How would you pronounce Eirlys?

[soundsystem]

I'd only ever heard this pronounced one way, but recently have heard it pronounced differently (in a way that actually sounds nicer, but I think isn't correct!)

If you're familiar with this name, I'd be interested in your thoughts on correct pronunciation, and whether there's more than one "correct" way (regional differences, maybe?)

If you've never come across Eirlys before, I'd love your thoughts on how you'd intuitively say it.

Thanks :)

Err-lis, like Alice, but with err instead of a. Never heard of it though.

Never heard of this name. My interpretation would be how you would pronounce careless. But i'll bet it's not said that way.

Ire-liss?

Eyr-liss with the 'eyr' bit pronounced as in 'A' in A,B,C or 'hay'. Very difficult to describe phonetically. Welsh speaker btw.

Ay (like hay missing the h) - rrrrr (rolled r) - liss. Welsh for snowdrop.

Ok, I'm in South Wales and I would say Eye-r-liss. Further north/ west you'd be more likely to hear it pronounced Aye-r-liss. Sometimes you won't hear the 'r' sound at all.

Er-leese?

I know a 40 year old eirlys. She pronounces it like "wireless"-but without the "w"! So "ire-liss". No idea if it's "correct" pronunciation in MN terms-but it's correct as far as she's concerned!

Friend is an Eirlys. Is, um, eyr-liss. Sort of.

Same as mejon but agree it is difficult to get properly right if not a welsh speaker. I'm not, but DH and DC's are, and we have an Eira which starts with the same sound so I have had lots of pronunciation lessons!

Like McGriffo says though I've only met Welsh ones.

I know one, she has a Chinese mum and Welsh dad and they both pronounce it er lees
I think it's a beautiful name.

I've never come across this name before. I would have thought it was like Iris, but with the extra 'l' - Ireliss?

South Wales here too... I pronounce it exactly as bestiswest described.

I'rliss with the emphasis on the first syllable,

I would read the name and say "Could you tell me how to say your name correctly, please. It's not one I've seen before and I really don't want to get it wrong."

I'm with bestiswest and MrsRuff . Sort of Eye-rrr-liss, and I'm in South Wales too. Very pretty name and as pp said the welsh word for snowdrop.

"Earlies", as in 'the early shift' is how I would pronounce it having never seen it before.

It sounds lovely with the proper pronunciation though.

I don't think anyone pronounces the E I sound properly unless they are welsh speakers tbh. And in South Wales it is pronounced with more of an "eye" sound than it is in the West, where the pronounciation is more accurate! It should be between "Eye" and the ay sound in "May" You hear each letter in Welsh, it is less of a blur than in English. It is impossible to describe, you have to hear it. But Eye r Liss is about as close as you will get in print I suppose! Like Aneirin or Eira, it is a sound that you don't hear in English.

depends whether you come from north or South Wales ....

I wouldn't even know where to start in trying to work out how it's pronounced

I pronounce it Air-liss

Thanks all :)