kutamaka
Pronunciation Guide to Names
Sudoku
A Japanese number puzzle

Name: Sudoku
Phonetic Pronunciation: soo-DOE-koo
English Audio Pronunciation:
Japanese Audio Pronunciation:  (license info)

Tags: games  disputed pronunciation  

Notes: The name Sudoku comes from a Japanese phrase that means "the digits must occur only once".

There is some dispute as to the correct pronunciation of Sudoku in English-- specifically regarding which syllable is emphasized and whether the middle syllable is "doe" or "dock".

Do a google search on 'sudoku pronounced' and you'll turn up a slew of opinions on how it is pronounced.

Wikipedia lists two pronunciations-- suh-"DOE"-koo and SOO-"doe"-koo.

In the Oxford BBC Guide To Pronunciation they list 3 pronunciations:
  • soo-"DOE"-koo
  • soo-"DOCK"-oo
  • SOO-"dock"-oo
The first is given as the preferred and most common English pronuciation.