Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

How would you pronounce Dahlia?

182 replies

Whatsinagirlsname · 23/06/2019 16:43

I love this as a girl's name, but in pronunciation I prefer "Dar Lee uh" to "Day Lee uh". Do you think this would cause too much confusion?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
flowery · 25/06/2019 14:47

”This dar/dah-type thing comes up all the time on here. To anyone with a non-rhotic accent (including most English-speakers from England), dar and dah sound totally and utterly identical!”

I know, and the way some people go on all disingenuously saying “oh but so-and-so word hasn’t got an r in it” you’d think they’d never heard a non-rhotic accent in their life.

It’s clearer to use ‘ah’ when describing pronunciation, rather than ‘ar’, obviously. But it takes no imagination at all when someone is describing how they pronounce Dahlia to work out that when they write dar it is because in their (very common, on telly all the time, not at all unheard-of) accent, the two sounds are interchangeable.

SoupDragon · 25/06/2019 14:46

Dah is like Ah

Dar is like Star.

Both are exactly the same.

You pronounce the R.

No I don't. Because I don't have a rhotic accent.

Fullmoons · 25/06/2019 14:16

If Dah isn’t Dar then what is it?

Dah is like Ah

Dar is like Star. You pronounce the R.

Fullmoons · 25/06/2019 14:15

The way it's written: Dahl i a.

The Dahl is like Ronald Dahl

PlatypusPie · 25/06/2019 12:51

I know a Dahlia ( adult) - pronounced Day lee uh. She’s very unflowery as person both visually and personality !

lazylinguist · 25/06/2019 12:43

This dar/dah-type thing comes up all the time on here. To anyone with a non-rhotic accent (including most English-speakers from England), dar and dah sound totally and utterly identical!

SweatyArseCheeks · 24/06/2019 22:06

People with non-rhotic accents - dar
People with rhotic accents - dah

Ohyesiam · 24/06/2019 22:03

If Dah isn’t Dar then what is it?

I think people think Dah as in ah, a sighing sound, and Dar like a pirate,
Argh me hearties.

TotallyBamboozled · 24/06/2019 21:54

I'm Scottish and wouldn't say either of your options. I would pronounce it Dah-Lee-Uh

womaninthedark · 24/06/2019 21:12

Dah lee uh always

AbbyHammond · 24/06/2019 21:08

I'd pronounce a person's name Dar-lia and the flower Day-lia.

SweatyArseCheeks · 24/06/2019 21:04

Day-lia (as in Aunt Dahlia) - UK

Dah-lia - American

The Black Dahlia connection would be enough to put me off.

Polkadotpolly · 24/06/2019 18:44

Day-lia

RockinHippy · 24/06/2019 01:39

Dahl yah

Shadow1234 · 24/06/2019 01:17

Day-lee-a

WeeWeed · 24/06/2019 01:07

I would say Dale Yee Ah
My Mum says Deal Ya

NeverSayFreelance · 23/06/2019 23:07

I think of the Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short -so Dah-lee-a. Didn't actually know the flower wasn't pronounced that way in Britain. I've only ever heard it in reference to Ms Short.

lazylinguist · 23/06/2019 22:59

Yes! Dah-lee-a ... as the flower, day-lee-a is just wrong!

But it isn't wrong. The English pronunciation of the flower is day-lee-a, regardless of the name Dahl. You might argue that the pronunciation adopted in English should have been dah-lee-a. But it wasn't and isn't.

AuntieStella · 23/06/2019 21:32

Day-lee-a. Like the flower, and the brilliant Jeeves and Wooster.

I'd spell Dah-lee-a/Dal-ya as Dalia (a lovely Arabic name)

needsomesleepy · 23/06/2019 21:27

This thread is a fabulous example of why this name should not be given to a person.

concernedforthefuture · 23/06/2019 21:21

Day-Lee-Ah

redspider1 · 23/06/2019 21:20

Like the flower-daylia .

ShakespearesFister · 23/06/2019 21:19

All you actually need is 10 seconds with a dictionary. Or Google.

Sorry, but if I met a Dahlia (pronounced Dah-lee-uh) then my first thought would be, "Poor kid, her parents named her Dahlia but didn't know how to pronounce it."

AverageMummy · 23/06/2019 21:09

February
Wednesday
Colonel
Asthma

All weird words

AverageMummy · 23/06/2019 21:03

@Laniakea but that’s just not how the flower is pronounced (even a horticulturist has piped up to confirm it’s day. Not liking the logic of English language is one thing but you can’t just decide it’s wrong because it’s illogical.

How do you pronounce ‘Thought’ or ‘Two’ ?