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Baby names

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

Original poster

Bea

54 replies

Leeloo1233 · 22/09/2021 15:59

How would you pronounce this name? I guess I'm worried that people will pronounce it like "bee" or is it obvious?

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RiotAtTheRodeo · 22/09/2021 20:38

@Elisemum

It IS pronounced as BEE… I can’t see any other option. I see you want it pronounced as Bay like Beyoncé? Nah it’s not a good idea, sorry. Nice as a NN but not as a full name
Bey for Beyoncé is pronounced bee not bay.
Whitewolf2 · 22/09/2021 21:07

I knew a Bea at work, pronounced Bee-a, that’s how everyone said it so I never considered how else to pronounce it! She was German.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 22/09/2021 21:14

I think because Beatrice is pretty popular in the UK now, there are a lot of girls with the nn Bea, pronounced as "Bee". So unfortunately you will often get the pronunciation here, until corrected.

NigellaSeed · 22/09/2021 21:17

It's Bee. Maybe just name them Bayah?

Birchwoods · 22/09/2021 21:27

I'd pronounce it as Bee, short for Beatrice.

Flufferty · 22/09/2021 21:30

Bee

londongirl2701 · 22/09/2021 21:34

Pronounced like "Bee" I love the spelling Beatriz so pretty

Beamur · 22/09/2021 21:35

I like this name Wink
In the UK the default pronunciation would be Bee.
In Europe (France, Germany, etc) it would quite probably be Bay-ah
Either is delightful.

CoalCraft · 22/09/2021 21:55

I would say 'bee-uh'. I discourage this as a nickname for DD (Beatrix) because in my accent it's indistinguishable from 'beer', and that's not great. I call her Bee.

TatianaBis · 22/09/2021 21:58

@Leeloo1233

Ok, I would have pronounced it Bay-a but I'm French. So confusing with these names eg. Bea and Lea, but Thea is not "thee" right?
English is so irregular

I would have pronounce it Baya if it had an acute on the e. That would have indicated it was French.

Geamhradh · 22/09/2021 22:31

@Needaholiday101

We know a Bea and hers is pronounced BayA
That's also how it's pronounced here in Italy. Nickname for Beatrice obvs.
manhattenrain · 22/09/2021 23:30

Bee

Id also assume it was short for Beatrix / Beatrice

Blubells · 23/09/2021 06:57

I know a Beate who's nickname is Bea (Be-ah)

MumofSpud · 23/09/2021 07:08

I love this - BEA as a 'full' name- pronounced 'Bee'

Gorl · 23/09/2021 08:07

I think everyone in the U.K. will assume it’s pronounced Bee. I’ve never heard it any other way. Your suggested pronunciation is very pretty though!

LizzieAnt · 23/09/2021 09:18

Thank you OP! I have never been sure of the pronunciation of Bea. I'm in Ireland and the name is rarer here. I suspected Bee (like tea, sea etc), but the letter combination Bea is pronounced as Bee-ah within the name Beatrice/Beatrix itself (at least in Ireland and the UK) so I've never been certain Smile.

user147856 · 23/09/2021 10:49

I am clearly in the minority who might say 'bee-a'.
It is not that stupid since the full name Beatrice starts with a 'bee-a' sound. It's not 'bee-trice' but 'bee-a-trice'.
Also I would expect Bee for a 'bee sound'.
Can see most disagree though.

RuthW · 23/09/2021 12:19

Be- short for Beatrice

RuthW · 23/09/2021 12:20

@Blubells

I'd pronounce Bea as Beh-a like Lea
I would say Lea as Lee
Peccary · 23/09/2021 14:30

I only see Baya because I work with one, short for Beatriz (she's Spanish)

Blubells · 23/09/2021 16:40

Be- short for Beatrice

But isn't Beatrice pronounced Be ah triss?

So Bea is Be -ah?

Beamur · 23/09/2021 19:24

Beer-triss
Or sometimes Beet-triss
Rarely Bay-a-trice

Pemba · 24/09/2021 01:03

Beatrice is baya - trees in France though, a much prettier pronunciation than the English beer-triss. It might be similar in Italy and Spain?

That's why a continental Bea will be Baya, not Bee as in the UK.

loosestrife · 24/09/2021 04:12

The only people I know who with that name are French- and Spanish-speaking, so for them it's Bey-a and the French one spells it Béa.

Beamur · 24/09/2021 06:49

I know several English Beatrice's. In West Yorkshire, hence Beet-ris 😄 it's perhaps not the prettiest pronunciation!