Pronunciation Questions

I thought we could use a thread where we could all ask how to pronounce things we’re not sure about… I hope I’m not the only one who ever has this problem!

[name]Evie[/name]… is it [name]Eve[/name]-ee or Ev-ee?

To me its [name]Eve[/name]-ee.

Great thread! We know I have pronounciation issues! [name]Joaquin[/name] and [name]Imogen[/name]…Ha!

[name]Imogen[/name] is Im-mo-jen, with an I, not an E. :slight_smile:

[name]Imogen[/name] is the same for me, I love it!

I’m glad you say [name]Evie[/name] [name]Eve[/name]-ee. The only [name]Evie[/name] I’ve ever known said it “Ev-ee” and I don’t think that’s cute at all. I wonder what the standard is.

I’m thinking that there really isn’t a standard, but it’s instead up to what the parents prefer. I’m guessing that some parents of an [name]Evelyn[/name] may use Ehv-ie if they want the nickname to sound like [name]Evelyn[/name], while others may choose Eev-vie. I think it’s just as individual basis thing, you know. I’ve heard Eevie more than Ehvie, and prefer Eevie, but Ehvie’s pretty, too.

Are you thinking of an [name]Eve[/name] name? They’re so pretty!

I think you’re probably right about that, [name]Jill[/name]. I much prefer Ee-vie, though. Ehv-ee sounds ugly to me, but that might be because the one I knew was a serious brat.

I’m not really thinking about an [name]Eve[/name] name, though I really love [name]Evangeline[/name] and [name]Eve[/name].

I’m with you on Ehv-ie, [name]Lyndsay[/name]. It’s far to close to “heavy” for me! :slight_smile:

Sorry, ladies, I’m in the Eh-vie camp. It’s probably due to my proximity to Cajun country, where their icon is [name]Evangeline[/name], pronounced locally as eh-[name]VAN[/name]-ge-lynn. Also my friend’s grandmother was named [name]Evie[/name] [name]May[/name], also pronounced Ehvie. Fortunately, I don’t hear “heavy” at all; I do, otoh, hear “TV” when people say “Ee-vie.”

As previously mentioned, [name]Imogene[/name] is pronounced “[name]Emma[/name] [name]Jean[/name]” for me, and [name]Imogen[/name] would be “[name]Emma[/name] [name]Jenn[/name].” (In the South, we don’t make much of a distinction between short e and short i; the words pin and pen sound exactly the same here.)

how about [name]Emmeline[/name]?

I’ve been saying [name]Em[/name]-a-lynn…is this right?

I say [name]Emma[/name]-leen, I really don’t know the right way.

What about [name]Lettice[/name]? I say Let-eece, so that it sounds more like [name]Letitia[/name] than Lettuce… but I know that some people pronounce it like Lettuce, which is right?

Also, [name]Ione[/name]? Nameberry says eye-OWN, but I can’t help saying eye-own-ah or ee-own-ah

[name]Emmeline[/name] is emma-LEEN for me too, but I’ve heard [name]Emma[/name]-lyn, I just don’t like that way. -[name]Lyn[/name] is such a downer sound for me. Blah. [name]Marilyn[/name] is the only -lyn name on my lists, for a beloved Aunt. Otherwise, -lyn’s a no-go for me.

[name]Lettice[/name] is a favorite of mine, has been for years (I once read a book with an evil [name]Lettice[/name] based loosely on the the real [name]Lettice[/name] Knowles, which not only made me adore [name]Lettice[/name] but started me on my love for other medieval names). I say let-tees but most people just say lett-is which is too close to the vegetable for most. I still would use it if I didn’t think she’d get majorly teased for it. I absolutely adore [name]Lettice[/name]. it looks beautiful, sounds pretty and is fun to write out. It’s a winner for me, but in the long run, unusable.

I wanna cry now.

as for [name]Ione[/name], maybe I’m odd but I always say eye-own-ee, as in [name]Ione[/name] [name]Skye[/name], who was in “[name]Ferris[/name] [name]Bueller[/name]'s [name]Day[/name] Off” I always thought that was how she said it, anyway.

I’ve always pronounced [name]Emmeline[/name] as [name]Emma[/name]-line, which is how it’s pronounced in The [name]Blue[/name] Lagoon and [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables (the movie).

What about [name]Lettice[/name]?: I know it’s supposed to be La-TEESE, but when I look at it, I think “lettuce.”

Also, [name]Ione[/name]?: I know of one elderly [name]Ione[/name], and she pronounced her name eye-own-ee. Three syllables.

[name]Ione[/name] [name]Skye[/name] was in [name]Say[/name] Anything with [name]John[/name] Cusak, and [name]Mia[/name] [name]Sara[/name] was in [name]Ferris[/name] Beuller’s [name]Day[/name] Off. :slight_smile:

Thanks [name]Jill[/name], I always get those 2 mixed up, see, I did it again!

:slight_smile: No problem. :slight_smile:

re pronunciation, just wondering about a popular name at the moment, chace, popularised by the guy off gossip girl, just for curiosity sake, is it really pronounced chase, like i like to chase my dog???

i would say chace like chase ch-ace

[name]How[/name] about [name]Ariadne[/name]? I’ve seen it posted now a few times and my brain just stops when I see it…I can’t figure it out. When you nameberry search its listed with [name]Ariana[/name] as a variation. So is it pronounced the same way? What’s the “D” for?
Thanks! :slight_smile:

[name]Eve[/name]-ee.

I like Ehv-ie better than Eeev-ie. For me Ehv-ie sounds more old lady vintage. [name]Love[/name] those old lady names. Hey, you guys might be interested in the old lady names I’ve run across lately:
In my mostly old lady group:
[name]Eunice[/name]
[name]Verna[/name]
[name]Elva[/name]

At my M-I-L’s skilled nursing board and care home:
[name]Marjorie[/name] - my M-I-L.
[name]Jean[/name] - her face glows with joy when my son visits.
[name]Pauline[/name] - my M-I-L hates poor [name]Pauline[/name] with a fiery passion. They even had to move [name]Pauline[/name] one chair over to get her away from [name]Marjie[/name].
[name]Mary[/name] [name]Ann[/name] (we call her Kicky because she loves to kick people. My M-I-L is afraid of her.)
[name]Patricia[/name] nn [name]Patty[/name]. She is really out of it, poor thing. But she looks rich, so we call her the [name]Rich[/name] Lady.
[name]Madeleine[/name] nn [name]Maddie[/name] - my favorite old lady at the home. She speaks French gibberish. Has forgotten how to speak English gibberish because she is originally from [name]France[/name]. On [name]Easter[/name] she was getting her fingernails clipped and she made happy little cooing noises like a parrot. But then my husband walked by and she just stared at him. If you say, “Bon Jour!” to her she looks interested and then makes a little whooping noise. My mother-in-law gets jealous when we pay attention to [name]Maddie[/name].

Old ladies from nine years ago when my grandmother-in-law was at the board and care home:
[name]Cecilia[/name] - G-I-L’s name
[name]Alice[/name] - she loved my kitty when I brought Mokie for a visit.
[name]Clara[/name] - this was when I started loving the name [name]Clara[/name], but [name]Clara[/name] was mean. The attendants warned us that she hated kids and loved to hurt them. So my daughter stayed far away from her.
old man name: [name]Murray[/name] [name]Russell[/name]. Two nice names.
owner of the home: [name]Esther[/name]

I say “[name]Eve[/name]-ie”, “Im-o-jen” and “[name]Emma[/name]-line” :slight_smile:

What about [name]Esme[/name]? Is it “Es-may” or “Es-mee?”

p.s. [name]Susan[/name], [name]Eunice[/name] strikes a chord with me for some reason! Would you pronounce it “You-neese”?