Sam or Psam as the short form of Psamathe?

Writers' Corner
1

Hello. A main character in my current work in progress (fantasy) is called Psamathe (a Greek name pronounce SAM-a-thee). I would like her to be called Psam pronounced “Sam” for short, with the P spelling because this is how the first syllable of Psamathe is spelled — but I’m not sure if the spelling would throw off my readers. Should I just spell her nickname as [name_u]Sam[/name_u] or do you think I could get away with spelling it Psam in the book?

Many thanks.

2

i think sam is more visually pleasing and still makes sense (psamathe). psam sort of looks like misspelled ‘spam’. hope this helps!

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3

As a reader, I would prefer the more relatable/ familiar spelling. That way the name doesn’t pull you out of the story, especially since it is pronounced the same.

I think i would continually pronounce it P-sam while reading and have to correct myself.

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