[name_m]Hi[/name_m],
does anybody like the name Elawen as an alternative spelling to [name_f]Elowen[/name_f]?
[name_m]How[/name_m] would you pronounce ‘Elawen’ upon first sight?
In my husbands home country language ‘elo’ is a swear word, so he’d prefer to not use the ‘o’.
Any other alternate spellings appreciated also.
Thanks!
Ooh, I really like [name_f]Elowen[/name_f]! I wonder what’s drawing you towards the Elawen spelling? It doesn’t appeal to me off the bat, but maybe it will grow on me–I haven’t seen it before, and familiarity can definitely change things! I think because the traditional pronunciation emphasizes the “o” (even though I think a lot of [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers emphasize the “[name_f]El[/name_f]”), taking away the “o” feels a bit funny to me. But if you love Elawen, I do think it could work! Going out on a limb here a little–I wonder if you might like [name_f]Ella[/name_f] [name_u]Wynn[/name_u] as a double name?
[name_f]Welcome[/name_f] @Forest_Rubies!
I prefer [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] as it is. It’s true that many names have various spellings but I like the connection the [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] spelling has to the meaning of the word/name. 
Never seen the Elawen spelling. I’m wondering if the a would throw people off and people would say it differently. [name_f]My[/name_f] favorite spelling for it is Elowynn
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[name_m]How[/name_m] would you pronounce ‘Elawen’ upon first sight?
I would pronounce it upon first sight as [name_f]El[/name_f]-la-win
[name_f]Elowen[/name_f] is a beautiful name. I like both the [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] and [name_f]Elowyn[/name_f] spellings, I’m not a huge fan of Elawen (though that might just be because I love [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] so much!)
I would pronounce Elawen slightly different too, more like [name_f]Ella[/name_f]-[name_u]Win[/name_u]. I like the suggestion of [name_f]Ella[/name_f] [name_u]Wynn[/name_u], if that’s the pronunciation you’re looking for!
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I would go for [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] or [name_f]Elowyn[/name_f]. I think any other spelling would result in a lot of confusion.
I’d pronounce Elawen as Eh-LOR-wen rather than eh-low-en.
Ellowen maybe?
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I think Elawen works. I don’t love alternative spellings as a rule, but avoiding a rude word in your husband’s native language is a pretty compelling reason! I’ve seen [name_f]Elowyn[/name_f] and Ellowyn already, so this is just a continuation on a theme.
I pronounce [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] the Cornish way (eh-LOW-en) so Elawen would change the pronunciation. I’d probably say it [name_f]Ella[/name_f]-wen, although I can see what @Greyblue means about eh-LAW-wen. Maybe double L would make it clearer – Ellawen?
Alternatively, it might be easier to choose a different, but similar, name that doesn’t have the “elo” issue. Maybe [name_f]Avalon[/name_f] or [name_f]Avonlea[/name_f]? Or even [name_f]Eleri[/name_f] or [name_f]Arianwen[/name_f]?
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