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Original poster

How would you pronounce Alaïa??

58 replies

Shanonymous23 · 24/09/2025 14:15

I love the name Alaïa which I would pronounce as (A-lay-ah) but was just wondering how other people would pronounce it or whether it would be best to spell it Alaia without the double dot above the i.

I personally prefer the way it looks with an i/ï than spelt with a y (Alaya)

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TakeMe2Insanity · 24/09/2025 14:49

VikaOlson · 24/09/2025 14:24

I'd assume the dots separate the sounds out like Anaïs or naïve so the two vowels are said separately - Al-a-i-a rather than together Al-ai-a

Technically correct.

But in the UK today - God knows!

For me, I’d assume a variation of Aliya so Ahleeyah

SchnizelVonKrumm · 24/09/2025 14:44

What PP have said. Alaïa would be pronounced Al-a-ee-a. If you don't want that pronunciation then spell it Alaya or Alaia without the dieresis (which serves a linguistic purpose - it's not just there to make the name look exotic).

VikaOlson · 24/09/2025 14:37

NotNotTTC · 24/09/2025 14:32

This. pronouncing Alaïa as “A-lay-ah” doesn’t really make sense. The ï is there to show the i is pronounced separately from the a.

Show quote history

Maybe Alah-Aya?

If you want Alaya I'd probably just spell in Alaya!

NotNotTTC · 24/09/2025 14:32

VikaOlson · 24/09/2025 14:24

I'd assume the dots separate the sounds out like Anaïs or naïve so the two vowels are said separately - Al-a-i-a rather than together Al-ai-a

This. pronouncing Alaïa as “A-lay-ah” doesn’t really make sense. The ï is there to show the i is pronounced separately from the a.

SprayWhiteDung · 24/09/2025 14:32

I'd look at it and would instinctively be unsure.

A lot of English speakers don't really get what the diaresis means, unless it's in words from French/other languages that are already commonly used and thus their pronunciation is known to most English speakers.

After negotiating that, many people would settle on something that sounds similar to 'a liar' - which isn't the nicest thing for your name to be commonly mistaken for.

LeopardsANeutral · 24/09/2025 14:30

I would automatically pronounce it like the designer Ah - lie - ah. Not sure if the ï should make it a different sound though.

VikaOlson · 24/09/2025 14:24

I'd assume the dots separate the sounds out like Anaïs or naïve so the two vowels are said separately - Al-a-i-a rather than together Al-ai-a

WhenIAmKing · 24/09/2025 14:19

A (short a like in bat)
Lie
A (short a again)

emphasis on the lie