After 18 years, seven books and eight movies, the Harry Potter franchise hasn't been short on unexpected twists and turns. But the latest out-of-the-blue development is perhaps the oddest yet: we've all been pronouncing Voldemort's name wrong.
In an exchange with a fan on Twitter, author JK Rowling confirmed that the 't' in Voldemort is actually silent, contrary to its pronunciation in the movies. It seems that the rogue 't' crept into the Dark Lord's name after the first movie, and was then repeated in the US audiobooks by voice actor Jim Dale.
Predictably, the revelation has sparked a heated debate from Potter fans on Twitter, with reactions ranging from bemusement to confusion at why the pronunciation wasn't corrected for the big screen.
However, not everybody was scandalised by the news. French aficionados of the child wizard saga added that they'd been pronouncing it correctly all along, highlighting that "Voldemort" means "flight of death" in their native tongue.
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (unless correctly), even decide to weigh in on the debate himself, pointing to a tweet he'd sent back in 2010.
One thing's for sure: it's never a dull day in Potter World.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
