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Original poster

Pronunciation of Eleanor

164 replies

SherbertLemons · 07/11/2021 00:39

Just that really.

How does everyone pronounce this name and what do you think of it?

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violetanemone · 07/11/2021 11:26

Ell-en-uh

I think Ell-en-OR is a more American or old fashioned way of saying it.

Both are valid and I am sure that people called Eleanor hear both regularly.

eveningbubble · 07/11/2021 11:21

I just googled and it seems Ellen-uh is the English version, Ellen-ore is American. Because the r is just thrown in for looks?

KatherineJaneway · 07/11/2021 11:17

Elle En Ore

TuftyMarmoset · 07/11/2021 11:15

EL-en-uh. I think it’s a nice name but I don’t like it being shortened to Ellie. I’d probably keep it to a middle name for that reason personally.

RaraRachael · 07/11/2021 11:15

VienneseWhirligig I think a lot of it down to regional accents. My mother had a friend called Charlotte which was pronounced Char-lit.

My friend is called Evelyn and where we live it's always pronounced with an Evv sound not Eve. It would be boring if everybody spoke the same Grin

Love your username btw!

eleanoreleanoreleanor · 07/11/2021 11:13

@Antiqueanniesmagiclanternshow

The beatles song eleanor rigby....sing that to yourself. That is how to pronounce it
I am an Eleanor and this is the usual pronunciation I get (and is how I would introduce myself)
PoppyMonth · 07/11/2021 11:10

Eleanor (to rhyme with snore) is awful

I agree. It ruins a nice name.

SecretKeeper1 · 07/11/2021 11:09

I just googled and it seems Ellen-uh is the English version, Ellen-ore is American. Generally.

SinoohXaenaHide · 07/11/2021 11:07

It's a great name.

Spelled Eleanor, I would pronounce it El-É™-nÉ™ where the vowel in the second two syllables is the neutral schwa É™ and all three syllables are about the same weight rather than any of them being stressed.

It can be spelled Elinore if you want the vowels to be pronounced more emphatically.

LolaSmiles · 07/11/2021 11:06

To be honest I would avoid choosing any name where you and your child will constantly be having battles with the rest of the world over pronunciation (or spelling)! That will very soon get exhausting and annoying
I agree, especially if you're someone who will get annoyed at people with different accents pronouncing it differently.

Most people seem to accept Naomi can be pronounced nigh-OH-me or nay-OH-me, but someone I knew pronounced it NAY-uh-me with the NAY very strong. They spent ages complaining that people didn't read 'Naomi' and instantly think NAYuhme.

ElftonWednesday · 07/11/2021 11:04

I don't mind, it differs with accents. I tend to say Elen-ore but my DM says Elen-uh. Just don't spell it Elena, perfectly lovely name but different from Eleanor!

SecretKeeper1 · 07/11/2021 11:03

Thank god I didn’t go with Eleanor (which I’ve never heard pronounced anything other than Eleanor Rigby). Eleanor (to rhyme with snore) is awful. I had no idea so many people would say it like that!!

VienneseWhirligig · 07/11/2021 11:03

@RaraRachael the Midlands like me? I say Ellen-a and Shar-luht. Unless specifically told that it's Ellen-OR or Shar-LOT.

Mind you, my niece is called Evelyn. Her (Yorkshire-born) mum says Eve-lyn, her dad says Ev-lyn.

Gingernaut · 07/11/2021 11:02

Ellen-ore

MurielSpriggs · 07/11/2021 11:01

@RaraRachael

Where do people come from who pronounce Charlotte as Shar-luht?
Originally from Hertfordshire.
Kokeshi123 · 07/11/2021 11:01

I've only ever heard "ELL-un-uh" (I do not have rhotic R in my accent. If a speaker did, I think it would be "ELL-un-ur")

MurielSpriggs · 07/11/2021 11:00

To be honest I would avoid choosing any name where you and your child will constantly be having battles with the rest of the world over pronunciation (or spelling)! That will very soon get exhausting and annoying.

WiseUpJanetWeiss · 07/11/2021 10:59

Have known 3 Eleanors and all pronounce it Ellen-a. One NW England, one Yorks and one Scottish. Eleanor Moritz the newsreader based in Manchester pronounces it the same.

RaraRachael · 07/11/2021 10:58

Where do people come from who pronounce Charlotte as Shar-luht?

PoppyMonth · 07/11/2021 10:55

It’s Ellen-ah. Pronouncing it Ellen-ore is weird. It would be like pronouncing Charlotte, Shar-lott as opposed to Shar-luht.

BamberGascoine · 07/11/2021 10:52

With my (rather common) regional accent I say Ellener but if someone very deliberately pronounces the Nor I tend to follow suit as it somehow feels a completely different name. Probably because I’m from the midlands and everyone else round here says the same as me and when someone pronounces it differently it stands out. I do think it’s just a dialect thing though rather than being right or wrong

potoforchids · 07/11/2021 10:52

@potoforchids

I'm in the NE of England and never heard the Elle-eh-NORE spelling until I moved to London. I thought it was really strange at first but both pronunciations sound all right to my ear now.
That should say pronunciation, not spelling Blush
RaraRachael · 07/11/2021 10:52

I'd say Ellin-or. I've never heard anybody put the nore sound on the end.

LolaSmiles · 07/11/2021 10:51

Elle-uh-neh / elle-un-ner

potoforchids · 07/11/2021 10:49

I'm in the NE of England and never heard the Elle-eh-NORE spelling until I moved to London. I thought it was really strange at first but both pronunciations sound all right to my ear now.

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