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Baby names

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Original poster

How would you pronounce Selah?

84 replies

Flutterflybutterby · 14/01/2022 11:08

A biblical word, the meaning of which is not certain but it's thought to be a musical instruction meaning "to pause; reflect on God". It is quite a well-known name in American Christian communities (I know 4 baby Selahs!) but I assume fairly rare in the UK.

My question is, how would you pronounce this name? The Selahs I know pronounce it differently. Also, do you know any baby Selahs? If so, how do they say the name?

Lastly, do you like it? What sort of middle name do you think goes with it? Two of the Selahs I know have long, classic middle names (think Catherine, Elizabeth type names) and the other two short, snappy, one syllable, cool middle names. What would you choose?

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Gardeningtipsneeded · 14/01/2022 12:06

Seh-La, emphasis on second syllable

dalrympy · 14/01/2022 12:01

Cellar. Or seller. Both the same.

KirstenBlest · 14/01/2022 11:59

Seelah

XiCi · 14/01/2022 11:58

@Thegirlhasnamechanged

I’d probably pronounce it like Cellar until otherwise corrected 😅
Yep, me too
TheHairyDinosaur · 14/01/2022 11:56

Sa-La (sa as in the start of Sarah and La and in the start of Lapland)

Or

Just say Cellar in a Welsh accent. 😂

Fivebeanchilli · 14/01/2022 11:54

I know one in the UK. They are Christians. They pronounce it SAY - luh.

hivemindneeded · 14/01/2022 11:52

It's a tricky one. In UK people are either going to pronounce it seller or sailor, neither of which works as a girl's name.

See-luh or See-lah or Seh-LAH would work better.

Aderyn21 · 14/01/2022 11:51

Instinctively I would have said seeluh. But all the other pronunciations are equally 'right' too, so you are going to always have to tell people how to pronounce it, if you chose it. I like it though - really unusual in the UK I think snd all pronunciations are pretty sounding.

BillyBarryBoo · 14/01/2022 11:49

Sell - ah

DinaofCloud9 · 14/01/2022 11:49

Id think it was Sell-uh

110APiccadilly · 14/01/2022 11:46

See-lah. I'm a Christian and while I've never met anyone who's called it, I've heard it read many times (it crops up a lot in Psalms) and it's always been pronounced like that.

ShinyPikachu · 14/01/2022 11:43

I've only heard it pronounced as SEE-lah.

DixiePeach · 14/01/2022 11:42

Yes they are in UK but not originally from uk and they are practicing Christians.

mrsm43s · 14/01/2022 11:41

I've never heard of it, and I would have pronounced it like Cellar.

I don't really like it tbh. Don't think Say - luh (Sailor?) or See-luh are particularly nice sounds.

Maybe Cilla as an alternative?

steppemum · 14/01/2022 11:40

or maybe better to say

se - LLAH

as I wouldn't roll the r on the end

steppemum · 14/01/2022 11:40

sellar, but with the stress on the second syllable.

se-LLAR

(I am a Christian, don't know any kids called selah, but that it how we pronounce it if reading Psalms aloud)

FindingMeno · 14/01/2022 11:34

See-lar

MaizeAmaze · 14/01/2022 11:33

Seller.
Never known one tho.

UpThe · 14/01/2022 11:22

Cellar. As in ‘she was locked in the cellar’.

ineedsun · 14/01/2022 11:21

@TheSpiral

Seller, if I had never heard it pronounced otherwise (which I haven't, I don't know any).
Oh yeah 😂😂 why didn’t I think of that instead of the convoluted explanation I gave 🤦🏼‍♀️
AuntieStella · 14/01/2022 11:17

Sell-a (like Selma without the m)

I'm not a fan of names with multiple pronunciation, because I should inagine it gets very tiresome if you are having to explain life-long

ThirdElephant · 14/01/2022 11:16

@Thegirlhasnamechanged

I’d probably pronounce it like Cellar until otherwise corrected 😅
This
TheSpiral · 14/01/2022 11:16

Seller, if I had never heard it pronounced otherwise (which I haven't, I don't know any).

Nutrigrainygoodness · 14/01/2022 11:15

I agree with @Thegirlhasnamechanged

TeddyTonks · 14/01/2022 11:15

Sell-uh