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Baby names

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Original poster

Yelena?

62 replies

NatMoz · 24/10/2021 20:40

If you are British or from an English speaking nation, how would you pronounce this name?

Trying to think of names that won't cause a lifetime of drama in England. In my head this name is pronounced how it's spelt, similar to its sister name Elena (el-en-ah) but I've also heard Elena pronounced in other wacky ways including the English Eleanor and wondered if Yelena would share the same fate?

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SoupDragon · 25/10/2021 10:03

English is not a phonetic language (definition of phonetic: to represent each speech sound with a single written symbol).

Phew! Thank goodness someone who isn't English has been along to point that out to us!

EileenGC · 25/10/2021 09:37

People like to add sounds when pronouncing names in English.

It's Ye-LEH-na. No AY in the middle, that's adding a sound that's not even in the spelling itself.

Elena in Spanish is Eh-LEH-na, not Eh-LAY-na like some people are trying to 'confirm'.

Most Slavic and Romance languages (French not included) read phonetically - letter by letter instead of adding random vowels all over the place.

Source: I am Spanish, have a vowel-heavy name that gets butchered by every single English-speaking person I know, and one of my mother tongues is also a Slavic language, so I know how hugely different are names pronounced in the UK.

It's like Amelia and Melinda. Ah-mee-lia and Meh-lin-da. Both have the 'me' particle, but are pronounced differently due to different syllable positions. English is not a phonetic language (definition of phonetic: to represent each speech sound with a single written symbol).

Mumoftwoinprimary · 25/10/2021 09:04

I would pronounce Yelana and Yel- ay- a.

It’s a very pretty name.

I would go for Alexandra though personally. But that is because I adore the name. It was my choice for “Ds if he was a girl”.

Lots of nice shortenings too - Ally, Alex, Alexa, Lexi, Sandy.

Mumoftwoinprimary · 25/10/2021 09:01

@MyCatHatesWhiskas

Yel-AY-na. Russian-style. Am very familiar with it though!

This is not a name that is consistently recognised, pronounced or spelled the same way in the U.K.

Ditto many other variants of related names. I know someone who has an Elena (to me, this is pronounced El-AY-na, Spanish style), renounced Eleanor as she “liked to spell it a bit differently”.Hmm

To be fair, my friend has an Isaac, which you’d think was a one-option name for spelling, and he gets Issac all the time and even got Isacc the other week.Hmm.

Isaac is one that I have to think about every time I write it. Even though I really like the name.

I think it is because aa is not really used in English whilst ss is a very common pairing. I know there is a “double” in there. So my brain immediately goes to use the double s.

SoupDragon · 25/10/2021 09:00

I love the name but think Jelena is the best spelling.

Even though I know it's not, my brain tells me that's with a J like Jelly.

Amdone123 · 25/10/2021 08:58

@SweetBabyCheeses99, I thought exactly the same. Big tennis fan here too ! ( also...kath n Kim?!)
I love the name but think Jelena is the best spelling.

SoupDragon · 25/10/2021 08:58

I'd pronounce it Ye LAY na. I'd also pronounce Elena El AY na

Helena would be either HELenna or HeLAYna. There are two different usual pronunciations of this.

Chunkymenrock · 25/10/2021 08:53

Yeh-lay-nah

WhoppingBigBackside · 25/10/2021 08:52

Yel-yay-na

Chilldonaldchill · 25/10/2021 07:33

Yel AY na

Original poster
NatMoz · 25/10/2021 06:47

This is our first (and only baby probably) husband is English but baby will have my (foreign) surname as a middle name. I don't really like double barrel. Another name we liked was Alexandra which I know English people wouldn't struggle with.

I do like Yelena/Elena but was worried about mispronunciation of it being Eleanor/Yeleanor

Ps we don't know the sex but I want to be prepared and baby is due to be born in 7 weeks argh!

OP posts:
Kanaloa · 25/10/2021 06:34

I think that’s okay - I just meant I would find it out if, for example, my sil suddenly named her child Yelena when her other kids are names like Olivia, Thomas etc. It would be a bit out of place.

But yes I’d pronounce it like Yelena Belova. So Yeh-Lay-nuh, but quite a ‘soft’ y.

Original poster
NatMoz · 25/10/2021 06:30

@Kanaloa

And I would find it a bit odd if it was someone with only British heritage - I would presume a Yelena was Russian or similar.
My family are Ukrainian but I live in England
OP posts:
Kanaloa · 25/10/2021 04:56

And I would find it a bit odd if it was someone with only British heritage - I would presume a Yelena was Russian or similar.

Kanaloa · 25/10/2021 04:56

I would pronounce it like the character from the Black Widow movie.

mathanxiety · 25/10/2021 04:47

Yeh-LAY-na

Nothing like Alanna

HeronLanyon · 24/10/2021 22:10

op your q of me
So you would say it similar to the name Alanna?

No my mistake in trying to show how I pronounce it.

Ye-LAY-na.

Original poster
NatMoz · 24/10/2021 21:39

@Buttons294749

I've only ever seen it written jelena and pronounced as such with "y" sound, fun fact this is gigi hadid's real name!
That is an interesting fact! I had no idea
OP posts:
tigerinyourtank · 24/10/2021 21:39

I’d pronounce it as per the Black Widow film because my teen is marvel obsessed and taught me to.

Snugglemuffin · 24/10/2021 21:36

Yel-AY-nah

Buttons294749 · 24/10/2021 21:22

I've only ever seen it written jelena and pronounced as such with "y" sound, fun fact this is gigi hadid's real name!

Thepennysjustdropped · 24/10/2021 21:15

Yell-AY-na

Mamacita191 · 24/10/2021 21:09

I said it like ye-lee-na (how you would say Selena)

MyCatHatesWhiskas · 24/10/2021 21:00

Yel-AY-na. Russian-style. Am very familiar with it though!

This is not a name that is consistently recognised, pronounced or spelled the same way in the U.K.

Ditto many other variants of related names. I know someone who has an Elena (to me, this is pronounced El-AY-na, Spanish style), renounced Eleanor as she “liked to spell it a bit differently”.Hmm

To be fair, my friend has an Isaac, which you’d think was a one-option name for spelling, and he gets Issac all the time and even got Isacc the other week.Hmm.

Redcart21 · 24/10/2021 20:59

Yell-eh-na