FAQs

Some of the hot topics of frequently asked questions - from how to pronounce "archipelago" to how to handle hecklers.

How do I pronounce this?

The Official Trivia Mafia Pronunciation Guide for Words We Use a Lot

Thank you for caring about saying words right. This document contains words we use frequently (as opposed to one-off words) that we’ve heard hosts have a hard time with. Have an idea that should be added? Email Senior Editor Ruby! 

Entries are in the following format:
word (link goes to an audio pronunciation): pronunciation guide /International Phonetic Alphabet guide/, (additional explanation of pronunciation) definition

Common words

archipelago: ark-ih-PEL-ah-go ​​/ˌɑɹkɪˈpɛləˌɡoʊ/, a chain of islands

archipelagic: ark-ih-puh-LAH-djik /ɑɹkɪpəˈlædʒɪk/, of or relating to a chain of islands

biopic: BY-oh-pik /ˈbaɪ.əʊ.pɪk/, (like “bio” and “pic” put together), a biographical film
Wiktionary says by-AP-ik is “nonstandard” but listed in some places; you go ahead and say it that way if you want

colonel: KER-nul /ˈkɝnəl/, a military rank below a general

couture: kuh-TOOR /kuˈtʊər/, fashion designers and the high-end clothes they make

coxswain: KOK-sihn / ˈkɒk sən / (like “cocks sin” if you said it fast), the athlete who steers a racing shell

titular: TICH-uh-ler /ˈtɪtʃələr/ or TIT-yuh-ler /ˈtɪtyələr/, of or relating to the title of something, usually the character after whom a work is named (“the titular character”)

posthumous: PAWS-chew-mus /ˈpɒs.tʃʊ.məs/, after death, usually referring to a work published after the author’s death

Names

Janelle Monáe: juh-ENL moh-NAY, /dʒəˈnɛl moʊˈneɪ/, singer songwriter of “The Electric Lady” and “Dirty Computer”

Kamala Harris: KAH-muh-luh, /kɑːmələ/ (like “COMMA-lah” – her stepkids call her “mom-ala” if that helps you) the 49th Vice President of the United States

Kamala Khan: kuh-MAH-luh, /kəˈmɑːlə/ Ms. Marvel from the Marvel comics/MCU

Keanu Reeves: kee-AH-noo reevz, /keɪˈɑːnuː rivs/ Neo from “The Matrix,” John Wick from “John Wick,” et cetera 

Madeleine L’Engle: LEHNG-gul, /ˈlɛŋɡəl/, author of “A Wrinkle in Time”

Marquis de Sade: mar-KEE duh SAHD, /marki də sad/, French writer famous for his libertine sexuality (see also Sade, the singer)

Megan Rapinoe: ruh-PEE-noh /rəˈpiːnoʊ/, Captain of the US National Women’s Soccer Team

Nicki (Onika) Minaj: NIH-kee (oh-NEE-kah) min-AZH, /’nɪki: oʊ’ni:kɑ mɪˈnɑːʒ/, Rapper, songwriter, Queen Radio host

Nguyen: WIN /wɪn/ or NOO-yen /nuːˈjɛn/ (you can read more about different pronunciations here; please feel free to say it correctly if your Vietnamese is good!) The most common surname in Vietnam

Sade: SHAH-day [ʃɑːˈdeɪ], a Nigerian-British singer, a smooth operator (see also Marquis de Sade)

Sia: SEE-uh [si:ə] an Australian singer songwriter

W.E.B. DuBois: double you ee bee doo-BOIS, ​​/djuːˈbɔɪs/ Sociologist, founder of the NAACP

Brands/Institutions

Atari: uh-TAR-ee, /əˈtɑːˌɹi/ (middle syllable rhymes with “star”), a video game company

Carnegie: kar-NEH-ghee, /kɑːrˈnɛɡi/ is closer to the original Scots pronunciation and preferred by Carnegie Corporation and Carnegie Mellon; many English-speakers say KAR-nuh-ghee /ˈkɑːrnəɡi/; you can’t really go wrong with either. (Carnegie Hall more frequently uses the second pronunciation, but seriously, either is fine.) The Carnegie family were industrialists, lots of things are named after them, Andrew is probably the most famous one. 

Duquesne University: doo-KAIN /duːˈkeɪn/ a school in Pittsburgh
Dufresne (as in Andy Dufrense from “Shawshank Redemption” follows the same pattern; doo-FRAIN)

Jägermeister: YAY-ger-my-ster /ˈjeɪɡərmaɪstər/, a German aperitif 

Reuters: ROY-terz /ˈrɔɪtərz/, a news agency

Places

Côte d’Ivoire: KOHT dih VWAR, /ˌkoʊt diˈvwɑɹ/, the French name of the Ivory Coast

Mojave: moh-HAH-vee, /moʊˈhɑːvi/, a people from the Southwestern United States and the places named after them

Sioux City: SOO /su:/ A city in Iowa
Same pronunciation for Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

All Caps – Do I Say The Letters??

ABBA: AB-uh, not ay bee bee ay, '70s Swedish pop band

A$AP Rocky: AY-sap, not ay ess ay pee, rapper 

H.E.R.: HER, not aitch ee ar, current guitarist

GZA: GIZ-uh, not gee zee ay

NAACP: en double-ay see pee, not NAK-puh 

RZA: RIZ-uh, not ar zee ay

Sports Leagues: say the letters in general! MLB = em el bee, NBA = en bee ay, NCAA = en see double-ay or en see ay ay, etc

How do I decide if this answer is right?

Sometimes it is tricky to determine when to give full or partial credit for an answer that doesn't perfectly match what our Editorial team has provided. Don't sweat it too much! You got this.

You have three key resources:

Some examples:

Do we require the full name?

In general, we follow Jeopardy! rules that Last Name Only is sufficient, unless there is plausible confusion. Kennedy, Roosevelt, Jones, Hepburn - there are multiple famous people with those last names, so they should include the first name. 

Team answered "Kardashian"; official answer was "Kim Kardashian." We recommend a half point for “Kardashian.” However, it's zero points if they say Kourtney instead of Kim - because just “Kardashian” was generally right but “Kourtney Kardashian” was specifically wrong.

As much as possible, alert teams when you're looking for a full name when you're reading the question! Sometimes, that's a hint in and of itself. 

Should we accept "Korea" for South Korea?

Technically, no. "Korea" refers to the peninsula, on which there are two countries. South Korea is also known as the Republic of Korea, so you can accept that answer! However, if asking for the nationality or language, "Korean" would be correct without the North or South designation. 


How do I suggest content?

Become a Content Creator

If someone doesn't currently work for us but is interested in writing questions for pay, they can apply here.

Existing staff can submit question ideas at any time by emailing them to submissions@triviamafia.com, which is monitored by Editor-in-Chief @Aaron Retka and Senior Editor @Ruby Levine.

Suggest a Theme Night theme

Head to our suggestion form, or email Brianna directly with your ideas! Be sure to take a look at the archive list so you can see which themes we've done in the past. 

Keep in mind that themes that are too broad don't always work well - for example, we did a theme on Saturday Morning Cartoons, but got a lot of feedback that the shows we covered were too concentrated on the '90s (and some of them aired in the afternoons, or were on cable, or...). So, what seemed like a fun theme ended up being too poorly defined for people to know what to expect when they attended - or rather, what they expected didn't match what we provided. 

The opposite challenge has happened with focus on a single person's ouvre - Stephen King, John Carpenter, and Keanu Reeves have all gotten their own themes, but either there was too much to cover (King's books AND movies AND TV shows??) or players who liked Keanu in a general sense were not actually well versed in all of his movies. 

We also need to have a staff writer who is at least peripherally interested in the theme. Trivia Mafia never wants to create a set of questions that are only sourced from internet searches; the best sets are infused with the enthusiasm of a true fan or willing acolyte. So there is some self-selection based on making sure that we can ask questions that real fans will recognize as understanding the subject and delivering a really fun event. 

A note about "Harry Potter" theme events: We regularly get requests to run “Harry Potter” theme nights, and have done so in the past. However, in light of the increasing transphobia from the author, we just can’t do it anymore. We love the source material as much as anyone, making this a very difficult decision, but we value our trans players and employees over these books and movies. Thank you for understanding.

What if the site tells me they want to cancel a game/make a schedule change?

The host is the reporter-on-the-scene - but all you have to do is report back. Include the info in your Host Feedback, and/or send an email or Slack message to the Host Manager to pass along to the correct person. 

We ask sites to give us 48 hours notice for any regular game cancellation (save for a site emergency or inclement weather), and when they fill in the cancellation form it automatically sends an email to the regular host to notify them! 

Sidenote: Our staff are allowed to use PTO at any time for any reason, but it's very common for hosts to use those banked hours to cover a cancelled shift! Just email payroll@triviamafia.com with the date and your request, and 2.8 hours (or your full balance, if less than that) will be applied to the corresponding payroll. 

We ask for at least 15 days notice if a site wants to change their schedule (i.e. start an hour earlier during the winter, move the game to a different day of the week, etc.), and they must work with the Sales & Account Director or their account person to put the gears in motion! We will alert the host, update their marketing assets and our internal database, and post on socials ahead of any change.  

It is not the host's responsibility to manage a site's schedule, but we do appreciate getting updates if they are talking to you directly about things. 

If you show up to work and the location is closed, or if they tell you after you arrive that they don't want to run trivia (because they have something else going, or there aren't enough players), you will still get paid, and the site will still be charged.

A Holiday is coming up - is trivia cancelled?

Trivia Mafia does not run any live, regular games for five holidays a year:
Independence Day (July 4), Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Day (Dec 24 and 25), and New Year's Eve (Dec 31). 

For any other holiday - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, whatever - we assume everything is happening as scheduled unless the site cancels. If you want to make other plans, first find a sub for the shift! We will alert you (and the sub) if the site decides to call off the game. 

We have made exceptions to the above list of dates for Private Events, so if a location really wants to have trivia to ring in the new year, they just have to set that up as a special one-off situation. 

How do I look up my scores from a past game?