Guidance on how to pronounce author names, for authors whose last name begins with "a"!

Author Pronunciations

53 last names beginning with "a"

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Frank W.. Abagnale
AB-ag-nail
Atia Abawi
uh-TEE-uh uh-BOW-ee
Leila Aboulela
Aboul-Ela
Diana Abu-Jaber
AH-boo JAH-ber
Izzeldin Abuelaish
issel-deen abu-laysh
Lauren Acampora
ah-come-POUR-uh
Andre Aciman
ANN-dray AH-see-mahn
Gil Adamson
Gil is short for Gillian, thus pronounced Jill
Tomi Adeyemi
TOE-me ah-dee-YEH-me
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chim-muh-MAHN-duh en-GOH-zee ah-DEECH-ee-(ay) The “ay” is soft, not quite a diphthong.
Aravind Adiga
arh-vindh adi-ja
Bisi Adjapon
BIH-see ad-juh-PAHN
Qais Akbar Omar
First name pronounced kice (rhymes with rice)
Ayad Akhtar
i-yahd AHK-tar (first syllable rhymes with my)
Uwem Akpan
u-em ak-pan
Boris Akunin
The pen name of Grigory Chkhartishvili, pronounced CHAHAR-kesh-veely
Rabih Alameddine
Rah-be Ahlah-m'dean
Daniel Alarcon
danYELL all-ar-CONE (the "r" is not rolled as in Spanish only double-r's are rolled)
Mitch Albom
al-bum (as in record album)
Madeleine Albright
All-bright
Alan Alda
AL-da. Most pronounce the first syllable to rhyme with ball, but considering Alda's father created the name from the first two letters of his first and last name (Alphonso D'Abruzzo), arguably the first syllable should be as in the Al in Alphonso.
Sherman Alexie
sher-mn a-lexie
Jokha Alharthi
JOKE-uh al-har-TEE
Xhenet Aliu
juh-NET ah-lee-OO
Isabel Allende
Ees-abel Ay-enday (or ä-YEN-d?)
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The phonetic pronunciation of each author's name has been verified by the author's publisher. If you are the author, or personally familiar with the author, and disagree with the phonetic spelling of a particular name, please tell us. Thank you!

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