Pronunciation Guide
Get it right
When it comes to representing the university well, correct pronunciation is nearly as important as correct factual details. There are several Illinois buildings and names that can be difficult to pronounce correctly by looking at spelling alone. Please use this guide to ensure you are representing the university correctly.
Words that are routinely mispronounced
BEVIER HALL
Buh-VEER
BIELFELDT ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
BEEL-feldt
BOUSFIELD HALL
BOWS-field (rhymes with “wows”)
BUSEY HALL
BYOO-see
CARLE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
KARL, not CAR-lee
CHEZ FAMILY FOUNDATION CENTER FOR WOUNDED VETERANS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
CHEZ, not shay
COBLE HALL
Long “o” as in COH-bull, not CAHB-ul as in cobbler.
CHANUTE AIR FORCE BASE
Sha-NOOT
DELUCIA LABORATORY
Duh-LU-see-uh
DEMERJIAN GOLF PRATICE FACILITY
dee-MURR-jhan
FOELLINGER AUDITORIUM
FOAL-in-grrr (like a baby horse with a hard “g”)
GIES COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Geese
HALLENE GATEWAY
Hal-EEN
HOLONYAK, NICK JR.
Hole-in-YOCK
ILLINI
Ill-LIE-nai
ILLINOIS
IL-li-noy
(no ‘s’ or ‘z’ sound at end)
KRANNERT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS/KRANNERT ART MUSEUM
KRAN-ert, not CRANE-ert
LEED PLATINUM RATING
lead with an “ee” sound, not led
LEVIS CENTER
Lev-ISS, not lee-vize as in the jeans.
MONTICELLO
MON-ti-SELL-oh
NOYES LABORATORY
Noise
SAUNDERS HALL
sawn-DERS
SIEBEL CENTER FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE
SEE-bel
TEMPLE HOYNE BUELL HALL
Hoyn (like “ahoy”) BYOU-ell
UBBEN BASKETBALL FACILITY
UBB-in
VERMILION
Ver-MIL-yuhn
WASSAJA HALL
WAHS-ah-ja
WOHLERS HALL
WHOH-lers
CARL R. WOESE INSTITUTE FOR GENOMIC BIOLOGY
Woes
Suggestions
Is there a word you think we should add to our pronunciation guide? Please email it to publicaffairs@illinois.edu.
Additional notes
One of the most important moments for correct pronunciation is when honoring a student, faculty member or donor. If there is a specific event coming up where an individual’s name will be said aloud, we encourage you to reach out to the department head or family of the individual to ensure accuracy.