Astarion’s surname is Ancunín, and the pronunciation reported from Neil Newbon’s audiobook performance is closer to an-soo-neen than the fan-favorite an-kyu-nin. That distinction matters because the debate is about the character’s last name, not “Astarion” itself. The spelling-based guess grew out of the surname on his gravestone; the spoken version comes from a sample of Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion, the tie-in audiobook narrated by Newbon, Astarion’s game voice actor.
The safest way to state the result is that the recording, as described by Rebecca Corgan’s Polygon report, sounds like an-soo-neen. It is an informed phonetic rendering of that performance, not a formal International Phonetic Alphabet transcription or a pronunciation rule publicly issued by the game’s publisher.
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The short answer: Ancunín is closer to “an-soo-neen”
For years, players who noticed Astarion’s full name on his gravestone had to infer how Ancunín should sound. A common approximation was an-kyu-nin, treating the middle consonant as a “kyu” sound and the final letters as something like “nin.”
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minutePolygon reports that a sample from the Astarion tie-in audiobook gives a different answer. In the recording, Newbon’s pronunciation is rendered as closer to an-soo-neen. In practical terms, that means a softer middle consonant and an “een” ending rather than the ending many fans supplied from the spelling alone.
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| Rendering | How it arose | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
an-kyu-nin |
Fan approximation based on the written surname | A pre-recording guess, not a confirmed spoken standard |
an-soo-neen |
Polygon’s phonetic rendering of Newbon’s audiobook sample | The pronunciation heard in that reported recording |
Because the available evidence is a performance and a journalist’s spelling of what was heard, “closer to” is more accurate than claiming that the game has published one definitive pronunciation guide.
Which part of Astarion’s name was being mispronounced?
The correction concerns Ancunín, Astarion’s family name. The title “Astarion’s name” can make it sound as if the character’s first name is in dispute, but the reported disagreement is specifically over the surname.
The name appears in writing on Astarion’s gravestone. That gave players a canonical-looking spelling without giving them a voiced example. The game’s spoken dialogue did not, according to Polygon’s report, provide an opportunity to hear his complete name said aloud. Readers therefore filled in the sounds themselves, using familiar English reading habits and their own assumptions about the letter c.
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That is why two spellings can circulate without either side having heard a definitive performance: one version is an attempt to decode the letters, while the other is based on an audio sample.
Where the “an-soo-neen” pronunciation comes from
The reported source is Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion, a tie-in prequel novel by T. Kingfisher. Its audiobook is narrated by Neil Newbon, who voices Astarion in the game. Polygon’s Rebecca Corgan described an excerpt in which the full surname can be heard and wrote the result as closer to an-soo-neen.
This is important evidence because it connects the pronunciation to the performer most closely associated with Astarion’s voice. It is also narrower than a formal naming statement: the evidence establishes how the surname sounds in that excerpt, as reported by Polygon. It does not prove that every possible speaker, localization, or future production must use exactly the same vowels and consonants.
An IGN listing likewise described the material as an official excerpt featuring Newbon and identified Kingfisher as the author. The recording itself, rather than a written quotation, is the basis of the pronunciation discussion. The spelling an-soo-neen should therefore be read as an accessible approximation for English-speaking fans, not as a claim that Newbon literally said those three English syllables in isolation.
How to say Ancunín step by step
1. Start with “an”
Begin with a short an, like the first syllable of “answer.” Keep it compact rather than stretching it into “annn.” The stress in the reported rendering does not require an exaggerated theatrical accent; the goal is simply to establish the opening sound before moving into the middle syllable.
2. Use “soo” for the middle
The largest difference from the common fan guess is the middle. The reported audiobook rendering is represented with soo, not kyu. Let the consonant flow into an “oo” vowel, as in “soon,” while keeping the syllable connected to the opening an.
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3. Finish with “neen”
End with neen, rhyming approximately with “seen.” The accented í is part of why Polygon’s explanation points toward an “een” ending. It is not the short “in” that many readers may instinctively use after seeing the final n.
4. Blend the parts
Put the three pieces together evenly: an-soo-neen. If you need a slower practice form, say an … soo … neen, then remove the pauses. The result should sound like one surname, not three unrelated English words.
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Why “an-kyu-nin” became the familiar fan version
The older version was a reasonable attempt to read an unfamiliar name from the page. Fans had the gravestone spelling but no spoken model, so they had to decide how the c behaved and whether the final í changed the vowel. “An-kyu-nin” captures one intuitive way to divide the letters for an English reader.
That guess was never supported by an audio appearance in the game, according to Polygon’s account. It spread because it was pronounceable, repeatable and tied to a visible in-game object. A widely repeated fan pronunciation can feel official over time, even when it began as a practical approximation.
The audiobook sample does not make the earlier guess foolish; it gives players new evidence. The useful distinction is between a community reading of the spelling and the sound Newbon uses in the recorded excerpt.
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What the accented í tells readers—and what it does not
Polygon’s explanation highlights the final accented í as a clue toward an “een” sound. That helps explain why the audiobook rendering ends in neen rather than the shorter sound in nin.
The accent is a guide to how the article interpreted the ending, not a complete pronunciation key for the entire surname. It does not, by itself, settle every question about the middle consonant or establish a linguistic origin for the name. The reported recording is what supplies the practical answer to the disputed middle sound.
Does this make “an-soo-neen” the official pronunciation?
It makes an-soo-neen the best-supported rendering currently described in the available coverage, but “official” needs qualification. Polygon presents the audiobook excerpt as the first chance to hear the full surname spoken in an official tie-in recording. That is stronger evidence than a spelling-based guess.
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However, the report does not describe a separate pronunciation guide from the developer, publisher or Newbon. Nor does it provide an IPA transcription that would distinguish every subtle vowel quality. The defensible claim is therefore: in the audiobook sample narrated by Newbon, Ancunín sounds closer to “an-soo-neen.” Calling it the only permissible pronunciation would go beyond what the recording and report establish.
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Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion is a prequel about Astarion’s earlier life as a magistrate and his later existence as a vampire spawn under Cazador Szarr. The audiobook gives the surname a spoken setting that the game itself did not, according to Polygon’s reporting.
That distinction matters when discussing canon. A game dialogue line, a gravestone inscription and a tie-in audiobook can each answer a different question. The inscription establishes the written form, while the audiobook excerpt supplies a performance of that form. A future game update, adaptation or localized release could theoretically make another choice; the present report does not document one.
Polygon reported a September 29, 2026 release for the book and described the audiobook as available through services such as Audible, Spotify and library apps including Libby. Availability can vary by country, service and account, so those listings should be treated as access points rather than evidence that every listener receives the same edition.
How to use the pronunciation in conversation
When discussing the character
If you are talking about the character at a game table, stream or fan event, an-soo-neen will communicate the pronunciation reported from the audiobook. You can add a brief explanation—“the surname is Ancunín; the audiobook says it closer to an-soo-neen”—if your audience knows the older fan version.
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When reading the name aloud
Keep the stress natural and avoid turning the respelling into a rigid three-beat chant. The approximation is meant to help English readers reproduce the recording, not to replace the accented spelling. In writing, retain Ancunín; in speech, use the audiobook-based approximation.
When correcting another fan
Frame the correction as evidence-based rather than absolute. “The audiobook sample sounds closer to an-soo-neen” is more precise than “everyone has always said it wrong.” That wording acknowledges both the long-standing fan guess and the limited scope of the available recording.
What remains uncertain
- The article’s spelling is an informal phonetic approximation, not an independently verified IPA transcription.
- The audio was reported through coverage and an excerpt listing; no separate written statement from Newbon, the developer or the rights holder is identified.
- The recording shows how the surname is performed in that audiobook sample. It does not establish a universal rule for every language, localization or future adaptation.
- The disagreement concerns Ancunín, Astarion’s surname, rather than the pronunciation of “Astarion.”
For ordinary discussion, those limits do not prevent a useful answer. Say the surname approximately as an-soo-neen, keep the accent in the written form, and describe it as the pronunciation heard in Newbon’s audiobook performance rather than as a formally codified standard.
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