How do you pronounce "Kyuss"?


Age of Worms Adventure Path


I'm sure there's been a thread on this already, but I can't find it.

So is it KYOOS (rhymes with "wuss"), or KAI-us (rhymes with "why us?")?

Just curious.


office_ninja wrote:

I'm sure there's been a thread on this already, but I can't find it.

So is it KYOOS (rhymes with "wuss"), or KAI-us (rhymes with "why us?")?

Just curious.

From wikipedia:

In the Dungeons & Dragons World of Greyhawk campaign setting, Kyuss (pronounced kai-OOSS) is a deity concerned with the Creation and Mastery of the Undead. Known as the Bonemaster, the Wormgod, and the Herald of the Age of Worms, his symbol is a skull erupting with writhing green worms.

i guess it's similar to the way you pronounce Iuz.


Kai - us just sounds so much better


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Black Baron wrote:
Kai - us just sounds so much better

That's what I'm going to go with. It's not like it's "fact" just becaue it's on Wikipedia.


I have always pronounced it key-US. Kai-is reminds me too much of a vampiric nazi king of a certain setting.


I'd heard that there was a band named after Kyuss (I think it was mentioned in a Dungeon editorial) but I was still surprised when the first mention of Kyuss happened in my game. The long time player paled and said, "THE Kyuss? Holy crap..." He was remembering stuff from first edition etc. That was very satisfying for me.

However, the newer initiate who's pretty hip said, "Wait, like the band?!?"

Apparently the band pronounces it Kai-us. If that's any better than Wikipedia...


Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber

I pronounce it Ky ice. Like ice with a K in front of it.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

In our group, we've always pronounced it as one syllable, rhyming with juice or noose. We treat the "Kyu" as a "Q".


We pronouce the first bit the way the Japanese phoneme /ky/ is pronounced (like in Kyushu), and the second bit we say -us with a slightly elongaged /s/. There is slight stress on the -u-, though we say it as one sylable.

I'm fascinated that this has come up so often here, as we had a bit of debate about it too.


We always had trouble with it.

One day we changed it to Couscous (as in the grain). Laughs all around.


Tearlach wrote:

We always had trouble with it.

One day we changed it to Couscous (as in the grain). Laughs all around.

As long as your couscous pilaf doesn't have green worms in it, you should be good. :P


office_ninja wrote:

I'm sure there's been a thread on this already, but I can't find it.

So is it KYOOS (rhymes with "wuss"), or KAI-us (rhymes with "why us?")?

Just curious.

Rhymes with Chaos

Scarab Sages

MAS-tur. It's fairly easy to pronounce.


I've always pronounced it KAI-us.

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