Litch, Lick and the Scottish Gaelic version.

[psiryu]

I was having an argument with my friend the other day about the pronunciation of Lich (we were discussing how cool a Gnome lich would be, how could ignore the asomeness of a 3 foot skeley of doom). My friend pronounces it Litch, as it is spelt, and I pronounce it as Lick with a hard CH as with Scottish Gaelic (if you not sure think how Scots pronounce Loch).

Now I'm not here to say who is right and wrong I'm just curious as to how many people pronounce it diffrently.

[Dhavaer]

I pronouce it like 'leash'.

[Darkxarth]

I pronounce it lick, without the Scottish emphasis.

I first saw it years before I started playing Dungeons and Dragons, and I first assumed it was pronounced lick. It may have been an old videogame where it was said aloud, or I may have just thought "Hm, I bet that's pronounced like lick." Either way, that's how I pronounce it still.

[kamikasei]

I pronounce it "litch", like "rich". I have no idea if this is "correct", but it's how I and everyone else I know who's ever had cause to try to pronounce it has done so.

[DaMullet]

For the same reasons as above, I also pronounce it with a soft CH. And I wholeheartedly agree with the OP, in that gnomish undead casters rule.

[Zeb The Troll]

I pronounce it "litch", like "rich". I have no idea if this is "correct", but it's how I and everyone else I know who's ever had cause to try to pronounce it has done so.

Same here. Until I started visiting GitP forums it never occurred to me it might be different. In 15 years of gaming not one person I've gamed with ever wondered if it was something else. (Not saying this is right, just saying why it never occurred to me it might be wrong.)

[averagejoe]

Alright, even if "lick" is correct, who the heck is going to take such a villain seriously?

"You go through the dark spooky toumb, and suddenly you meet an evil LICK!"

"A giant black cat?"

"Nono, those undead sorceror thingies."

"Hah, is that how it's pronounced? Oooohhh, look ouuuut, I'm gonna liiiick you."

This works along the same principals of why no one is afraid of the Dread Pirate Weseley.

[psiryu]

Alright, even if "lick" is correct, who the heck is going to take such a villain seriously?

"You go through the dark spooky toumb, and suddenly you meet an evil LICK!"

"A giant black cat?"

"Nono, those undead sorceror thingies."

"Hah, is that how it's pronounced? Oooohhh, look ouuuut, I'm gonna liiiick you."

This works along the same principals of why no one is afraid of the Dread Pirate Weseley.

Ahh yes but when that lich starts casting save or die spells the PC will be pleanty scared.

[Culwch]

If lich as a word is related to English lych-gate (lych = ME lich = OE lic = body), then Merriam-Webster pronounces it as "litch", rhyming with "rich".
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/lych-gate

[Ashdate]

There was an amusing story I read once where a party got fireballed after a PC attempted to plug a what they heard from their heavy accented DM as a 'leak.'

- Eddie

[averagejoe]

Ahh yes but when that lich starts casting save or die spells the PC will be pleanty scared.

Yeah, but they'd still laugh at him.

[Hazkali]

Same as Dhaver, I pronounce it "Leash" or more accuaratley, "leesh".

[Lord Iames Osari]

I have only this to say...

[Amiria]

I'm from Germany. I pronounce it leech.

The german word for leech is Egel / Blutegel.

[Rift_Wolf]

I'm from Germany. I pronounce it leech.

The german word for leech is Egel / Blutegel.

My life is a fountain of useless knowledge. Why in all twelve hells did I already know this when I only got a D in GCSE German?

I've always pronounced it Litch, back in the days of the Iron Liches in Heretic.

As for Gnome Liches, undeniably awesome in theory, but giving up the +2 Con so quickly? This is a major factor in my creation of Undead; hence there's one hell of a lot of vampiric elves out there (And their sucky constitution is negated). As for miniscule skeletal casters of DOOOOOM, how about a Pixie Lich? And why does saying that make me hungry?

[MethodicalMeat]

I've always pronounced it "litch", it honestly never even crossed my mind that it might be different.

[Polarbeast]

Since, as far as I know, the plural of these creatures would be "liches," it leads me to believe it's pronounced "litch"... since plural "likk-ez" would seem odd.

Although I'm happy with altering the "i" a bit to give it more of a "leetch" sound.

[tsuyoshikentsu]

I say "Litch," but my friend Rachel says "Like."

[Dhavaer]

Same as Dhaver, I pronounce it "Leash" or more accuaratley, "leesh".

Glad you agree, but none the less *avasculate* for misspelling my name.

[aberratio ictus]

I'm from Germany. I pronounce it leech.

The german word for leech is Egel / Blutegel.

I'm form Germany too, and me and everyone I know pronounce it just like it is written - just "Lich".

It's a little hard to describe in English, but for those of you who know German, we pronounce it like "unheimlich".

[Amiria]

But lich doesn't sound as unheimlich as leech. And I'd always ask myself - shouldn't there be some kind of prefix ?

[Closet_Skeleton]

Well, the word certainly isn't Scotch Gaelic. I like to pretend I'm pronouncing it somewhat close to the germanic way. Honestly I'd say it's pronounced 'lich'. Could go for a more 'lique' thing I suppose.

Then again, I used to have a speech impedement so I shouldn't be talking about these things.

[aberratio ictus]

But lich doesn't sound as unheimlich as leech. And I'd always ask myself - shouldn't there be some kind of prefix ?

Oooch... ich find sogar, dass sich das weit unheimlicher anhört.

The prefix-thing actually is not such a bad idea... it would be quite helpful in describing what kind of Lich you're facing...

Dümm-Lich
Kind-Lich
Herr-Lich
Fröh-Lich
Weib-Lich
Pein-Lich
...

[Rykaj]

Lich, with a hard Dutch G. For those of you unfamiliar, it's somewhat like the Spanish J, but harder.

[Latronis]

litch as in Lichen

[artaxerxes]

Glad you agree, but none the less *avasculate* for misspelling my name.

I am from Scotland... and at least in my gaming group 'Leash' dominates. There have been some experimental Litches, but never a Lick.

[Illiterate Scribe]

unheimlich ...

that just reminds me of the House of Leaves. Creepy book.

[Larrin]

I started with Lick but was mocked, so i looked up the pronouciation, found Lich-gate (see above link from Culwch) and was converted to Litch.

[BlueWizard]

If lich as a word is related to English lych-gate (lych = ME lich = OE lic = body), then Merriam-Webster pronounces it as "litch", rhyming with "rich".
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/lych-gate

This is the correct answer right here. English is based off old Norse and French. Not much Gaellic. Not MUCH I said. The Roman Christians killed most of the native European cultures off.

[Frojoe21]

You know, after all of this I am tempted to pronounce it "lich" with the "ch" coming from the back of the throat to sound more like "Chutzpa".