We've been pronouncing Voldemort wrong all this time

JK Rowling confirmed it, to the delight of French Harry Potter fans

Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films (Warner Bros)

He earned the title He Who Must Not Be Named in the Harry Potter books, but those who did dare to mutter the word Voldemort were probably pronouncing it incorrectly.

JK Rowling has confirmed the correct way to pronounce the name of the Dark Lord, with the “T” at the end remaining silent like the French pronunciation of “mort”.

Voldemort’s name is said to derive from the French phrase “vol de mort”, meaning “flight of death”, however news of the revelation has left fans wondering why the name was pronounced with the “T” in the Harry Potter films.

But the update from JK Rowling has given French fans reason to feel smug, as they have been pronouncing the name correctly for two decades:

Rowling has increased her Twitter activity in recent weeks, revealing news that Harry Potter’s son James has started Hogwarts, and has unsurprisingly been sorted into Gryffindor.

News of the pronunciation comes after Rowling said Hufflepuff will have its moment of glory in the upcoming spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.