like: ALL-var ALL-toe
Say every "a" like the word "all," and snap your tongue on the "r" and "t" just a little bit.
Tadao Ando
Japanese architect Tadao Ando stands in front of the The Modern, a structure he designed as a public art gallery in the Cultural District of downtown Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Photo Stephen Masker
Sounds like: Tuh-dow AN-doh
The "uh" sound is somewhere between the "o" in "money" and the "a" in "many." The vowels in "Ando" are like "mandolin."
Finn Juhl
Finn Juhl in his element; Photo courtesy of OneCollection
Photo courtesy of OneCollection
Sounds like: Fin Yewl
The Danish designer’s name is two syllables that sound like one. Say "Juhl" like "jewel" or "mule," but with a "y" in front.
Antonio Citterio
"You see the fixture on the wall, but we’re also working behind the wall—with water as a medium, which, as everybody knows, is in growing shortage." —Antonio Citterio, architect
Photo: Sam Kerr
Sounds like: An-TOH-nee-oh Chee-TEAR-ee-oh
Get out your best Italian accent, it’s a must to get this one right. Most importantly, pronounce the "Ci" like you’re saying "cheetah," and roll the "r" in the last name just a bit.
Dieter Rams
Meeting Dieter Rams
Always engaging, always insightful, and telling about his own personal style vis-a-vis his sartorial choices. (Buy his Nanna Ditzel-designing walking stick of choice here.)
Sounds like: DEE-teh Hahms
Though there is indeed an "R" in the last name of the German designer, the sound is in the back of the throat, and barely—just barely—touches the sound of an "r." His first and last name should flow together as one.
Related Reading:
Design Icons: 24 Modern Architects and Designers That Have Shaped Our World
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