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Original poster

How would you pronounce Helena?

138 replies

Zippetydoodahzippetyay · 27/10/2019 06:26

I love the name Helena but not sure if people would pronounce it the way I prefer it.

Would you pronounce it:

  1. Heh-lay-na
  2. Helen-a
  3. Hel-ee-na?
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Mumofone1962 · 27/10/2019 14:38

Hel-ay-na is how the girl I know pronounces her name :)

EmmaC78 · 27/10/2019 14:34

I would pronounce it as option 1 but the only Helena I know goes with the second pronounciation.

IWorkAtTheCheescakeFactory · 27/10/2019 14:34

Ha lee na

Janleverton · 27/10/2019 14:33

2

IreneWinters · 27/10/2019 14:31

My DD is a Helen-a. She sometimes gets asked which way it’s pronounced, and it doesn’t bother her at all if people get it wrong. I think she quite likes that her name has different variations. She’ll also happily answer to nicknames. The usual one is Lena (We pronounce it Lay-na for some reason!) but also Nell, Lil (a combination of her first and middle name) or Layla (because her sister couldn’t pronounce it as a toddler).

bonbonours · 27/10/2019 14:22

I've heard 1 and 2 but never 3.
Personally I deliberately avoided any name where there were different possibilities for pronunciation or spelling as I grew up with a Lynsey for a best friend and it drove her round the bend explaining it all the time, I think people saying it wrong would be worse than spelling it wrong. I vetoed my husband's favourite name Kathryn for this reason.

SlideyFuckers · 27/10/2019 14:22
  1. Helen-a

I know 2 and they both pn it like that. I think Helena Bonham Carter does too.

bekindtome · 27/10/2019 14:17

I would say 1 unless told otherwise.

MamaFlintstone · 27/10/2019 14:15

2

Onceuponatimethen · 27/10/2019 14:10

Pronunciation 1 but I say it more as

Helen-uh with the uh being very light

bridgetreilly · 27/10/2019 14:06
  1. for the place name.
  1. only if I had been told that was the preferred pronunciation.
IHaveBrilloHair · 27/10/2019 14:04

Helen-a.
It's my middle name.

cstaff · 27/10/2019 14:00

No. 3 is how my mam pronounces her name although she is mostly called Lena now. She's irish btw.

Original poster
Zippetydoodahzippetyay · 27/10/2019 13:41

Just occurred to me that there is a Helena Valley (pronounced Hel-ee-na) near where my husband grew up. That might explain number 3.

OP posts:
Mummyshark2018 · 27/10/2019 13:40

2

Original poster
Zippetydoodahzippetyay · 27/10/2019 13:37

@happytoday73 oh how interesting, I didn't know about the Polish version. My husband's mum was Polish.

OP posts:
MikeUniformMike · 27/10/2019 13:36
  1. Helen-a
LilouBlue · 27/10/2019 13:28

Helen-a, as the only one I know of is Helena Bonham Carter, and that's how she pronounces it. Obviously if you introduced yourself/your child to me with a different pronunciation I would use that, but on just seeing it written down I'd go with Helen-a.

CarolDanvers · 27/10/2019 13:27

However the person with that name asked me to but I prefer 2. Helen-a.

Bourbonbiccy · 27/10/2019 13:26

I would pronounce it number 3, and I think it's lovely

itsabongthing · 27/10/2019 13:25

I would ask because I would think that 1 and 2 are common pronunciations. 3 wouldn’t occur to me!

happytoday73 · 27/10/2019 13:25
  1. It's a gorgeous name.
But I slightly prefer the Polish spelling Halina... Pronounced as it's spelt.
MyDcAreMarvel · 27/10/2019 13:23

2

OverByYer · 27/10/2019 13:22

1

CravingCheese · 27/10/2019 13:20

2 Helen-a.
or Hele-na/Hele-nuh.

Number 1 is also a logical choice imo. Number 3 however seems extremely strange to me...

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