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Original poster

Cadhla

39 replies

mummanewness · 02/05/2020 23:30

I really like the name Cadhla but pronounced with a hard d, so it sounds like cad-la instead of kay-la. Is that weird?

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ZZPer · 06/05/2020 21:52

I agree with everyone else. Cadhla is pronounced KY-luh. It would be laughable to name your child Cadhla, pronounced Cadla. It would be like naming your child Pierre pronounced Peery or pronounced Dominique pronounced Domakoo. Ignorant and uncaring.

mathanxiety · 06/05/2020 19:41

Cad in Irish is more like 'cod', with a French D sound that English ears would not pick up. The name of a fish or alternatively a joke or hoax. A potential double whammy, in other words.

SunbathingDragon · 06/05/2020 19:37

Cad would be an awful abbreviation that bullies would pick up on.

mathanxiety · 06/05/2020 19:35

I know two Irish Cadhlas who are girls, one a teen and one aged 5. I suspect it is going the way of Laoise.

villainousbroodmare · 06/05/2020 18:37

Cadhla is KY-lah. Cadla is not a name but according to Irish pronunciation would be KOTH-lah (ish). Do you want the sound KAD-lah?

HarrietM87 · 06/05/2020 18:33

Yes it’s definitely pronounced Kyla. You just can’t pronounce it Cad-la...makes no sense at all with that spelling. It will confuse both Irish and English speakers alike.

CuppaZa · 06/05/2020 18:32

Not keen

Sparklypurpleunicornsaremyfav · 06/05/2020 18:30

I have Niamh. I'm English but my dad's roots are Irish. I have always loved the name but when my husband and I suggested possibly spelling the 'english' way, my dad was furious, like others have said if your going to do it, do it properly. We have had all the mangled pronunciations mentioned above, plus others but once people ask they never ask again.
Point being, if you want an Irish name, you have to be all in, if you prefer the phonetic sound, spell it that way

OchonAgusOchonO · 05/05/2020 12:02

@ Wheresthebiffer2 - How about calling the baby Kyla?
Or Caitlin?
or Katrina?
or Kate?

Or given that it's a boys' name, Cathal or Cadden or Cathán

DianaTrentIsBack · 03/05/2020 20:08

Sounds like an ointment for an irritating skin complaint.

tiredanddangerous · 03/05/2020 19:59

Cadi is a welsh girls name. People would have a better chance of pronouncing it.

emmathedilemma · 03/05/2020 19:48

I fear you're in Ireland and using the Irish spelling and pronunciation then go for it. Otherwise don't. Having to spell and pronounce for literally everyone, even people you've known for years can get really quite draining!

Wheresthebiffer2 · 03/05/2020 19:27

How about calling the baby Kyla?
Or Caitlin?
or Katrina?
or Kate?

MikeUniformMike · 03/05/2020 17:12

It's really weird, downright contrary actually, to take a name and mangle its pronunciation and then inflict it on a child. (pp mathanxiety)

I post often on Welsh name threads about this. It isn't generally appreciated. Why would you use a name from another language and mispronounce it?

Welsh pronunciations are difficult.

Cadog is fairly similar, as is Cadfan (CAD-van). Both are boys' names.

ShowOfHands · 03/05/2020 16:50

I know a Cadhla. It's definitely pronounced ky-la.

Pronouncing it with a hard d is ridiculous. Like calling a child Nicholas and pronouncing the ch or pronouncing penelope penny-lope. Why would you?

LotusClover · 03/05/2020 16:24

It really would be like pronouncing Niamh as "ny-am", or Caoimhe as "ca-o-ee-mah". You just can't change the way names are pronounced.

You could use the anglicised form, e.g. Niamh becomes Neve, Caoimhe becomes Keeva, and Cadhla becomes... I don't know... Kyla?

I'd just choose something different.

mathanxiety · 03/05/2020 08:02

It's pronounced Kyla.

It's really weird, downright contrary actually, to take a name and mangle its pronunciation and then inflict it on a child.

If you want 'Cad-la', spell it Cadla or Kadla.

Or maybe go for Clodagh....

ChandlerIsTheBestFriend · 03/05/2020 00:58

*medication

ChandlerIsTheBestFriend · 03/05/2020 00:58

Having had a vet quick google, Cadla appears to be the brand name of a mediation. Not sure if that affects your feelings on the name but thought you should know.

MrsEricBana · 03/05/2020 00:58

Much better to just have Cadla as others have said (tho sounds like Cadillac/cuddler) because people who aren't Irish may well be unsure how to pronounce as they might be with Aoife, Niamh etc

LizzieAnt · 03/05/2020 00:57

Yes, the adh letter combination in the middle of a word in Irish (also seen in the name Tadhg) is pronounced something like a long i in English. Thus Kyla. I'd spell the name differently to get the pronunciation you want OP.

pallisers · 03/05/2020 00:39

If you pronounce the d it won't be the Irish name Cadhla. It will be a name you made up (nice one though). Cadhla in Irish cannot be pronounced with a hard d.

Anoisagusaris · 03/05/2020 00:30

I would know how to pronounce it correctly in Irish.

If you want to call your child Cadla in English call it Cadla. In neither Irish nor English is Cadhla pronounced Cadla.

DramaAlpaca · 03/05/2020 00:29

It being an unusual name isn't the point. OP is thinking of using a name from a different language but pronouncing it in a completely incorrect way, changing it to how she wants it to sound. It just looks a bit, well, daft is the kindest word I can think of. Glad some Irish speakers have come along to explain the correct way to say it.

LizzieAnt · 03/05/2020 00:28

I'd stick with the original pronunciation if you're going to use it. It's not commonly used in Ireland as a first name now, but is an old name in the Irish language. I've only come across it as a surname. The dh isn't pronounced.

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