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Original poster

How would you pronounce “Louis”?

132 replies

MrsW32 · 10/11/2024 13:19

We are really feeling the name Louis for our little boy. However we wanted a name that wouldn’t cause any confusion when pronouncing it due to me having a life long issue with my own name being constantly mispronounced and I don’t want to inflict that on him. But we really love Louis and to pronounce it as “Louie” but I really don’t like the spelling Louie.

We have 2 other names in the mix Jude and Leo which we both love and will not have the above issue, but just don’t have the edge that Louis does!

I’ve included a poll too 😅

Any opinions?

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moonshinepoursthroughmywindow · 24/11/2024 17:59

I can't see the poll, but I think almost everybody in the UK would pronounce it like Louie nowadays.

sanityisamyth · 13/11/2024 19:51

Loo-ee.

Lewis is pronounced loo-iss.

pixie12 · 13/11/2024 19:47

Lewie

TwigletsAndRadishes · 11/11/2024 17:00

I think it's mostly Americans who pronounce the S.

TwigletsAndRadishes · 11/11/2024 16:59

Loo-ee

WildGuide · 11/11/2024 16:53

Definitely Loo-ee. I’ve never known it pronounced Loo-iss (because the name Lewis already exists, presumably).

MerryMarys · 11/11/2024 16:43

Outside of France most people pronounce the S at the end of words.

So Louis is often pronounced Lou-IS. I know a couple in the UK who call themselves Lou-is and pronounce the S. I respect their pronunciation.

arinya · 11/11/2024 16:39

Generally in the French way, Louis (Louie/Lou-ee). However, I have known two fully adult Louis’s where it is pronounced Lewis. Both are British.

Notreat · 11/11/2024 16:35

Louis is pronounced Lewie. I wouldn't pronounce or spell it any other way. I think the S may be pronounced in the USA but in the UK that name is spelled Lewis.

RaraRachael · 11/11/2024 16:33

I'd say Loo-ee bit have also heard it pronounced Lewis

MerryMarys · 11/11/2024 16:32

Hasn't Louie become the MORE popular spelling in the UK?

That spelling makes the pronunciation unambiguous for English speakers!

MerryMarys · 11/11/2024 16:31

In Germany it's always pronounced Lou-is.

MerryMarys · 11/11/2024 16:30

I always think Americans say Loo-is but Europeans say Loo-ee.

No, outside of France, Louis is generally pronounced as it's written, Lou-is.

Louis Smith pronounces it Lou-is too I think?

GingerSquid · 10/11/2024 19:52

Louis was my third boy name, but we had a girl. Love it. We live in Spain and to confuse matters further they spell it Luis and it’s pronounced like a cross between Louis (ie) and Lewis! Loo-ees … we know two Dutch Louis’ here and they are both Lou-ee .. that is 100% the correct pronunciation of that spelling. It is a name where this matter is going to come up a lot though, if that bothers you. When I told my mum it was our choice for number 3, she said “lovely, but will you use Lou-ee or Lou-is”. Louis Tomlinson was a Lou-is growing up .. he changed the sound to Lou-ee for showbiz .. in a documentary I saw about him his friends and family from back home all called him Lou-is in the talking heads.

Luluco · 10/11/2024 17:40

I would pronounce it as Lewis. I work with someone with this spelling of Louie and he always gets called Lewis by mistake

Daphodils · 10/11/2024 17:20

MrsMitford3 · 10/11/2024 13:25

Friends DS is a Louis pronounced Louie.

I think that Lewis is the spelling for the other pronunciation?

I think that Lewis is the spelling for the other pronunciation?

Not always, I think it's a class thing. Posh ones are pronounced the French way, common ones the American. You can sometimes take a guess on which is which by based on appearance, but it's rude Grin

DragonFly98 · 10/11/2024 17:15

Loo- E so Loo rhymes with shoe E rhymes with Sea.

evtheria · 10/11/2024 17:12

The one we know is pronounced Lou-ee by everyone.

WhatASadLittleLifeJayne · 10/11/2024 17:12

Loo-wee 😬🚽

boysmuminherts · 10/11/2024 17:10

Of course it's pronounced Louee.

BoleynMemories13 · 10/11/2024 17:08

NeedSomeComfy · 10/11/2024 15:09

A question for all those saying 'The French way ie the correct way'. The French pronunciation would put the emphasis on the final syllable, ie lou-IE. Whereas the anglicised version of the French name as far as I always hear it is pronounced LOU-ie with the emphasis on the first syllable. So would you actually pronounce it the French way, or the anglo-french way?

I can't speak for everyone but when I say "the French way" I mean without pronouncing the s.

Mumsntfan1 · 10/11/2024 17:08

It's a popular name here in Germany - always pronounced Lewis

ginasevern · 10/11/2024 17:05

DelphineFox · 10/11/2024 16:11

Probably pronounces ballet as "balette" and café as "caiffe" as they aren't French.

Show quote history

Or grand prix as graaand pricks because, you know, not French.

ginasevern · 10/11/2024 17:02

Jessie1259 · 10/11/2024 15:06

I know a Spanish Lou - eess just to confuse things further. It's definitely a name where half the time people will pronounce it wrongly though.

The Spanish and Porguese name is spelt Luis though and, indeed, the "s" is pronounced because that is the norm for those languages. Louis however is a French name where the "s" is not pronounced. I've honestly never known anyone in my entire 67 years pronounce Louis as Lewis unless they're talking about the city in Missouri.

HornyHornersPinger · 10/11/2024 16:25

I pronounce Louis and louie as Loo-ee. Eg Prince Louis is Loo-ee not loo-is.

Loo-is (Lewis) is a different name altogether.

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