Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Eleanor pronunciation? Please help!

38 replies

Nurseryrun · 17/03/2022 10:16

Hello,

I am interested in the name Eleanor and I was wondering how it is pronounced.

I've heard it as Eh-Len-Nor. Is this correct?

If this is the case, why is the "a" lost and not pronounced?

Would it not be better pronounced as Eh-Leh-Ah-Nor ? This is what I read...

I would like it to be pronounced as Eh-Leh-Ah-Nor... S, how should I spell it?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
DropYourSword · 17/03/2022 10:42

@Nurseryrun

Thank you all! That's very useful?

So, how should I spell the name to make the "a" stand out and not get lost?

You...can't, really. You're trying to force a pronunciation that doesn't exist.
Cotswoldmama · 17/03/2022 10:41

Ea is pronounced e (although there are a few exceptions as English is a strange language!) But the a isn't lost its just that what those two letters sound like together. For example dream, scream, dear, etc

DropYourSword · 17/03/2022 10:41

Would it not be better pronounced as Eh-Leh-Ah-Nor?
No
Would Eleanora be pronounced as Eh-Leh-Ah-Nor-Ra?
Absolutely never in my experience.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 17/03/2022 10:40

El ah nah

I really dislike El ah nore

SheWoreYellow · 17/03/2022 10:40

I think you’d need to add an h or a y to get the ‘a’ pronounced. But then it’s a bit of a mouthful.

Is Leyanora a name?

Synchrony · 17/03/2022 10:40

No it's not. If you want the A to be pronounced you really really should use a different name. Eliana or Elianna?

Google suggests Elianora is a name and pronounced as you want but I've never heard of it in real life.

Original poster
Nurseryrun · 17/03/2022 10:39

Thank you all! That's very useful?

So, how should I spell the name to make the "a" stand out and not get lost?

OP posts:
Bells3032 · 17/03/2022 10:38

@nurseryrun I've never heard it pounced thst way

DelphiniumBlue · 17/03/2022 10:36

I've never heard the middle "a" pronounced separately. As far as I know, the name has a standard pronunciation that is the same whether you spell it ELINOR , ELENA, or ELEANOR.
Eleanora is usually pronounced El-en-ora.

Original poster
Nurseryrun · 17/03/2022 10:36

@Bells3032 are you ok with the fact that the "a" is lost and not pronounced?

OP posts:
Original poster
Nurseryrun · 17/03/2022 10:31

@Talipesmum thank you that is useful.

Would Eleanora be pronounced as Eh-Leh-Ah-Nor-Ra?

Thank you!

OP posts:
Bells3032 · 17/03/2022 10:30

There's previously been a massive thread on the pronoucarion of Eleanor.

I'm Eleanor. People usually say "el-eh-na" how I pronounce it. Or "el-eh-nore" sometimes esp from Americans

Talipesmum · 17/03/2022 10:26

I’ve heard it commonly pronounced

Eh-leh-nor
Eh-leh-nuh

But never with
Eh-leh-ah-nor

I imagine the a is not pronounced because of the way the letters combine. Am no linguist! But you don’t pronounce the a in bread, just as you don’t pronounce it in Eleanor. I don’t think you can call her Eleanor and have any hope of people pronouncing it the way you want.

If you want a longer version maybe Eleanora?