How would you pronounce this name?

[Chocolation]

We have just had our new DD. We have called her Mila (to rhyme with smiler). There has been alot of confusion with family and friends on how to pronounce it. Some have been saying it with an 'i' sound as we intended. Others say it with an 'ee' sound (like Meela). Should we change the spelling to Myla instead before we register the birth so there is less confusion? Or AIBU to keep the spelling Mila and she has to keep telling people how to say her name all her life. Do you have a name that other people keep mispronouncing and does it do your head in or do you like having a more unusual name?

Well, English pronunciation has more exceptions than rules so there is no right answer. I’d go with Myla though personally just to cut out the constant and most likely mispronunciations.

I'd pronounce it Milla. If you want Myla, spell it Myla.

And the “egg-saviour” pronunciation is like Professor X from the X-Men. Professor X-avier. I am going to assume Stan Lee just looked up names beginning with X when he created the character, and had no Mumsnet back then to tell him Xavier is pronounced Zhavier.

We have called her Mila (to rhyme with smiler)
How does that work,Mila doesn’t rhyme with smiler

I'd think Mee-la.
It must depend on the country of origin, but I know a Milo (My-low) and a Milos (Mee-losh).

I read it as meela.
Congratulations

DD is Miya, which is the Japanese version of Mia and pronounced the same but often called Maya. We discussed how a lifetime of explaining her name would be but loved the name so went with the tough option. She's now 6 and pretty good at discreetly correcting people.

I would go with Mylah to be sure you'd get the right pronounciation. Mila is definitely going to be said as 'Meela' more often, and even Myla is going to get it a little bit. Adding the H usually means a soft 'ah' rahter than 'er' sound at the end, gives an obvious clue as to how this unusual name is intended to be said.

I'm not usually a fan of unusual spellings or names, but in this case I think it's really pretty and Mylah will get you the effect in spoken language that you're after.

OP I would pronounce Mila as Meela.

One of my dds is called Ximena and she has had a lifetime of incorrect pronunciations and every now and then has a massive go at me about why she has a name that is hard to pronounce.

The confusion about Myla and smiler rhyming or not is about rhotic vs non-rhotic accents. Rhotic accents (eg Scottish) pronounce the r at the end of smiler. Non-rhotic accents (eg a lot of English accents) don't - smiler/smila would sound the same.

Mee-la (Like Mila Kunis)

Fascinating post bluebiro, I would pronounce the r in smiler
So for me mila wouldn’t rhyme with smiler

Meela

@bevelino, how do you pronounce your dd's name? It is very unusual!

OP I'd say Mee-la too, but in the US it seems to get said "My-la" as a matter of course (which I think kind of rhymes with ''smiler"... maybe). Agreed that changing the spelling would probably help.

I think I’m the only other one who would pronounce it Myla (and rhyme it with smiler). I knew a Mila years ago pronounced that way.

To me My-la only rhymes with smiler if the r is dropped
Myla, smilah

All the people expressing incredulity that Myla could rhyme with Smiler or Milla and miller sound the same - is your life experience genuinely so limited that you have never encountered a non-rhotic accent?

Because in a significant proportion of the UK, and indeed the English speaking world (including the whole of Australia) this is the case.

Mila is pronounced meela ( we know two )
We also know 3 Mylas

Meelah. Myla is what you are thinking of.

Ximena.....every now and then has a massive go at me about why she has a name that is hard to pronounce.

I’ll bet she does! How is that pronounced? I know language quite well but I can’t even guess that!

I would pronounce it as Mee-la - like Milla Jovovich.

I have a close friend with this name and it's definitely pronounced Meela.

Op asked how we’d pronounce name not detail ones travel and life experience
Fortunately despite my rhotic accent I’ve had fulfilling interesting experiences
And I continue to maintain smiler doesn’t rhyme with mila

Ginandplatonic

This happens on probably 99% of pronunciation threads on here. From both sides. "OMG some people pronounce the R??" vs. "OMG some people don't pronounce the R??".

It's shocking at first but then just irritating after a while tbh.

Or your dd will be like a girl I went to school with called Xavier. Pronounced eggs-saviour.

All the people expressing incredulity that Myla could rhyme with Smiler or Milla and miller sound the same - is your life experience genuinely so limited that you have never encountered a non-rhotic accent?
No, but the accent in my head when I read things is mine, not any of the many, many people I meet with different accents. When Bluebiro politely pointed it out it made sense.

Why the need to be so arsey about it?