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Baby names

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What is THE pronunciation of Anaïs?

116 replies

papit · 04/08/2019 09:56

I’ve heard:
Anay
Anayse / Anayze
An-eye-eez
An-ice

Feeling vv confused - pls help!

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NottonightJosepheen · 04/08/2019 23:52

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NottonightJosepheen · 04/08/2019 23:51

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TatianaLarina · 04/08/2019 23:29

I spoke French before I spoke English. I analysed the nuance of the pronunciation as far as I can. If you want to be a tit about it, that’s up to you.

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 04/08/2019 23:17

All the ones I know are Ann eye ees

NottonightJosepheen · 04/08/2019 23:14

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TatianaLarina · 04/08/2019 23:11

Well yes. I refer you to my posts, which unsurprisingly I’ve read.

Branleuse · 04/08/2019 23:07
Branleuse · 04/08/2019 23:05

An-aye-ees, but if you've got an english accent you can get away with Anayss

NottonightJosepheen · 04/08/2019 23:02

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TatianaLarina · 04/08/2019 22:57

Sorry, I think you are backtracking as you mispronounced it, as seen above!

?? Have you read the thread?

Jesslequest · 04/08/2019 22:42

My daughter is named Anais, after my husbands french grandmother Claudette Anais. We pronounce it An ay !!! As did she !! ( think I’ll take her word for the pronunciation, although I have heard different versions.)
To be fair I haven’t encountered many people that have had a problem pronouncing her name , although most people assume wrongly she’s named after the perfume Anais Anais ( pronounced an ay , an ay ) but at least they say it as we do.
We obviously think it’s the most beautiful name in the world.

camelfinger · 04/08/2019 22:25

The perfume advert with Kate Moss in sounds like Anayse to me. If I encountered an Anais in real life I would try to avoid having to say it out loud.

NottonightJosepheen · 04/08/2019 22:24

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NottonightJosepheen · 04/08/2019 22:22

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HarveySchlumpfenburger · 04/08/2019 22:10

Yes, that’s exactly it, Tatiana. I think it’s one of those names you have to say ‘in French’ IYKWIM. I’m not sure I’d use it in the UK. I think the different pronunciation would get tiresome quite quickly.

SmiledWithTheRisingSun · 04/08/2019 22:08

Just click on one of the pronounciation links OP 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

TatianaLarina · 04/08/2019 22:03

I agree with your posts sagrada I was responding to Josepheen

The British ‘a’ in Anna is pronounced er or uh. The French is more aa or ah (but not ‘are).

Sagradafamiliar · 04/08/2019 21:52

I don't know why anyone would say anner-ees when it does need to be anna-ees. With the 'anna' being very precise: 'A-na'. Being French I was just trying to find a way to explain it, Im always being schooled in my own language on these threads.

MumUndone · 04/08/2019 21:18

I would say An-ay-ees.

But DS1 goes to school with one who is pronounced An-ay.

TatianaLarina · 04/08/2019 21:07

The French ‘a’ sound is more open than the English ‘a’ which sounds more like er. When you say an open French a followed by ees it produces the slight ‘eye’ sound.

If you say Anna ees with an English accent it sounds like Anner ees, (without pronouncing the r) which doesn’t have enough lift on the middle syllable.

I’m part French myself.

Sagradafamiliar · 04/08/2019 20:25

I dunno..Anaïs is like Anna-eess and naïve is like na-eev
They are quite similar thanks to the distinctive sounding 'ï'

Poetryinaction · 04/08/2019 20:08

Funny, I thought it was An ay iss.

sheshootssheimplores · 04/08/2019 20:08

God it’s a terrible name.

MyDcAreMarvel · 04/08/2019 20:07

An eh ass

bananasandwicheseveryday · 04/08/2019 20:04

Surely it depends on how the parents pronounce it? I know two - one pronounces it the way I remember it from the perfume adverts, An-eye-eess whereas the other pronounces it An-ay.

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