See the results of this poll: Which spelling do you prefer?
Respondents: 48 (This poll is closed)
- Leora : 33 (69%)
- Liora: 15 (31%)
I think “light” when I see [name_f]Liora[/name_f] (I’m also a fan of just plain [name_u]Lior[/name_u]) and I think “[name_m]Leo[/name_m] as in [name_m]Lion[/name_m]” when I see [name_f]Leora[/name_f]. [name_f]My[/name_f] vote goes to [name_f]Liora[/name_f]. I’m into numerology so I’ll give you a different angle. Not knowing anything about the rest of the name, I can still give you a tiny speck of advice. The e in numerology is a 5 which symbolizes change/growth/travel. The i in numerology is a 9 which symbolizes completion. You already have a 9 in this name (which is the r) so if you do NOT have an e, n, or w anywhere else in the name (first, middle and last) then I would choose [name_f]Leora[/name_f]. If you [name_f]DO[/name_f] then I would choose [name_f]Liora[/name_f] because I would prefer the 9 influence over the 5 influence. Too many 5’s have the potential to make the person flighty or restless.
Of course, most people think numerology is baloney, and that’s fine, too. 
I’m just trying to give you another option to settle your dispute besides a coin flip!
I think its a gorgeous name however you spell it. I am taking your side on the spelling debate. I think people would have issues pronouncing the name because of how many different sounds an “i” can make. I wouldn’t be too concerned about the “leo” part of the spelling because the name is not pronounced leo-ra.
I would go with [name_f]Liora[/name_f], as it is the most direct translation of the Hebrew, as your husband has said. [name_f]Leora[/name_f], while maybe more visually appealing in your view, seems like an unnecessary alteration to the name (it’s like spelling, say, [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_f]Alizabeth[/name_f]). I’ve never heard anyone pronounce [name_f]Liora[/name_f] “lye-ora”, and I don’t think that’s a concern; names with that sound are often spelled with a y ([name_f]Lyra[/name_f], etc.). I might also [name_f]Leora[/name_f] to be a nickname for [name_f]Leonora[/name_f] or [name_f]Leonor[/name_f]; it looks like it belongs to that family, as opposed to the [name_u]Lior[/name_u] one.
The [name_m]Leo[/name_m] bit concerns me less, but I would definitely encourage using the original accepted spelling; you’re more likely to get misspellings on a [name_f]Leora[/name_f] than mispronunciations on a [name_f]Liora[/name_f].
I prefer [name_f]Leora[/name_f], it seems a bit more feminine. When I typed “[name_f]Liora[/name_f]” a red line appeared under it, meaning my computer thought it was a typing mistake or misspelling, but that didn’t happen with [name_f]Leora[/name_f], so if that helps I think that means [name_f]Leora[/name_f] is more of a proper spelling. I overall just think [name_f]Leora[/name_f] seems prettier than [name_f]Liora[/name_f], but they’re both great! I love your choice.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] to throw a monkeywrench, [name_f]Leora[/name_f] was the older transliteration. [name_f]Liora[/name_f] is the more correct/consistent transliteration. “Original” is a bit fuzzy here. Styles of transliterating Hebrew have shifted over time.
[name_f]Leora[/name_f] is, however, more likely to be misread as [name_f]Leona[/name_f].
[name_f]Liora[/name_f] is more distinct, but also more modern-looking.
[name_f]Leora[/name_f] has a gentle antique vibe, but loses some of the Hebrew look/feel, [name_f]IMO[/name_f], and as far as I know it’s pretty much fallen out of favour. I think it looks a bit softer, but also more easily mixed up with other unrelated names.
I like the look of it with an ‘e’ just as far as reading it, and it’s not exactly a ‘new’ spelling, but I think [name_f]Liora[/name_f] is clearer and unless I was naming for Dear Aunt [name_f]Leora[/name_f] I’d be tempted to go with the most popular accepted spelling for clarity. And you don’t really want “[name_m]Leo[/name_m]-ra” pronunciations.
Spelled [name_f]Leora[/name_f] or [name_f]Liora[/name_f] - it’s a nice name. I like both.
I like either but I think I prefer [name_f]Liora[/name_f]. To me at least, the [name_f]Liora[/name_f] spelling looks more feminine and just has more visual appeal. It also looks more modern and less clunky than [name_f]Leora[/name_f].
I guess it kind of depends on the style and image you’re going for. [name_f]Liora[/name_f] feels fresh and slightly exotic, while [name_f]Leora[/name_f] seems very vintage-chic.
Thanks for the extremely helpful responses so far! If it helps explain my style, my first daughter’s name is [name_f]Dahlia[/name_f]. So you can see we went with the more English spelling of a Hebrew name.
With [name_f]Leora[/name_f] I immediately see [name_f]Leona[/name_f]. I also had an ex fiancé named [name_m]Leo[/name_m], so leora does seem more masculine, just in looks to me.
[name_f]Liora[/name_f] does remind me of light, as another poster had said. I say it as [name_u]Lee[/name_u]-[name_f]Ora[/name_f], not lie-[name_f]Ora[/name_f]. It’s a lot prettier written, and seems more feminine to me.
I love the name [name_f]Eliora[/name_f], so my vote goes to [name_f]Liora[/name_f].
It’s funny that [name_f]Leora[/name_f] is winning in the poll, but among those of you who felt strongly enough to post a response, I get the sense that [name_f]Liora[/name_f] is the favorite! Enough that I’m now doubting my choice…
It’s funny that [name_f]Leora[/name_f] is winning in the poll, but among those of you who felt strongly enough to post a response, I get the sense that [name_f]Liora[/name_f] is the favorite! Enough that I’m now doubting my choice…
Does your last name or her middle name have an “i” in it? Let’s pretend your last name is [name_m]Haines[/name_m]. [name_f]Liora[/name_f] [name_m]Haines[/name_m] looks a little weird, but [name_f]Leora[/name_f] [name_m]Haines[/name_m] looks fine. Now lets pretend her middle name is [name_f]Maisie[/name_f]. [name_f]Liora[/name_f] [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] looks weird, but [name_f]Leora[/name_f] [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] looks fine. Put the full name together and see how it looks spelled out. That should help you decide which spelling looks better. If both spellings look fine against the middle and surname, then you really can’t go wrong with either one. You may just have to wait til she’s born and see which suits her better.
Really hope I made sense and was of some help to you.
I, too, prefer [name_f]Liora[/name_f]. I like [name_m]Leo[/name_m]- names but [name_f]Leora[/name_f] seems “wrong” next to [name_f]Leonora[/name_f] or [name_f]Eleonore[/name_f] as if I would spell the latter ones [name_f]Lionora[/name_f] or Elionore, it just doesn’t feel right.
Erin91, we’re pretty sure her middle name will be Maayan. Our last name has e’s in it but no i’s. I wrote it out both ways a few weeks ago and thought [name_f]Leora[/name_f] looked better, but that could be skewed by the fact that I thought [name_f]Leora[/name_f] looked prettier than [name_f]Liora[/name_f] in the first place…
[name_u]Baby[/name_u] is here! Any more last minute opinions??
[name_f]Leora[/name_f]!! I love it so much, not a big fan of [name_f]Liora[/name_f].
[name_f]Leora[/name_f] feels like a misspelling of [name_f]Leona[/name_f] so I voted for [name_f]Liora[/name_f]. I love [name_f]Liora[/name_f]!
So… What’s the verdict?