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Original poster

Who actually pronounced the last syllable in Eleanor like -nor?

166 replies

misslucy92 · 09/01/2023 14:15

This is mainly for people in the Uk and Ireland (or outside of the Us) as I know that in the Us -nor is used.

But I often read that in the Uk people say -na. I don’t know if I can explain it well but I mean -nor vs -na (sort of like Elena is said sometimes). But I only like -nor, personally.

So could I get away with naming her Eleanor and saying -nor in the Uk? Do some of you pronounce it -nor?

Does Elinor change anything?

sort of wondering if I could use -nor or whether I should look for a new name. I like both spellings Eleanor and Elinor.

Also name your region or where you are approximately (only if you feel comfortable).

Thanks.

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Loput · 09/01/2023 17:19

It's my name, I'm from the South and don't say the nor bit - more like Ellenuh but spelt Eleanor.

I personally don't like the -nor and find it jarring and harsher than southern pronunciation but I accept that US, Irish and Scottish people will say it their way . An uncle used to overpronounce the nor a lot to annoy me or tell me off when I was little.

Xrays · 09/01/2023 17:06

*sound

Xrays · 09/01/2023 17:05

I’ve been told I found posh (🤷‍♀️😆) and I would definitely say “nor”.

Veryfaraway · 09/01/2023 17:05

I'd pronounce it more ner, but definitely with the r. I'm Scottish.
I suppose it depends on the accent in your area.
It's a really nice name btw.

Lulu1919 · 09/01/2023 17:01

My daughter is Eleanor and pronounce it
Ell a nor

IglesiasPiggl · 09/01/2023 16:56

I think there are a sufficient number of people who will pronounce it "nur" etc that if the "nor" is important then probably choose a different name.

Ladyofthelake53 · 09/01/2023 16:50

Im Eleanor. Live in South, most people say nuh but i think its because they dont know how to pronounce it properly. Its not a common name, some have never heard of it.

Elea nor is the correct pronunication. There are some people i know pronounce it correctly but many dont.

PAFMO · 09/01/2023 16:30

MerryMarigold · 09/01/2023 16:11

It's my name. I love it. The Beatles pronounced it 'nuh' at the end and they were from Liverpool. I'd be a bit 🙄 at someone with a 'nor' pronunciation who wasn't American. Like walking around insisting that Evian is 'waaahder'. It's much prettier without the 'nor' anyway.

The R is pronounced in most Scottish, Irish, and SW England accents as well, for the reasons given. It would be very odd to be eye rolly or offended by such a huge group of people speaking their own language perfectly correctly.
Other non rhotic accents will pronounce the "nor" with a schwa and no R as the stress is on the first E. The second syllable will also have a schwa and not a full /e/ (as in bed)

MerryMarigold · 09/01/2023 16:11

It's my name. I love it. The Beatles pronounced it 'nuh' at the end and they were from Liverpool. I'd be a bit 🙄 at someone with a 'nor' pronunciation who wasn't American. Like walking around insisting that Evian is 'waaahder'. It's much prettier without the 'nor' anyway.

ofwarren · 09/01/2023 16:07

I'm lancashire and say the Nor

PAFMO · 09/01/2023 16:04

As @SenecaFallsReduxand @inquisitorgeneral say, rhotic accents will pronounce the R, non-rhotic won't. Not much you can do if you want the R pronounced other than live in a rhotic area!

MickeyMouseShithouse · 09/01/2023 16:04

South west. El-en-nor, but very very light on the R.

UsingChangeofName · 09/01/2023 16:02

Midlands here.
I would say "Ellen-uh"

As a pp said, she would soon become Elle or Ellie though, so keep that in mind if you only want Elea nor

TeenTraumaTrials · 09/01/2023 16:01

Scottish here - I'd say -nur

There's an Eleanor in my DD's year and her mum (also Scottish) pronounces it Ellen - NOR and it sounds jarring to me

inquisitorgeneral · 09/01/2023 15:31

It depends on which part of the UK you live in. In England, most accents are non-rhotic, so the letter R is always silent when at the end of a word. So "sore" often sounds the same as "saw". This is a feature of the accent, so changing the spelling will not make them pronounce the R.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland the R will be pronounced.

featheryfancy · 09/01/2023 15:27

Elena I'd pronounce with an a, Eleanor I'd pronounce with the nor.
Obviously similar, but completely different names for me

JaneJeffer · 09/01/2023 14:54

L-AN-OAR
Irish

pottyproblems87 · 09/01/2023 14:51

South east England and I pronounce it 'NUH' as does everyone I can think of.

Summerlark · 09/01/2023 14:47

What about Elaine?

Summerlark · 09/01/2023 14:46

I'd say nor but I'm a New Zealander.

GenuinelyDone · 09/01/2023 14:43

South Wales and I'd used -nor however all of the Eleanor's I know are known as Ellie.

Iguanainanigloo · 09/01/2023 14:43

I love down south and it's definitely usually pronounced ellen-uh here. My mum (60's) has a few friends with the name, so I associate it with that generation. They're all known as ellen-uh, regardless of the spelling. The only younger one I know, just goes by Ellie, full name spelt Ellinor, but only ever Ellie.

CalloohCallayFrabjousDay · 09/01/2023 14:42

South. I would say Elen-NOR
I

tabulahrasa · 09/01/2023 14:40

It’s more like ellener than ellenore for me, but there’s definitely an r, but I’m Scottish, so, r is always pronounced, lol.

I’d assume the r is missed in accents where it’s missed in general tbh, so I doubt changing the spelling would make any difference.

Y7drama · 09/01/2023 14:39

South. Would say Ellennuh