Mispronounced Names

I mispronounce names a lot. And it’s always kinda sad when it turns out a pretty name actually sounds awful! You can share your mispronounced names in this topic. Here are some of mine:

Ciara: see-ARE-uh
[name_u]Wilder[/name_u]: WILL-der
[name_f]Aleta[/name_f]: uh-LET-uh
[name_f]Rosalia[/name_f]: ro-SAL-ee-uh
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]: cor-DEL-ee-uh
Fionuala: fee-own-noo-AH-la

Imogen; ih-MOH-gen
[name_f]Linnea[/name_f]: lynn-EE-ah

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I used to think…
[name_m]Aloysius[/name_m]: al-OY-see-us
[name_f]Nimue[/name_f]: nih-MOO or ni-MOO-ee
[name_u]Delaney[/name_u]: DELL-uh-nee (I’ve realized most people say this like ‘deh-LAY-nee’ but I think both might be acceptable pronunciations? I’m not sure if mine was wrong or just less common. I like both!)
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]: I misread this in my head as ‘jih-NERV-ah’ throughout all the [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] books when I was younger and now I still have to correct myself
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]: dash-ee-uhl

Also [name_u]Andrea[/name_u] I assume a less-common pronunciation, because I’ve only known people who pronounce it with soft vowels (ahn-DRAY-uh as opposed to AN-dree-uh). I don’t think it’s mispronounced, just less common?

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I mispronounced [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] as mah-LAW-chee in my head for the longest time, but I definitely think the correct pronunciation is far better lol.

Ones where the actual pronunciation isn’t as nice to me as my originally perceived one:
[name_f]Zosia[/name_f]: “ZO-see-uh” instead of “ZAWSH-uh”
[name_f]Anouk[/name_f]: “ANN-uk” instead of “uh-NOOK”
[name_f]Mabli[/name_f]: “MAY-blee” instead of “MAB-lee”
[name_f]Ada[/name_f]: “ADD-uh” instead of “AY-da”
[name_f]Noemi[/name_f]: “NO-me” instead of “no-EH-me” (although I’ve come around to the real pronunciation)

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I know a girl named [name_u]Wilder[/name_u] who pronounces it WILE-der, like the word.

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I pronounced [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] wrong for some time until hearing a youtuber pronounce the name.

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I acknowledge that [name_f]Eleftheria[/name_f] is el-eff-teh-REE-uh, but nothing will stop me from saying ell-eff-THEH-ree-uh.

I also know that [name_f]Emme[/name_f] is pronounced [name_f]Emmy[/name_f], and is an American made up name, but I really like how it sounds as a sort of [name_u]French[/name_u] cross between [name_f]Em[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f].

I’m also pretty sure that Wilderose is meant to be said “[name_u]Wild[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]”, but I always say will-duh-rose and I think it flows much better.

At first, I pronounced [name_f]Astraea[/name_f] as ast-RYE-uh (it’s ast-RAY-uh), but I’ve come around to the real one now.

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I stuggle a lot with Es.
I pronounced [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] as ah-MEH-lee-ah for YEARS. I also thought [name_f]Edith[/name_f], [name_u]Elias[/name_u], and [name_u]Eden[/name_u] were pronouned with an eh sound instead of an ee sound for a while. I pronounce them all correctly now.
I don’t know how [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] is pronounced, and at this point I’m afraid to ask. I say eh-low-EEZ.
I know that in [name_f]English[/name_f], [name_f]Athena[/name_f] is ah-THEE-nah, but even when talking to [name_f]English[/name_f]-speakers I always pronounce it the Greek way in my head, ah-thee-NAH.
I always think of [name_m]Cian[/name_m] as keen, not as kee-en.

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You’re pretty much correct on [name_f]Eloise[/name_f]!

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Whew, well that’s a relief! :grimacing:

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I read [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] as cam-mee or cow-mee for the longest time. I knew it was not the correct pronunciation and the site I first saw it on didn’t have a pronunciation guide for the name. It wasn’t until I came across it on a NB post that I finally had the correct pronunciation - kee-vuh.

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there are two correct pronunciations - kee-vuh in the [name_u]North[/name_u] of [name_f]Ireland[/name_f], quee-vuh in the south! :slight_smile:

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I thought [name_m]Endymion[/name_m] was “en-DYME-ee-un” until we did a reading names aloud challenge a couple of years ago and everyone said “en-DIM-ee-un” apart from me :flushed:

It’s not wrong, but [name_f]Helena[/name_f] is “HELL-en-uh” to me, it’s the only way I like it and I didn’t realise it wasn’t the main way to say it until talking about it on NB.

[name_f]Elowen[/name_f] I read as “ELL-oh-wen” — a common pronunciation now, but not technically correct in the original Cornish. It’s “eh-LOW-en”.

I’m sure I read [name_f]Calliope[/name_f] “[name_f]Callie[/name_f]-ope” for a good while too, rather than “cah-LYE-oh-pee” :woman_facepalming:

ETA: [name_m]How[/name_m] do you all say [name_f]Elise[/name_f] and [name_f]Denise[/name_f]? [name_f]My[/name_f] husband says “eez” at the end (like [name_u]Louise[/name_u]), I say “eese” (like geese). Who’s gonna back me up? :wink:

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I am the same way as you for all these names! I pronounced [name_m]Endymion[/name_m] as “en-DIM-ee-un” when I did the pronunciation challenge because I heard it said that way before, but when I first saw the name I thought it was “en-DYME-ee-un.”

I say [name_f]Elise[/name_f] and [name_f]Denise[/name_f] the same way as you!

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I say ‘eese’ like you do!

Similarly, do people pronounce [name_u]Louise[/name_u] and [name_m]Luis[/name_m] the same? I don’t (eez vs eese), but I recently met somebody who did and was quite confused when she asked where ‘[name_u]Louise[/name_u]’ was. I was like “we don’t have a [name_u]Louise[/name_u] in this program??”

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I also pronounced [name_f]Calliope[/name_f] wrong! It went till I searched it up till I realised it was Cah-Lye

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I say “eese”
Names I couldn’t get:
The welsh [name_m]Llyr[/name_m]: L-leer is what always goes through my mind.
[name_f]Aisling[/name_f]- I know it’s supposed to be [name_f]Ashlyn[/name_f] but I read it as Aize-ling
[name_m]William[/name_m]: I know that this one is easy but I can’t help seeing [name_m]Will[/name_m]-I-am as in the singer😂

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@katinka Technically you’re not wrong about [name_f]Calliope[/name_f]! Your way of saying it is very similar to the original Greek pronunciation :slight_smile:
Oh, and regarding [name_m]Endymion[/name_m], here’s a tip: if a Greek name has a “y” in it, it’s almost always going to be pronounced like an E, not like eye!

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Nooooo :joy:

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I knew [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f], but I read [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] as mih-NEH-vra until the last two books.

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