Twila vs Twyla

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] all!!

I asked this question on the polls a few weeks ago, and the results were split about 50 / 50 between [name_f]Twila[/name_f] and [name_f]Twyla[/name_f]. So, I’d love to get more in-depth reasoning behind why you chose what you did?
Is [name_f]Twila[/name_f] destined for a life of spelling errors? Is [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] far too cutesy? Defend your fave and tell me all your thoughts!!

Thanks all - can’t wait to see your answers~!!

I don’t see what would be cutesy about [name_f]Twyla[/name_f]! I think both are lovely, it’s definitely hard to choose one and I’m not surprised the poll was 50/50!

That said, I slightly prefer [name_f]Twila[/name_f]. Mostly because it’s the original, and I don’t think [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] is so popular that [name_f]Twila[/name_f] would get misspelt as [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] constantly. [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] is a bit more recognisable, true, but both names are quite obscure and could get misspelt equally easily. [name_f]Twila[/name_f] also just looks more aesthetically pleasing to me – this is maybe a bit silly, but the “Twy” of [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] looks to me a bit like you’re trying to cram a lot of uncommon, high-value Scrabble letters in the name? :sweat_smile: Whereas [name_f]Twila[/name_f] looks more sleek and streamlined which I prefer!

I personally prefer [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] because I think it makes the pronunciation clearer. [name_f]Twila[/name_f] looks like it could just as easily be “twill-uh” as “twai-luh” to me, whereas [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] I would be confident was “twai-luh”. Also, though [name_f]Twila[/name_f] has historically been more popular in the US, [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] feels more familiar to me.

That said, I don’t think [name_f]Twila[/name_f] would be destined for spelling errors. I think pronunciation errors would actually be more common. I do appreciate how [name_f]Twila[/name_f] looks a little sleeker with the i instead of the y, and that it’s more similar to the word ‘twilight’, but overall my vote goes to [name_f]Twyla[/name_f].

I like both, and now I’m sitting here going back and forth, but I think there’s something I like just a little more about [name_f]Twyla[/name_f].

There’s something very appealing about the unusual blend of letters - the w and y next to each other - the fact the y adds something a bit more spiky to the appearance of the name, how it feels vintage but also fantastical and space-age, and that it has a literary connection (to a short story by [name_f]Toni[/name_f] Morrison). Maybe it’s that [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] stands a little more removed from the word [name_f]Twilight[/name_f] (not that I don’t like the potential imagery, I think I just like that [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] feels more word-adjacent in this case, than wordy?)

Still, I say all that with the caveat that another day I may be rooting for [name_f]Twila[/name_f] instead :person_shrugging: which is not helpful!

I prefer [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] because it looks more grown up than [name_f]Twila[/name_f] actually

I can’t say why I prefer [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] but I don’t think it is too cutesy. Either one will be misspelled sometimes.

I prefer [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] because that’s the spelling I encountered first. I think [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] makes sense if you want to name kid because you love all things fantastical, it just makes name look more magical. I don’t think it matters whether or not [name_f]Twila[/name_f] is original spelling since origin of name isn’t completely clear and Native American origin isn’t confirmed. I also like look of [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] more than [name_f]Twila[/name_f] (which to me looks like twig). I don’t think every [name_f]English[/name_f] person will pronounce [name_f]Twyla[/name_f] correctly, though… many people change the spelling only to learn it didn’t make things clear.

[name_f]Twyla[/name_f] :white_heart: I don’t know why but I just like her a bit more in writing than [name_f]Twila[/name_f] :sparkles: :woman_fairy:t2:

[name_f]My[/name_f] vote is for [name_f]Twyla[/name_f]