This is the name of my greatest friend and she pronounces it A-[name_u]Lee[/name_u]-Sya, the Spanish way (although she’s from the UK), which I find to be the epitome of beautiful and chic. What are berries’ thoughts on this name? [name_m]Will[/name_m] it really cause confusion considering in the US it’s usually [name_m]Ah[/name_m]-[name_u]Lee[/name_u]-Sha, as in the great singer [name_f]Alicia[/name_f] [name_m]Keys[/name_m]? I don’t mind the latter pronunciation, but the first just feels so much prettier…
In European Spanish it’s normally ah-lee-thyah.
I think there are a lot of established pronunciations, and inevitably people will get it wrong whichever you decide on, but I think [name_f]Alicia[/name_f] in any pronunciation is worth it; it’s an incredibly pretty name however it’s said.
I think in the US [name_f]Alicia[/name_f] would definitely be pronounced like A-lee-sha which I am really not a fan of personally. I do like [name_f]Alice[/name_f], a nice honor name for your friend.
I know an [name_f]Alessia[/name_f] (pronounced A-lee-sya), so maybe that would be an alternative to get the right pronunciation?
[name_f]Alicia[/name_f] can be pronounced A-lee-sya, A-leash-uh & A-lyss-uh. I know all of these are not correct, but any daughter will get all of these pronunciations. My friend [name_f]Alyssa[/name_f] (A-lyss-uh) gets them all.
I would go with [name_f]Alessia[/name_f] if you’re worried about phonetics. Otherwise, ask your friend how she feels about correcting people about her name. If it doesn’t bother her, and your goal is more to use it as an honouring, go with [name_f]Alicia[/name_f].
“[name_m]AH[/name_m]-lee-shuh” is always my first thought when I see [name_f]Alicia[/name_f].
I always say uh [name_u]Lee[/name_u] shuh
I’ve been starting to [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_f]Alicia[/name_f] with the ah-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-see-ah pronunciation! I’ve never fancied [name_f]Alicia[/name_f] before, because I’ve just always heard it said ah-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-shah, which I’m not really fond of. (which is maybe why I’m falling for [name_f]Elysia[/name_f], too, because they have similar pronunciations!)
I think, in the US, it’ll be a struggle to get the pronunciation you prefer, but if it’s that meaningful to you, I think it’s a great name (and fits in well with your other kiddos!).
Good luck!
I agree with you that the a-lee-see-a pronunciation is much nicer than a-lee-sha. The latter seems to be most common though.
Re [name_f]Alessia[/name_f], I think most people would say a-less-ee-a rather than a-lee-see-a.
I like it and I pronounce it A-[name_u]Lee[/name_u]-Sya too.
In Swedish [name_f]Alicia[/name_f] is pronunced a-lee-sia.