A Simple Phonetic Guide to Book of Mormon Names

As someone who regularly reads the Book of Mormon, I found myself constantly stumbling over the pronunciation of names and places. Despite searching extensively online and in various study guides, I couldn’t find a simple, straightforward phonetic guide for Book of Mormon names that actually helped me pronounce them correctly. Every resource I encountered used complex linguistic notation, International Phonetic Alphabet symbols, or academic diacritical marks that were more confusing than helpful.

The existing Book of Mormon pronunciation guides seemed to be written for linguistics professors, not for everyday readers who just want to know how to say “Pahoran” or “Zemnarihah” correctly during family scripture study or Sunday School. I found myself staring at symbols like “ə” and “ɪ” and elaborate stress marks that meant absolutely nothing to me. Even when I tried to decode these scholarly notations, I often ended up more confused about the pronunciation than when I started.

This frustration led me to create this resource – a Book of Mormon pronunciation guide written in plain, simple English. Using straightforward phonetic spelling that anyone can understand (like “pa-HOR-un” for Pahoran or “zem-na-RYE-hah” for Zemnarihah), this guide makes pronouncing Book of Mormon names accessible to everyone. No special training needed, no mysterious symbols to decode – just clear, easy-to-read pronunciations that sound exactly like they look.

I compiled this list because I believe there are many other Book of Mormon readers out there who, like me, just wanted a simple answer to the question: “How do I pronounce this name?” Whether you’re reading to your children, teaching a class, or studying on your own, this guide will help you confidently pronounce every name in the Book of Mormon without needing a degree in linguistics.

If you find any errors please feel free to contact me!

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