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Original poster

Elena pronunciation?

56 replies

JDF1611 · 17/03/2022 07:28

I wondered how people living in the UK (we're in London) most commonly pronounce this name?
Would you say
Eh Len a?
Or
E lay na?

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Frazzled2207 · 17/03/2022 20:20

@MistletoeMeadow

I know an Elena in London and her name is pronounced like Eleanor ie E-leh-nuh. Don’t really get why you’d spell it Elena and pronounce it Eleanor to be honest, but each to their own.
A friend who initially wanted to name her daughter Eleanor chose Elena because she wanted to avoid the -nor sound that many say, especially Scottish. Round here they would be pronounced broadly the same
FayCarew · 17/03/2022 12:17

El-en-uh, but in regions you might get El-ENN-a, or El-AYN-A

bluesky45 · 17/03/2022 11:53

Eh ley na, north west England. Lovely name.

ukborn · 17/03/2022 11:49

Eh lay na with the emphasis on the lay

Dustyblue · 17/03/2022 11:35

This thread makes me think of Zara Tindall's daughter Lena.

I read an article (sometime, somewhere) where she'd said she liked the name Elena, but realised her child's initial's would be ET. So she went with Lena.

Like others I'd pronounce Elena as El - le -NAH, but figured Lena probably isn't le-NAH. I have an aunt Lena, and she says Lee-na.

So... I think Lena Tindall would be a Lay-na. At a guess.

That didn't help did it?

ABitBesotted · 17/03/2022 11:23

Subvocalising, even.

ABitBesotted · 17/03/2022 11:23

I can't help subbocalising it as YelENna.

SundayTeatime · 17/03/2022 11:21

@JDF1611

Thanks everyone,

The pronunciation we want is Eh-lay-na (with the E rather than an A at the beginning)

I just want the spelling which is going to be easiest and most widely recognised for her. I'm still very torn between Elena and Elaina. We're not keen on Elayna.

But Eh is an A sound at the beginning, more or less. I’d pronounce Elena Eh-LAY-na, which is the normal Spanish pronunciation, I think, and it’s how those I know pronounce it.
MinkyWinky · 17/03/2022 11:03

Eh - lay - na. I was very confused when my friend called her daughter Eleanor but spelt it Elena.

Pemba · 17/03/2022 11:00

Well Elena is more classic, Elaina looks a bit made-up TBH. Most people will realise that Elena has different pronunciations and once you have introduced her by name they should hopefully remember that it's 'El-AY-na'. Which is far from unusual anyway.

chubbachub · 17/03/2022 10:51

E lay na

Im scottish if that makes a difference

Original poster
JDF1611 · 17/03/2022 10:48

Thanks everyone,

The pronunciation we want is Eh-lay-na (with the E rather than an A at the beginning)

I just want the spelling which is going to be easiest and most widely recognised for her. I'm still very torn between Elena and Elaina. We're not keen on Elayna.

OP posts:
beautifullymad · 17/03/2022 10:29

I'd pronounce it
El ee nah

Eleanor is pronounced
El en orh

GettingStuffed · 17/03/2022 10:12

El ay na

MistletoeMeadow · 17/03/2022 10:09

I know an Elena in London and her name is pronounced like Eleanor ie E-leh-nuh. Don’t really get why you’d spell it Elena and pronounce it Eleanor to be honest, but each to their own.

aSofaNearYou · 17/03/2022 09:59

E-Lay-na

I see it as a different name to E-lea-nor so would never have thought eh-leh-na.

justasoul · 17/03/2022 09:53

I know 3, ages ranging from 5 to 15, all pronounced Eh-lay-na.

Hikoridikori · 17/03/2022 09:45

@SundayTeatime I think it also depends on where you live, north, south etc. Where I live the "H" is not a definite H.

Although, this is a completely different topic.

In terms of Elena, as its not a British name, the OP should state how she wants it to be pronounced based on the country she comes from. People will get it and will pronounce it this way.

What I don't like is when people assume that a non-british name is pronounced in a specific way and they don't ask how it's pronounced.

It's true that Elena in Italy is Eh-len-na and in other countries may be pronounced differently.

To me it's just very obvious that it's Eh-len-na due to my origins.

SundayTeatime · 17/03/2022 09:40

Helena to me is again the same Eh - Len - Na. With a very subtly "H" pronounced in the beginning like the name Harry which you can't hear H much.

Helena is a different name. With a definite H. Of course you hear the H in Harry. It’s really clear and defined. If you can’t make it out, people will take your suggestions of how names are pronounced with a big pinch of salt.

De88 · 17/03/2022 09:40

I had a friend Elena, she was Romanian and it was El-LAY-na

Though when she moved here she became Helen as that was the English version. Don't know why- it's a beautiful name.

Pemba · 17/03/2022 09:39

Actually no, because the name Elena has more than one country of origin. I think 'Eh-LAY-na is the Spanish version, and' Eh-LENN-a' is Italian. Then there's the Russian way, and the Scandinavian way...

Thankyoupeter · 17/03/2022 09:38

Sorry, just realised it's the lay bit you want the sound of rather than the eh. You could just spell it Elayna if that is how you want her name to be pronounced.

Hikoridikori · 17/03/2022 09:34

Helena to me is again the same Eh - Len - Na. With a very subtly "H" pronounced in the beginning like the name Harry which you can't hear H much.

Elaine, Elaina and Eleanor are completely different names to Elena.

Elena is not a British name and should be pronounced as per the country of origin, in which case it should be Eh - Len - Na.

If British pronounce it as Eh (or Ee even worse) - Lay - Na it's because they don't know how it's pronounced in the country of origin and they are trying to anglicisate it.

As for the stress to me it should go at the first syllabe EH-len-na.

brokengoalposts · 17/03/2022 09:33

El len nah

There is a Greek name Elayna, meaning sun ray, maybe use that.

Thankyoupeter · 17/03/2022 09:32

Yes I would pronounce it Elaina with an Eh but some people pronounce it with an Ee. How about Alayna or something similar with an A to start as that might be more the sound you are after? Or I could just be making it worse!