Pronunciation Guide

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.

Native Tribes

The university has a Land Acknowledgment Statement, a formal statement expressing gratitude and appreciation to the Native peoples on whose territory we reside. There is a pronunciation guide for the Native tribes on the Chancellor’s website.

Personal Names

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.

B

Bevier Hall

Buh-VEER

Bielfeldt Athletic Administration Building

BEEL-feldt

Bousfield Hall

BOWS-field (rhymes with “wows”)

Busey Hall

BYOO-see

C

Carle Illinois College of Medicine

KARL, not CAR-lee

Chez Veteran Center

CHEZ, not shay

Coble Hall

Long “o” as in COH-bull, not CAHB-ul as in cobbler.

D

Delucia Laboratory

Duh-LU-see-uh

Demerjian Golf Practice Facility

dee-MURR-jhan

F

Foellinger Auditorium

FOAL-in-grrr (like a baby horse with a hard “g”)

G

Gies College of Business

Geese

H

Hallene Gateway

Hal-EEN

Holonyak, Nick Jr.

Hole-in-YOCK

I

Illini

Ill-LIE-nai

Illinois

IL-li-noy (no ‘s’ or ‘z’ sound at end)

K

Krannert Art Museum

KRAN-ert, not CRANE-ert

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

KRAN-ert, not CRANE-ert

L

LEED platinum rating

Lead with an “ee” sound, not led

Levis Faculty Center

LEV-iss, not lee-vize as in the jeans.

M

Monticello

MON-ti-SELL-oh

McKechnie Family LIFE Home

Mc-KECK-knee

N

Noyes Laboratory

Noise

S

Saunders Hall

SAWN-ders

Siebel Center for Computer Science

SEE-bel

Siebel Center for Design

SEE-bel

T

Temple Hoyne Buell Hall

Hoyn (like “ahoy”) BYOU-ell

U

Ubben Basketball Facility

UBB-in

V

Vermilion

Ver-MIL-yuhn

W

Wassaja Hall

WAHS-ah-ja

Wohlers Hall

WHOH-lers

Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

Woez

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