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Baby names

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

Original poster

Alethea

34 replies

purplepanthers · 21/08/2019 15:48

This is mine and DH favourite favourite name for our baby girl due mid October.
It is pronounced Alay-Thea and I just love it.
I think you are all going to hate it but come on, give me your thoughts

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TheYeaSayer · 22/08/2019 10:35

I don't like it: it makes me think Alicia with a lisp!

AlliKaneErikson · 22/08/2019 04:16

I also know two Aletheas and both pronounce it A-lee-Thea. Lovely name.

HoratioNightboy · 22/08/2019 01:46

I know an adult one, named by her Spanish mother, and pronounced a-LEE-thee-a. Known as Leethy (don't know how she spells this but that's how it sounds!).

I'm not sure what spelling would get you the "ay" sound you're after that also looks natural though. The "ei" option a PP suggested would look like an EE sound to me. And "ay" or "ai" would make me wonder if it should sound like EYE.

JoanieCash · 21/08/2019 22:15

We have one at my dc’s school. She’s a lovely girl and there’s been no problems with people pronouncing it (as far as I know)! She’s known by her full name, not abbreviated.

SallyWD · 21/08/2019 22:12

I like it. It's a lovely name but I prefer Althea.

NannyR · 21/08/2019 22:11

I know a little girl called this but her parents pronounce it al-ee-thea. I prefer Althea, the spelling looks nicer and it's easier to say, Alethea sounds quite "lispy".

NameChange84 · 21/08/2019 22:09

Alathea would be Al- a (as in Apple)-Thea

Alaythea or Alaithea could make the sound you want. Or maybe Aleithea? Alaythea would probably be the best bet...

Where did you hear it as Al-ay-Thea? Are you perhaps in a country where that would be the accepted pronunciation?

31RueCambon · 21/08/2019 22:05

Prefer Althea.
I would promounce Alethea alleh thea

Sophronia · 21/08/2019 22:00

I always thought it was a-LEE-thee-a

mistermagpie · 21/08/2019 22:00

I don't like it to be honest, I accept it's a legitimate name but it just doesn't sound right to me. Saying that, if you like it go for it but with that spelling she will end up being al-eeee-thea for sure. To get the sound you want you'd need to spell it Alaithea or something?

Becles · 21/08/2019 21:56

Love the name

DuchessOfDukeStreet · 21/08/2019 21:52

I'd assume Alethea was A-lee-thea, and I'm northern so Alathea would be Al-a-thea, to rhyme with cat. I'm not sure you'd automatically get Alay-thea out of Alethea but if you don't mind telling people over and over...

Skyejuly · 21/08/2019 21:47

I used to think it sounded like a lisp too

AverageMummy · 21/08/2019 21:42

I quite like it - would have guessed the pronunciation wrong though (eeethea)
I think the nicknames Thea & Ally are both sweet

RezCowgirl · 21/08/2019 21:42

Colleague at work has a daughter named Alethea. Lovely name Smile

Original poster
purplepanthers · 21/08/2019 21:39

I much prefer the lay rather than lee pronunciation, so if I were to use it would you spell it Alathea?

OP posts:
Ellmau · 21/08/2019 21:03

It's a lovely name.

WildCherryBlossom · 21/08/2019 19:17

It is a pretty name. However I would be wary. I met a little girl with this name at speech & language therapy sessions. She had difficulty forming a number of sounds and her name sounded like a terrible lisp. I'm fairly sure lots of people assumed she was mispronouncing the name Alicia when she introduced herself.

Pipandmum · 21/08/2019 18:52

She’s going to be forever correcting peoples pronunciation of her name.

PuffHuffle5 · 21/08/2019 18:47

When you hear it like that it sounds like a Spanish pronounciation of Alicia.

NameChange84 · 21/08/2019 18:45

That’s how the Aletheas I know pronounce it except they are from the UK not American!

PuffHuffle5 · 21/08/2019 18:44

Yeah to be be honest when I first looked at it I did think it looked like it should be pronounced ‘Al-ee-thee-uh’ - not sure how you got ‘ay’ from the ‘e’. I think you’re right though, it’s the ‘th’ that makes it a bit of a mouthful as it’s also quite unfamiliar - but the more you say it the better it sounds really, I reckon it will grow on people. If you really like it, go for it.

Westfacing · 21/08/2019 18:36

In the 1960s I had a classmate called Alethea, pronounced Aleethea. This was rather unusual for an inner city secondary modern where we all Susan, Jean, Linda, Janet, etc!

One rather posh teacher insisted on pronouncing it Althea.

I think it's a nice name.

Skyejuly · 21/08/2019 18:34

I know one first letter I though!