Dr. Seuss poses with The Cat in the Hat and other books, c. 1957Offering a dandy instance of information without context, The Week's Amanda Greenish says we should not pronounce "Dr. Seuss" as "Doctor Soose" just every bit "Dr. Zoice."  She'south incorrect.

The professional person pseudonym of Theodor Seuss Geisel is Dr. Seuss, and all the English-speaking globe pronounced it "Doctor Soose."  If you lot pronounce it "Doctor Zoice," you'll audio like a fool.

Information technology is truthful that the heart proper name of Theodor Geisel — "Seuss," which was also his female parent'south maiden name — was pronounced "Zoice" by the family unit, and by Theodor Geisel himself.  Then, if you are pronouncing his full given proper noun, proverb "Zoice" instead of "Soose" would not be wrong.  Yous'd take to explain the pronunciation to your listener, but you lot would be pronouncing it as the family did.

Nevertheless, if you lot're referring to the writer of books for children, you pronounce it "Doctor Soose." For his pseudonym, Dr. Seuss accepted this pronunciation of his eye name.

Since you lot may have arrived at this folio from anywhere (and may not be a regular reader of this web log), I should tell you that I'1000 the writer of Dr. Seuss: American Icon (2004) andÂThe Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (2007).  I also wrote the bio. and timeline for Random Firm'south Seussville website.  The offset of that bio. includes the pronunciation information ("Zoice"), which I learned from Judith and Neil Morgan's excellentÂDr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel (1995).  If you read one secondary source near Seuss, their volume is the ane to read.

Related content on this blog:

  • Dr. Seuss: children's books "take a greater potential for expert or evil, than whatsoever other literature on earth."
  • Dr. Seuss on "conditioned laughter," racist humor, and why adults are "obsolete children."
  • Seussology
  • Written report Shows Dr. Seuss Makes You Happy
  • You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
  • "It's only a step from genius to insanity."
  • Corporate Seuss; or, Oh, the Things You lot Can Sell!
  • Greenish Eggs and Ham: A 5o-Discussion Volume Turns 50

Philip Nel is Professor of English and Manager of Kansas Land University’due south Program in Children’south Literature. His most recent books are Keywords for Children’due south Literature 2nd edition (2021, co-edited with Lissa Paul and Nina Christensen), Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Subconscious Racism of Children'south Literature and the Demand for Diverse Books (2017), Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature (2012), Tales for Trivial Rebels (2008, co-edited with Julia Mickenberg), The Annotated Cat (2007), and four volumes of Crockett Johnson'south comic strip Barnaby (2013, 2022, 2022, 2022, all co-edited with Eric Reynolds).