Hit me with your hard to pronounce names!

[pancakes222]

Hi all
Starting my first job in the NHS next month! I'm sure I should be getting worried about more important things but one thing I'm really paranoid about starting to work in a public facing environment is pronouncing someone's name wrong as im notoriously bad at this!
Does anyone have a name that people get wrong all the time and if so, can you phonetically write it for me so I can try and be better
Thank you!

@QueryA

Eilidh is pronounced ay-lee (like hayleigh/hayley without the H). My cousin often gets eyelid!

I'm so happy to learn this! I have often wondered 💜

I have an unusual, non-British name, both forename and surname. I don't mind being asked to spell it, I did mind being asked if I was sure that's how I spell it whilst being eye-rolled at. As long as you don't do that, you'll be fine.

@ShirleyPhallus

Honestly you may as well have titled this “roll call for anyone who is racist or xenophobic or ignorant”. Within the first page I guarantee there will be posts on forrin names and telling you how to pronounce them with a wide-eyed, faux “oh I’m not racist I just couldn’t possibly understand how to pronounce XYZ”.

Recipe for disaster this!

What are you on about? This hasn't happened at all. Maybe raise your opinion of people.

I have the opposite issue. Everyone can SAY my names just fine, but I always have to spell them both out as they hey misheard every. Single. Time.

If someone starts Spelling their name just listen and don't assume you know how it's spelt!

Single 'F's in welsh names are pronounced V. My DS has a very welsh awkward to pron read if you're not familiar with it type name, but really easy once you've heard it. people get it wrong all the time, usually its fine! We don't get offended, except for the track and trace woman who repeatedly asked how to pronounce it several time through the phonecall (it's so easy once you've heard it!!!) then kept reverting to her butchered made up pronunciation and muttering that she'd never heard that name before and it was MOST UNUSUAL said with disdain. Really pissed me off!

@MorrisZapp

I was asked how I pronounced my name once. It's Karen.

Genuinely know a Karen who pronounces it the first 2 syllables of Karensa!

Thank you for all your help everyone, this has been really interesting reading all the names :)

I worked in the NHS for years. I would have a go at saying the name and then ask if I'd got it right. If I was corrected I'd simply say thank you. Asking for help to get it right means a lot to people who frequently have their names mispronounced because other people can't be bothered.

I've struggled with silly ones before:

Penelope- thought it was "penny-lope"

Persephone - mangled this and asked for "percy-phone"

And i once knew an Aoife who never corrected me calling her "ay-oh-fee"

I have an unusual surname and am forever spelling it phonetically, I'd rather people just ask how to pronounce it politely if they're not sure.

Another one to watch out for is the names that can be surnames or given names ... especially if the gender of the person with said surname doesn't match the gender it would be if it were a first name.

I have a name that can be pronounced in two ways (but usually the other pronunciation is spelled slightly differently) and what I would say is that it only irritates me when people get it wrong if I have introduced myself and the other person immediately reverts to the other pronunciation. Or asks me how to pronounce it but then ignores what I've said and uses the other version,

Eamon is Ay-mon and not Ee-mon.
HTH.

@MorrisZapp

I was asked how I pronounced my name once. It's Karen.

But I know a Karen who pronounced her name Care-an. I always forget.