Anais

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Partner really likes this name for a girl, as he lived in France for a few years when younger so pronounces it the correct way Ah-Nay-Ees, where as I want to pronounce it an-nays, and I think where we live (UK) people would pronounce it the same way as me.

I think the spelling and name is pretty and the meaning (very important to us). However not sure it goes with our children Charlie and Tilly.

How would you pronounce it?
Does it 'go' with our children's names?

Why is it odd that people don't know how to pronounce it? It's an uncommon name from a different language.

Yes, and it breaks the usual French rule that the last letter is not sounded. That's why a lot of people get it wrong. They assume the 's' is silent.

I don't think people mispronounce it "intentionally" as someone suggested earlier.

I don't think it's odd that people don't know how to pronounce foreign names. I do find it odd that when people decide to name their child that, they still don't bother to find out and just make up a pronunciation.

I love Anaïs but would definitely pronounce it the French way - An-eye-es

But it's up to you still nice either wat

Way*

But it's not very uncommon. There's an old perfume called Anais Anais, and most people must have heard of Anais Nin even if they haven't read her.

I immediately thought of Anais Anais, but in my mind that's pronounced Anne-ay Anne-ay. I just watched an advert to get the right pronunciation and the 'an-nay-ees' pronunciation sounds really wrong to me and also quite unattractive.

There's an old English name - Annis - that you might want to consider as an alternative.

There's a character in the Chalet School books called Annis.

People never pronounced the perfume correctly in its 1980's heyday.

I really doubt anything near "most people" have heard of Anais Nin!