I would like the name to be pronounced mad-a-lehn, but I can’t decide on the spelling.
I like [name]Madelyn[/name] the least, but I feel like it has the most straightforward pronunciation.
[name]Madeline[/name] is my favorite spelling, but I worry that people would pronounce phonetically, with the long “I.”
I understand that [name]Madeleine[/name] is the most correct spelling of the name as I’d like it pronounced. To me, it looks phonetically like it should be said with a long “I” even though I know it is a French name and that’s what gives it the “lehn” sound.
[name]Do[/name] you think [name]Madeleine[/name] is more or less likely to be pronounced as mad-a-lehn in the U.S.?
Which is your favorite? For the record, we have a long last name that starts with “M.”
sweet and simple [name]Madeline[/name] get my vote. When in doubt KISS.
I think with a name like this people know that there are multiple regional pronunciations and simply saying “we prefer mad-a-lehn” should be good enough, nobody is going to say “oh well you should have spelt it differently then”, it’s a very plausible option.
Funny story about [name]Madeleine[/name] - my French-Canadian great aunt was [name]Madeleine[/name], and I had no idea. It always sounded like Mudlenn. I would stay away from [name]Madeline[/name] only because the children’s book and television series pronounces it with the long I. I agree, however about staying away from [name]Madelyn[/name].
I don’t know how non-French people pronounced [name]Madeleine[/name]; but I’m pretty sure it will be easier for people to remember. (A spelling that doesn’t look like its pronounciation is more likely to make an impression than one letter off)
[name]Madelyn[/name] is pronounced Mad-ah-lynn, not Mad-ah-lehn, so I wouldn’t use that spelling. Plus it looks overly trendy.
[name]Madeline[/name] can be pronounced Mad-ah-line. That is how I would pronounce it.
If you want the Mad-ah-lehn pronunciation you would definitely be better off with [name]Madeleine[/name]. It is the nicer of the spellings and is the most straight forward for pronunciation. I have an aunt [name]Madeleine[/name] too actually.
If you are worried about phonetic pronunciation, I would go with [name]Madeleine[/name]. [name]Madeline[/name], according to the English phonetic rules, would be a long I due to the e on the end. I can’t see the long I sound coming form the spelling [name]Madeleine[/name]. I also think it’s a bit different, but not in the trendy way…so I like it a lot!
The way you want it pronounced it would be easier for you and the child so you don’t have to keep correcting is [name]Madelyn[/name] but I don’t think it looks to pretty and looks a bit cheap but when you spell it [name]Madeline[/name] or [name]Madeleine[/name] I think of [name]France[/name] and all the beautiful people named [name]Madeline[/name]. Sorry if this didn’t answer your question, you could try and count the votes of each name and see what that equals too ?
I have a cousin named [name]Madeleine[/name] [name]Love[/name] that name! Def. go with the [name]Madeleine[/name] spelling if that’s the pronunciation you want.
[name]Madeline[/name] will be pronounced with the -line ending by most people. As other said, I really would stay away from this spelling if you want in pronounced -lehn. I personally would never say -line for [name]Madeleine[/name] and would be surprised to meet a [name]Madeleine[/name] who pronounced her name with a long ‘i’. Then again, I do have a cousin with with this name and spelling, so it is very familiar to me. In any case, my vote is for [name]Madeleine[/name].
Our daughter is [name]Madeleine[/name], pronounced -lyn not -line. This was obviously our preferred spelling, and some variation of the -lehn / -lyn (for us non-French speaking folks) pronunciation for what we were going. So, I am biased and think you should spell it this way.
However, I am not sure there is a straightforward answer to your question. Her name is mispronounced -line all the time and misspelled more often than not ([name]Madeline[/name]). We have been told that we spelled it incorrectly, in fact, if it is supposed to be -lyn!
I agree with this. Altho some people pronounce [name]Madeleine[/name] with a “layne” ending, so no option is 100% safe except for [name]Madelyn[/name], your (and my) least favorite.
I’d say in the US you can get away with [name]Madeline[/name] pronounced “Mad-eh-lin”, but for “Mad-eh-lehn” [name]Madeleine[/name] is the way to go.
This is a tough one - I have had more than one person ask me for advice about this before actually!
I would go with [name]Madeleine[/name] (although I will say in the U.S., the pronounciation you will probably get is MAD-uh-linn, not MAD-uh-lehn. In [name]France[/name], it’s mad-LEHN).
I know that [name]Madelyn[/name] offers the least pronunciation confusion, but I agree that it is displeasing and looks trendy.
[name]Madeline[/name] is asking for mispronunciation. If I see a [name]Madeline[/name] I truly don’t even attempt it until I ask the person how it’s pronounced. Some are the long I, some the short.
So in the end, I recommend [name]Madeleine[/name]! It’s the loveliest spelling. She will have to correct people occasionally, but you’ll be better off than with [name]Madeline[/name].
The only one on your list that gives you that pronunciation is [name]Madelyn[/name] (at least for me; I’m from NW USA), and despite my aversion to Ys I think this is the best option for you for that reason.
Madalehn would give you that pronunciation every time; it looks a bit funny, but not really in a bad way.
I love [name]Madeleine[/name]! Honestly, [name]Madelyn[/name] feels cheap and trendy to me, although I realize it’s been around for years. I just can’t get behind it. Plus, I would say it with an IN ending, not an EHN, it’s just not as soft and beautifully European like [name]Madeleine[/name] is!
And [name]Madeline[/name]–I’ll try not to go there because I end up ranting every time I post about [name]Madeline[/name], haha. Honestly, it looks nicer than [name]Madelyn[/name], but “line” at the end of a name said like “lehn” makes no sense. Not one bit. I’ve studied English and grammar and languages in school, graduated with a degree in writing, and I just don’t get it. As far as names go “line” = either LYNE or LEEN. Not [name]LIN[/name], and definitely not LEHN.
And that leaves me with [name]Madeleine[/name]. I have half a dozen reasons for going with [name]Madeleine[/name]–I have some French ancestry, my best friend was French, I am a Francophone and vastly prefer the French spelling of the name, it’s legitimately pronounced Mad-eh-lehn/MAD-lehn, I value using the original spelling (which [name]Madeleine[/name] is)… okay, almost half a dozen. Plus, I just think [name]Madeleine[/name] looks more elegant and beautiful than [name]Madelyn[/name] or [name]Madeline[/name]. I think it’d have some issues with Americans who aren’t familiar with the French language, but honestly, when you pick a name that has ties to another language, you are always going to run that risk. It’s just as much for [name]Aoife[/name] or Gracja as it is for [name]Madeleine[/name]. For me it’s worth the risk, because I value the aspects of [name]Madeleine[/name] that I listed more than I value never correcting someone on how to say my daughter’s name. Plus, how hard is it to say, “Oh, it’s mad-eh-lehn”?
My favorite girls’ name is [name]Madeleine[/name]. [name]Madeleine[/name] is the most common spelling in the UK, where I grew up. I think it is head and shoulders better than the other spellings. More authentic, classy and elegant. But I will stop… I don’t want to convince too many people because I want to use it myself.
I would stay away from [name]Madeline[/name] only because the children’s book and television series pronounces it with the long I. I agree, however about staying away from [name]Madelyn[/name].