# Which spelling is best - Leah, Lia or Lea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Girl Names\ **Created:** [November 1, 2014, 11:56am UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245 "2014-11-01T11:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sarav\_99](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/sarav_99/32/3884_2.png) [@sarav\_99](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/sarav_99)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 11:56am UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/1 "2014-11-01T11:56:32Z")
[name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] to me has always looked slightly odd with the ‘h’ tacked on the end (much like the names [name\_f]Norah[/name\_f] and [name\_f]Lilah[/name\_f] do) but it is the most common and traditional spelling which would be the ‘easiest’ shall we say. I love [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f], it just looks so crisp and sweet and packs so much spunk into 3 letters and [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] is just gorgeous, romantic and so aesthetically pleasing but which one do you think is best and why? ---
**Author:** ![lexiem](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/lexiem/32/1879_2.png) [@lexiem](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/lexiem)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/3 "2014-11-01T13:07:01Z")
I’ve always liked [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f]. Maybe because I had a friend growing up whose name was spelled that way. I agree [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] always had an extraneous h to me. [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] feels a little modern and maybe islandy to me. [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] on the other hand has the same beautiful simplicity of names like [name\_f]Jane[/name\_f] and [name\_f]Mary[/name\_f]. It feels the most timeless and classic to me. ---
**Author:** ![DrHenry](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/drhenry/32/2994_2.png) [@DrHenry](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/DrHenry)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/4 "2014-11-01T13:27:37Z")
I think it’s a really pretty name either way. Have always preferred [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f]. But it’s interesting I prefer [name\_f]Nora[/name\_f] and [name\_f]Lila[/name\_f]. But I like [name\_f]Sarah[/name\_f] instead of [name\_f]Sara[/name\_f]. I think I would wrongly pronounce [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] and lee at first. But after reading this thread I’m starting to really like [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] and [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f]. ---
**Author:** ![poptart8](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/poptart8/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@poptart8](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/poptart8)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/5 "2014-11-01T14:22:47Z")
I grew up with a [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] and I didnt really get along with her so im sure thats why I dont like that spelling. I love, love, love [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] though. So adorable! ---
**Author:** ![emmillose](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/emmillose/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@emmillose](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/emmillose)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/6 "2014-11-01T14:26:47Z")
I like [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f]. I don’t mind the ‘h’ at the end. I prefer [name\_f]Norah[/name\_f] to [name\_f]Nora[/name\_f] as well so at least I’m consistent lol! ---
**Author:** ![misskendra](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/misskendra/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@misskendra](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/misskendra)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/7 "2014-11-01T14:34:29Z")
I read [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] as lay-uh. [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] as [name\_u]Lee[/name\_u]-uh. I don’t prefer [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] so my vote is [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://d3e4s07haqhh9y.cloudfront.net/original/3X/b/b/bb0f52bb29e5c9ad6002ee7f1a92d42d308ffe28.png) [@system](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/8 "2014-11-01T14:34:31Z")
I’d pronounce [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] as ‘lee-a’ or ‘lay-a’. I’d pronounce [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] as ‘lee’ (like the field). I’d pronounce [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] as ‘lee-a’. I’d go with [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f]. ---
**Author:** ![aimeekeren14](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/aimeekeren14/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@aimeekeren14](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/aimeekeren14)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/9 "2014-11-01T14:50:37Z")
I think [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] is best, it best for the pronunciation and just looks really pretty. [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] is pronounced like [name\_m]Lay[/name\_m]-a and not [name\_u]Lee[/name\_u]-a. The spelling [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] seems incomplete to me ---
**Author:** ![isolieth](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/isolieth/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@isolieth](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/isolieth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/10 "2014-11-01T14:56:56Z")
All of the Leahs I’ve ever met - and looking back it is a good number - have spelled it [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] and pronounced it [name\_u]LEE[/name\_u]-ah. [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] is graceful and delicate. I wonder if it would get mispronounced as LYE-uh but I doubt it would happen too often. [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] seems like it should be pronounced like the word lea (sounds like lee). ---
**Author:** ![stripedsocks](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/stripedsocks/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@stripedsocks](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/stripedsocks)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/11 "2014-11-01T16:10:10Z")
[name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] is my favourite. I don’t like [name\_f]Norah[/name\_f] and [name\_f]Lilah[/name\_f], but I do like [name\_f]Hannah[/name\_f] and [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] - in their case, the h actually had an etymological reason in Hebrew and it’s got long historical use. It’s not just tacked on to “finish it” and it makes the names look better to my eye, like [name\_f]Deborah[/name\_f] isn’t my style but it looks about ten thousand times better than [name\_f]Debra[/name\_f]. [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] is all right, but I don’t like it personally, despite liking [name\_f]Lila[/name\_f] without the h. It would be my second choice. [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] is is pretty awful looking to me. It also suffers from confusion with “[name\_u]Lee[/name\_u]” pronunciation. I know plenty of people who use “lea” as a suffix that’s said “lee” like [name\_f]Ashlea[/name\_f] for [name\_u]Ashley[/name\_u], etc. It’s got nothing on the quiet polish of [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f], [name\_f]IMO[/name\_f]. ---
**Author:** ![katnissevergreen](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/katnissevergreen/32/19733_2.png) [@katnissevergreen](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/katnissevergreen)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/12 "2014-11-01T16:24:18Z")
My favorite is [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f]. I feel everyone first thinks of that spelling, if they don’t know a [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f]/[name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] already. My old babysitter was named [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] and she was really nice. So, [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f]. ---
**Author:** ![goldeng](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/goldeng/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@goldeng](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/goldeng)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/13 "2014-11-01T16:34:43Z")
I went with lia for my daughter. I always pronounce [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] as “lee”, so that took it off the table for me. ---
**Author:** ![cgwaltney](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/cgwaltney/32/3592_2.png) [@cgwaltney](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/cgwaltney)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/14 "2014-11-01T17:33:41Z")
I like [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] best! It gives a modern day twist to this classic name : ) ---
**Author:** ![eireann](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/eireann/32/137308_2.png) [@eireann](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/eireann)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/15 "2014-11-01T17:50:23Z")
I prefer [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] and it was on my list a few months ago. I grew up knowing a few [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f]'s and I didn’t know any [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] or [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f]'s (I knew two [name\_f]Leia[/name\_f]'s, one who pronounced it [name\_u]Lee[/name\_u]-ah and the other who pronounced it [name\_m]Lay[/name\_m]-ah). ---
**Author:** ![sruutikainen](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/sruutikainen/32/5836_2.png) [@sruutikainen](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/sruutikainen)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/16 "2014-11-01T17:53:39Z")
#1: [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] #2: [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] #3: [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] is great because you can’t mistake it for “[name\_m]Lay[/name\_m]-uh” and it’s a perfect NN for [name\_f]Cecilia[/name\_f], [name\_f]Emilia[/name\_f], and any -lia names. [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] is annoyingly overused and I’m not crazy about the -h-. ---
**Author:** ![allij28](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/allij28/32/1024_2.png) [@allij28](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/allij28)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/17 "2014-11-01T17:57:35Z")
[name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] gets my vote ---
**Author:** ![sofiamaria](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/sofiamaria/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@sofiamaria](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/sofiamaria)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/18 "2014-11-01T18:28:31Z")
I prefer [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f]! ---
**Author:** ![anon23577251](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/anon23577251/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@anon23577251](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/anon23577251)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/19 "2014-11-01T18:50:28Z")
My cousin is named [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f], and that’s the spelling I’m most accustomed to. [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] and [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] just don’t look right to me. ---
**Author:** ![ashleyjuliette](https://forum.nameberry.com/user_avatar/forum.nameberry.com/ashleyjuliette/32/2194_2.png) [@ashleyjuliette](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/ashleyjuliette)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/20 "2014-11-01T19:13:43Z")
I prefer [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f]. I have noticed some people think [name\_f]Leah[/name\_f] is dated, plus I’m not a fan of the H. [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] I would be concerned about pron. issues. [name\_f]Lea[/name\_f] sort of looks like it could be lay-uh or [name\_u]Lee[/name\_u]-uh. [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f] is my preference. ---
**Author:** ![saigexo](https://forum.nameberry.com/letter_avatar/saigexo/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@saigexo](https://forum.nameberry.com/u/saigexo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245/21 "2014-11-01T19:30:22Z")
I prefer [name\_f]Lia[/name\_f]. I’ve never met someone with this spelling, and I think it is much prettier than the other two. [Next page](https://forum.nameberry.com/t/which-spelling-is-best-leah-lia-or-lea/238245.md?page=2)