I love the name [name]Vera[/name]. To me it is simple, soft, sophisticated, and pretty. The only thing is, I say it Veh-ra, not [name]VEER[/name]-a.
So, a couple questions:
[name]How[/name] do you pronounce it?
[name]Do[/name] you think a girl named [name]Vera[/name] and pronounced Veh-ra would constantly be correcting others, or would it not be that bad?
Would it be best to just choose [name]Verity[/name] with [name]Vera[/name] as a nn?
Thanks so much!
I say [name]VEER[/name]-uh.
Honestly, I wouldnt have ever thought to pronounce it [name]Vera[/name] like rhymes with [name]Farrah[/name]. Maybe a regional thing?
[name]Verity[/name] would tip me off, but I think you’ll still correct some on the nn. Maybe [name]Vara[/name]?
[name]Vera[/name] [name]Bradley[/name] is very popular by me right now so I think that could pose a problem because that is pronounced [name]VEER[/name]-a. When the name was in it’s heyday, I believe it was [name]VEER[/name]-a.
I actually say it closer to veh-rah. I like it pronounced either way, but I think you probably will have some pronunciation problems.
This will be hard to explain, but I say it right between [name]Veer[/name]-a and Vair-a.
I guess I say it [name]Veer[/name]-a, but I don’t emphasize the “ee” part as much as I do in other words, like, veer, or beep. It’s softer.
@dantea: Now that I think about it, that’s how I’m pronouncing the name too – veh-ra. I’ll edit my initial post.
@r_j: I like the way you pronounce the name too!
Thank you all for the responses so far!
I would say it “Veh-ra” too. Actually, that’s how I pronounce [name]Vera[/name] [name]Bradley[/name]. I’ve never heard anyone say “Vee-ra [name]Bradley[/name].” I think it’s beautiful and it isn’t a huge correction to make to people. Most of the time people will hear her name before they’ll see it, right?
I say it [name]VEER[/name]-a. I am from the [name]North[/name] [name]East[/name] US and that is always how I’ve heard it said. I think if it is as a nickname for [name]Verity[/name] you might get the pronunciation you want more often, but still, if you don’t know the person’s full name (which sometimes you don’t) and aren’t introduced, but just see it on paper, people might still go straight to [name]VEER[/name]-a.
I personally like the [name]VEER[/name]-a pronunciation more. Veh-ra, to me, would be spelled [name]Vara[/name], like [name]Cara[/name], [name]Lara[/name], etc. I guess it is similar to the argument I have with a friend of mine over [name]Lena[/name]. We have one in our family, and to me it will always be [name]LEE[/name]-nah, but she loves it as [name]LAY[/name]-nah, which I insist would be spelled differently. Owell.
I pronounce it “vehr-ah” and it sounds so much prettier to my ears than veer-a
I say Vehr-uh, like [name]Verity[/name]. I have a friend named [name]Verity[/name] though so that’s probably why I would assume [name]Vera[/name] to be like [name]Verity[/name], but with an -a ending.
[name]VEER[/name]-ah is a little sharp for me, so I too prefer the veh-ra pronunciation.
I think constantly correcting people i more bearable if it’s the pronunciation they’re correcting. She won’t ever have to spell out her name or anything like that, trust me, it’s a lot more annoying. (I have two silent letters in my first name, and a traditional Å in the first, but alternative spelling ‘Aa’ in the surname, so I always have to tell people that my surname has the Aa spelling, but not my first name). [name]Just[/name] the pronuciation is usually a couple of times with each person and it sinks in.
I love simple [name]Vera[/name] more than [name]Verity[/name], although [name]Verity[/name] is beautiful as well. I always struggle with word names as first names because I think they only go together in sibsets with other word names. Word names are better in the middle for me.
I’d prn it Vehr-uh as well. Though I think that regardless of how you’d choose to prn [name]Vera[/name] I think you might be correcting someone.
When it comes down to it I think it will depend on the individuals dialect - some people might not be able to prns/hear the difference between the two.
Thank you all for the replies so far! This thread has given me hope that I could pull off using the veh-ra pronunciation!
@dearest: You make a lot of great points about the name! I agree that it is more annoying to have to correct spelling than pronunciation. I have an uncommon name that people usually mistake for something else at first, and I really don’t mind that, so I think [name]Vera[/name] might be okay. Also, that’s a good point about word names and other siblings. I hadn’t considered how odd it could be to have only one child with a word name. I prefer [name]Vera[/name] on its own also.
I pronounce it more like Veer-a because of Vera Wang.
But now that I think of it I actually like the Veh-ra pronunciation you talked about. Verity nn Vera would be a little more obvious for the pronunciation you prefer. But I think that Vera is unusual enough that if you correct people once they’ll understand it, as opposed to say, when people named Eva(like Eva Mendes) pronounce it like Ava.
Go for it! :]
My first thought would be to say [name]Veera[/name] if I read it but I love the sound of Vehra. I don’t think it would be that big of a deal.
I work in Mens clothing and we just started carrying [name]Vera[/name] Wangs line of tuxedo rentals. Everyone I work w pn it like [name]Farrah[/name] or tara. Now that I think about it I don’t think I’ve even heard customers refer to it as veera. But I am in the Midwest so maybe its a regional thing?
I am familiar with [name]Veera[/name] but both prefer and say [name]Vera[/name] (like rhyming with [name]Sarah[/name]). Maybe it’s regional. I suspect it’s because of Aloe [name]Vera[/name], and also I speak Spanish and it’s the word for truth and while that’s a little closer to vay-ra it’s still closer to veh-ra then to veer-a.
[name]Vera[/name] Farmiga, the actress, I’m pretty sure uses [name]Vera[/name].
This is one of my favorite names (but currently not in the running as my husband doesn’t care for it). While I prefer Veh-ra, I’ve decided I’d be OK with the confusion around [name]Veera[/name]. It’s not insurmountable, and while I don’t prefer it, I also don’t find it, like, horribly grating or something. The love for the look and the sound as I say it would outweigh it if I was lucky enough to use it.
I pronounce it “veer-a”, like one of my favourite singers Dame [name]Vera[/name] [name]Lynn[/name]. I’m Canadian, but she’s from the [name]East[/name] End of [name]London[/name], if that makes a difference to pronounciation. But when I was young and first saw the name with no one to reference it to, I said vair-a.
[name]Verity[/name] is a completely different name to me so I would find it a bit odd and confusing at first. But people would get used to it quickly.
[name]Veer[/name]-ah is how I say it.
That’s a good point about Aloe [name]Vera[/name]. I guess the veh-ra pronunciation is more botanical.
Thank you all for the replies so far! This has been very helpful. 