Leonie nn Noni? Pronunciation?

Since I’ve had to let go of [name_f]Molly[/name_f], I’m now really liking the idea of [name_f]Leonie[/name_f], especially with Noni as a pet name. What do you think? Boring or spunky? Also, I know that [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] can be pronounced a few different ways. [name_m]How[/name_m] would you say it? And finally, how do you like it as a baby sister for [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], and what middle names would you suggest? Thanks!

I really like [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] as a sister to [name_f]Amelia[/name_f].
I pronounce it [name_u]LEE[/name_u]-o-nee / [name_m]LEO[/name_m]-nee and this is the only way I’ve ever heard it being pronounced.

[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Gemma[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Yara[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Willow[/name_f]

Thanks, I really like your middle name suggestions, especially [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]! As for pronunciation, I’ve also heard [name_m]Lay[/name_m]-o-nee, but I like it your way too. :slight_smile:

Spunky! I say it lay-OH-nee.

[name_u]Love[/name_u] it, especially nn Noni! Adorable! I pronounce it [name_u]Lee[/name_u]-OH-nee, but can see the long AY pronunciation too.

I adore [name_f]Leonie[/name_f], and I pronounce it [name_m]Lay[/name_m]-oh-nee.

[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] is great. I say it Lay-oh-nee. Generally marked by an accent over that first e – which may or may not go unnoticed depending on where you are. I think this is because the first time I ever heard the name, this was how it was pronounced. I do think the “Lee” might be more common if you’re in the united states. Noni is cute, though I prefer [name_u]Lee[/name_u] or [name_m]Leo[/name_m], honestly.

[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_u]Adair[/name_u]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Brielle[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Brielle[/name_f]

Honestly, I think a lot of names would pair up well with this one.

In [name_m]German[/name_m] I say LEH-o-nee.
I’M NOT SURE IF THIS IS THE [name_m]CASE[/name_m] WITH [name_f]LEONIE[/name_f] but usually I’m a bit “put off” when people use the “lay” pronunciation to come close to the original [name_m]French[/name_m], Spanish, etc. pronunciation (Amélie turns into A-may-lee, Esmée turn into Es-may), when the original pronunciation is, in fact, quite different.
I would rather use the pronunciation the sound would have in my language than adapt one that is not right.
However, with [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] I’m not sure where the [name_m]Lay[/name_m]-onie pronunciation comes from.

Maybe it’s a regional accent thing? “Leh” and “[name_m]Lay[/name_m]” sound the same when I say them. I generally use “ay” to describe the sound that “eh” would make in [name_m]German[/name_m] (e.g., gehen). In an English accent, perhaps those two would sound different.

Maybe that’s it.
It always confuses me when people use the -ay- sound to describe an é.
I wonder if they really pronounce it like ay or if they describe it like this due to the lack of a better “letter/-combination”.

I would pronounce “ay” like the word “lay” and rhyming with [name_f]Faye[/name_f].
While “gehen” and [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] both have the “eeh” sound.

[name_m]Lay[/name_m] and [name_f]Faye[/name_f] I pronounce like this http://de.forvo.com/word/lay/#en

While gehen I pronounce like this http://de.forvo.com/word/gehen/#de (not as forced though ;))
and [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] like this http://de.forvo.com/word/léonie/#fr

I did mean “lay” as in “leh”, which sound the same to me too. :slight_smile: