See the results of this poll: Which spelling do you prefer?
Respondents: 41 (This poll is closed)
- Layla: 7 (17%)
- Laila: 2 (5%)
- Leyla: 4 (10%)
- Leila: 28 (68%)
I think [name]Leila[/name] [name]Isabel[/name] is a lovely name.
[name]Hi[/name] - how are you pronouncing it?
My daughter is named [name]Laila[/name] (rhymes with ‘smiler’) and it has annoyed me all her short life that people constantly call her [name]LAY[/name]-la (rhymes with [name]Tayla[/name]/mailer). I guess we didn’t really think that one through in the warm glow of the maternity ward.
I wish I had spelled it [name]Leila[/name], so that’s my advice!
We are pronouncing it “[name]LAY[/name]-la”, like the [name]Eric[/name] Clapton song. Maybe my phonetics are off because I never considered pronouncing any of the four spellings any other way. 
I would pronounce all of those [name]LAY[/name]-luh, which I completely love! My favorite is [name]Leila[/name], and the only one I kind of don’t like is [name]Leyla[/name], it just looks funny to me. Any way you spell it, it’s beautiful, and [name]Leila[/name] [name]Isabel[/name] is super gorgeous!
I voted for [name]Leila[/name], but [name]Laila[/name] is lovely too. I don’t like [name]Layla[/name]-- it has a trendy feel to me, like [name]Kayla[/name]. [name]Leyla[/name] just looks wrong. I think [name]Leila[/name] [name]Isabel[/name] is gorgeous!
I pronounce them all as [name]LAY[/name]-luh, too, as I don’t personally care for the LIE-luh pronunciation…
My favorite is [name]Leila[/name], and it is beautiful with [name]Isabel[/name]! Great choice!
I also pronounce them all as lay-la, like the [name]Eric[/name] Clapton song, and voted for [name]Leila[/name]. I would only get lie-la from [name]Lila[/name] or [name]Lilah[/name] (though I could see how some people might think [name]Laila[/name] could go either way).
Anyway, [name]Leila[/name] seems to be the easiest and most classic spelling of lay-la ([name]Layla[/name] is perhaps the most phonetic spelling, but it just doesn’t look as nice). I don’t think you’ll have pronunciation problems with [name]Leila[/name], and it’s a beautiful name.
I prefer [name]Leila[/name]. The song is spelled [name]Layla[/name], and apparently the name of it is inspired by this story: Layla and Majnun - Wikipedia, ([name]Layla[/name] and the Madman), which is sometimes spelled (or rather transliterated?) as [name]Laila[/name]. I see also on that page, Leyli.
I guess it is one part stickler in me to think the correct spelling is [name]Leila[/name], but now I see how it is obviously transliterated from another alphabet in the other 3 ways. I still like [name]Leila[/name] best, but I think sometimes people might pronounce it like [name]Lila[/name] or [name]Leela[/name]. Whereas, someone spells [name]Lila[/name] like [name]Laila[/name], [name]Laila[/name], [name]Layla[/name] and [name]Leyla[/name] seem best if you want people to pronounce it like [name]Layla[/name] the first time and not have to be corrected, with a slight edge for [name]Layla[/name].
The reason I dislike the spelling [name]Layla[/name] is probably stubborn and ignorant - I love that song, but was unaware of the story (other than the [name]Pattie[/name] [name]Boyd[/name]/[name]George[/name] [name]Harrison[/name] part, which I knew). If I wanted people to think I loved [name]Eric[/name] Clapton and named my child after the song, I’d spell it [name]Layla[/name]. If I just like the name, and maybe I love it because of the song, I might misdirect people and spell it [name]Leila[/name], which I thought was most correct, and a lot more classy looking, and people wouldn’t say I was corny naming her for a song (like, only the best song ever, just about!) I’m a little sensitive about very distinct cultural references like that, especially pop culture.
In turn, it seems geocentric to dismiss the [name]Layla[/name] spelling, given that it’s spelled like that in the legend, and [name]Leila[/name] is invented as a respelling in 1813 by [name]Lord[/name] [name]Byron[/name].
This whole [name]Lord[/name] [name]Byron[/name] thing sort of unravels this a bit. [name]Layla[/name] would seem most authentic. The Arabic is here:
I’m into simplicity…so it’s [name]Layla[/name] for me. Simple to spell, and simple to pronounce based on the spelling. I really don’t think you can run into pronunciation issues with [name]Layla[/name], whereas you might with [name]Leila[/name]. Plus, I know some people would associate it with the [name]Eric[/name] Clapton song, which is also spelled [name]Layla[/name].
[name]Leila[/name] seems most authentic to me, so I like that spelling best. It’s a beautiful name and sounds great with [name]Isabel[/name].
[name]Just[/name] curious, where are you from? Hard as I try I can’t get [name]Laila[/name] to rhyme with smiler 
Is that Australian?
[name]Just[/name] curious, where are you from? Hard as I try I can’t get [name]Laila[/name] to rhyme with smiler Is that Australian?[/quote]
I would rhyme smiler with [name]Lila[/name]… Lie-lah, is that what you mean?
Thanks, everybody! It is definitely between [name]Layla[/name] and [name]Leila[/name]. We are going to visit the Spanish speaking side of the family over the holiday, so I am sure they will advocate for the “ei” spelling… [name]Will[/name] update you with the final decision!
I am Australian I wouldn’t pronouce [name]Laila[/name]- Lie-lah, I would pronouce it [name]Lay[/name]- Luh
I like [name]Leila[/name]/[name]Layla[/name] spelt [name]Leilah[/name], I know its not one of your choices!!
I voted for [name]Leila[/name] – I am biased as I have a friend with that name. I also think it looks the least “made up” – I think I just don’t like y’s in names that much. I would choose [name]Laila[/name] as a 2nd choice, and [name]Leilah[/name] also looks nice as pp suggested.
[name]Just[/name] interested what you in the end named your baby girl…my eldest was born in Feb 2007, and her name is [name]Leyla[/name] [name]Isobel[/name]. I had chosen that spelling as the person who inspired the name was spelt that way, and [name]Isobel[/name] being my grandmother’s name. However spelt, just beautiful. Good- luck.
[name]Just[/name] curious, where are you from? Hard as I try I can’t get [name]Laila[/name] to rhyme with smiler Is that Australian?[/quote]
I guess that’s what you call a non-rhotic accent. Found in a significant area of [name]Britain[/name], as I recall.
I would say all four spellings the same. You can never be unambiguous on pronunciation. I expect some could also say [name]Leila[/name] with the long I sound as in Einstein.
I favor [name]Leila[/name].The spellings with Y feel like unnecessary Anglicization.
I think it would depend on your heritage and last name to how you choose to spell it… Theres french, arabic, german, english, and irish spellings. Good [name]Luck[/name] and Congrats!