He has been around for more than 400 years, and is one of the most celebrated characters in fiction in a work regarded as a cornerstone of western literature. Yet people still do not know how to pronounce his name.
Don Quixote — that’s Don-Key-Hoh-Tee, or even Don-Key-Hoh-Teh, if one wants to go the full Spanish, but never Don Quicks-Oat — has topped a list of literary names that people struggle to say correctly.
He is joined by Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones and Hermione from Harry Potter, both of which may be tricky for some but are less likely to be still causing readers problems in 400 years’ time.
The poll follows the Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s recent disclosure that Voldemort is