Help me decide my preferred way of pronunciation 🥲

[oopsiedaisies]

i’m changing my name and one of my new names is gonna be eleanor but i can’t decide which pronunciation i want

1. elenor so it rhymes with more (how most people pronounce it and how i hear it on tv)

2. elenuh (actually the british pronunciation and i have a british accent so its technically correct for me but idk)

i’m confused tho bc some british people also pronounce it like elenor so please if you’re british HELP me

[Babynamequeen029]

I know it as Ella-na

Im uk

[rosepip]

hey i’m english

i’d suggest elenor properly, and then you’ll probably get elenuh casually from anyone with a non-rhotic accent, but it avoids the confusion with elena when you introduce yourself ! you can be like hi i’m elenor and then people can do with that what they like !!

all the eleanors ive known have been elenor when speaking deliberately and elenuh in passing

[oopsiedaisies]

tysm that makes a lot of sense!<3

[DCAT]

I say [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. I am [name_f]British[/name_f] and come from [name_m]Dorset[/name_m], so I have an accent that is strong on the ‘r’ sound anyway. I love the name [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. Not too common, yet classic.

[Parfait_de_Roses]

I’m all about the [name_u]French[/name_u] pronunciation From your choices, def the first one

How to Pronounce ''Eleanor'' Correctly in French

[Greyblue]

I think I’d instinctively pronounce it Ellen-uh, unless the person introduced themselves as ellenor (which has happened twice for me), but thinking about it, I use them pretty interchangeably.

For what it’s worth, it’s my middle and I (and my family) go between the pronunciations…

I realise that isn’t helpful at all, so I’d say either go with which one you prefer, or, alternatively, ask friends or family what they’d say instinctively, to get a sense of what’s the general consensus amongst those around you and maybe go with that for ease

[lilyofthevale]

I’m not [name_f]British[/name_f] or American, but I love the Ellen-uh pronunciation. Sadly where I am I’ve only met an [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] with the other pronunciation, but I think both are feasible - depends on how you introduce yourself.

[marysia]

I think it really depends on the accent. It would be unnatural for someone with a rhotic accent to say Eleanor as EHL-ə-nə, just as it would be unnatural for someone with a non-rhotic accent to say it as EHL-ə-nawr. It’s not a question of which pronunciation is correct, it’s a question of accent—which stems from upbringing, location, class, and so forth. The same goes for Jennifer and other names ending in R.

[LeafTree]

I pronounce it rhyming with more; I’m Australian. That’s my preferred pronunciation

[oopsiedaisies]

thank you guys this helped me a lot and bc of this post i realised something that might help anyone else who has this same issue: if i ever wanna go by an eleanor nickname i think the one i prefer is nora which literally only makes sense if i actually pronounce the nor at the end bc otherwise ppl would be like……. so………. elenuh nn nora…… what

[oopsiedaisies]

i have a lot of aussie friends which is probably where i heard it first bc i’ve never met an eleanor irl

[heartwings]

I pronounce it similar like Spanish [name_f]Leonor[/name_f] (naturally) even if it is wrong in [name_f]English[/name_f] (it would be the natural one in my language):

EH-leh-nor (NOR) for [name_f]Elenor[/name_f] / EH-leh-ah-nor (for Eleanor)

[oopsiedaisies]

finally my A in english coming in clutch

rhotic = pronounces r (american, irish, scottish, some english like the queens english)

non rhotic = doesn’t pronounce r (australian, most of england ig)

[EdgeOfTheMeadow]

I’m a Britberry! I’ve added a longer ramble in the tab below, but if I was reading the name I’d naturally use the El-en-uh pronunciation, buuuut I often question whether I should be saying El-en-or and if I’d want to ask an [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] how their name is pronounced.

an anecdotal ramble

I used to look after an [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] who had a [name_f]British[/name_f] and a Polish parent. The Polish parent said El-en-or and the other El-en-uh. They even emphasised different syllables (el-en-OR vs EL-en-uh). [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] herself said her name more like the “Brit” version in this family dynamic, so that’s what we used. I think the point of me relating this anecdote was that the two pronunciations feel fairly interchangeable to me, and that I find it quite likely you’ll encounter people using both pronunciations. Having read your other replies on the topic, yep introducing yourself as El-en-or for nn [name_f]Nora[/name_f] sounds like the way to go!

[DCAT]

You could always go for [name_f]Eleanora[/name_f], then there is no confusion about how to pronounce it and [name_f]Nora[/name_f] will make perfect sense!

[persephonescrown]

Britberry

I’d instinctively say ell-uh-nuh and have never heard anyone else in the U.K. say ell-uh-nore, so it sounds a bit forced and unnatural to me. Honestly even when I’ve heard Americans say it it’s been ell-uh-nerr rather than really emphasising the ‘ore’ sound. Having said that, with either of those pns I wouldn’t be surprised or confused if someone went by Nora because it’s still there in the name!

@DCAT

Eleanora

This makes sense too!

[Mayblossom]

Definitely 1).

I love [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] but dislike the ellen-uh pronunciation. The - nor is what makes the name so pretty and soft to me.

[marysia]

Oops, messed these around, thank you!