people pronouncing my baby's name the way I dont

I'm not generally a fan of creative spelling, but if you like this spelling then go ahead. It's certainly not the most bizarre spelling I've ever seen, it's just slightly unusual. Be prepared for constantly having to correct people though.

I have a name that is not wildly unusual but has at least three possible pronunciations. I answer to all of them. It's also close to another name (if you transpose two letters) so I get called that a lot as well. I do correct people if they use the wrong name but if they just opt for one of the other possible pronunciations I usually can't be bothered to correct them. As she grows up, Elle may decide she'll answer as easily to "El" as to "Ellie."

And congratulations!

OP I don't think it's about people judging you, it's just that most don't get where you are coming from regarding your idea of pronunciation.

Don't take it personally.

The good news is it should be easy to change the spelling at this stage, as your dd is only 2 weeks old op. Obviously you don't have to, but the fact that you were worried enough to post suggests you aren't completely happy with it. You could also send an email or Facebook update to tell people you decided to add an extra i
I'm sure no one will think anything of it. Congratulations on your new baby.

I agree with the others I'm afraid.

Your DD will face the burden of having a lifetime of having to correct everyone. A real pain.
You can't change the world/

Most people will pronounce Elle as "ell"

It's a bit like insisting that Belle should be pronounced Belly.

You are swimming upstream.

You are entirely free, of course, to call your child anything at all and spell it however you like. All I can do is tell you, from my own experience, how deeply, desperately tedious it is to have a name that is pronounced differently to the obvious pronunciation when you see it written down. I've spent all 42 years of my life correcting people - it's the first conversation I have with pretty much everyone - and by God it's tedious. Do you really want that for your child? My mother says, isn't it nice to be different. But no, it really isn't. This kind of 'different' is ridiculous and unnecessary.

Totally agree with having to correct people re your name. My surname is very unusual and 4 syllables long. It's obviously foreign but people don't generally have a problem until they see it written down. Syllable three us pronounced "gof" but written "gow". And the minute people see it written down they instantly change how they say it!

I predict Elle-pronounced-Ellie may have the same problem.

X post, sir C.

SirChen,you reversed my situation.

Unfortunately if you lumber your child with a name which is pronounced differently to the perceived norm you have to suck it up. She is going to spend her whole life correcting people to your way of saying it so you'd better get used to it.

That's all she can do - explain and explain and explain, over and over again, every time she meets someone new, and her DD will spend the next 80-odd years doing the same. Having spent the last 20 years explaining how to spell my surname after I changed when I got married, I can confirm it's a royal PITA - sometimes I wonder why I bothered.

I teach a child with this spelling (Elle) and this pronunciation (Ellie) and also have a pupil 'Ellie' but hers is spelled Eli.

On the first occasion I did say the wrong pronunciations - 'El' and 'Ee-ligh' (with latter I had assumed a boy)

However once the children told me their names I remember thereafter.

This will always be the case when you choose the less common name or pronunciation. So long as people learn and correct themselves subsequently it's fine IMO. To keep saying it wrong after being told is rude.

It's all very well for the OP to stick to her guns Idefix but it's her poor dd who has to live with the consequences and a lifetime of raising her eyebrows and correcting people.

My DC have names that cause issues for different reasons, DS has a name that is pronounced differently in uk compared to where we live, Germany. It irks my DH but DS and I don't find it a problem. Dd has a name that totally foxes many Germans as ph sound is spelt using an f. Mention Friends or Charmed and on the whole they get it :)
Would stick to your guns OP, just learn to smile say it is pronounce Ellie.

SirChenjini is making the same point 99.9% of poster have zippey

I do not speak bollocks. You may disagree with what I say, but that doesn't make it bollocks. Although given your grasp of what unique actually means I'm not sure you'll able to get that either.

Elle pronounced Ellie is a bit like Psmith in reverse, isn't it? Of course 99.9% of people will see Elle and say El. You'd have to be a bit perverse to see Elle and say Ellie if you live in the UK.

Surely the easiest thing is to acknowledge her given name is Elle and call her Ellie as a nickname? That way at least she has a choice later on.

You can't add the little dots (diaeresis) as they indicate that two vowels are pronounced separately, but there aren't two vowels at the end of Elle. They used to be used on other words - like coöperate.

SirChenjin, you are of course speaking bollocks.

OP change the name if you want to, but don't do it because MN is telling you to. Its your child, your decision.

It's not unique - it's a name which is spelt one way but pronounced a completely different way. Like calling someone Kate and telling everyone it's pronounced Catty. That doesn't make it unique, that makes it wrong.

OP,do change your baby's Elle spelling,to Ellie. I had to grow up with a surname that I had to spell for everyone. I jumped at the chance to take DH's name,which is obviously what Amal Clooney has done

Yes you could add the little dots and spell it Ell.

I think its a nice name, so what if people mis-pronounce it? Its unique.

Elle is El
Ellie is El-ie

If you wanted people to call your dd Ellie then you should have called her Ellie.

ZenNudist sing 'Bette Davis Eyes' by Kim Carnes in your head .