How do you pronounce Esme?

[Muddywellyboots]

Our 3mo DD is called Esme. We love it and pronounce it Esmay. However everyone calls her Esmee despite us introducing her as Esmay. Just wondered what the consensus was?

The 2 that I've known both pronounced it Ez-mee. Sorry that doesn't help much!

Ez-may would be my default but I wouldn't be surprised if someone corrected me to Ez-mee.

I know an Esme and everyone says Esmay. Never heard Esmee!

Ez-may.

Es-mee would be my default tbh unless I was specifically told otherwise

I know an Ez-mee.

Ez-May

But given how common the name is now, it really wouldn't surprise me if you get a lot of people saying Ez-mee as that's how it's spelt iykwim.

Ez-mee as the only one I have come across was short for Esmeralda

Ez-may

Ez-may

The Esme's I know all pronounce it Ez-mee

I would say Es-mee (British version). I think the Es-may pronunciation is more American!

Obviously you could have avoided all this by spelling it like someone who goes to my DD's preschool, who has an Ez-mai

I know of 2 and both are pronounced esmee.

Both are correct. Bit rude of people to persist with one pronunciation when you've told them it's the other.

I only know one and it is pronounced Ez May, but she does use the french ecoute? over the end E which helped to know which way she prefers.

Esmé = Ezmay
Esme = Ezmee

The one I know pronounces it Ez-mee, but I think both pronunciations are common.

Ez-may

But am in Aus and have literally never heard Ez-mee used here.

I know an Es-mee and an Ez-may, both spelt Esme.

It's French isn't it? How would they pronounce it?

This comes up every couple of months on MN - one of the great debates of our age.

I have an Esme who is Ezmee
Loads of people try to call call her Ez- May. Loads call her Ez-mee.

EzMay doesn't sound nice at all to my ear, but I know lots feel the same about the other pronunciation. Just stick to the one you like.

Es-mee without the accent, Es-may with the accent.

I would say ezmee unless spelt Esmé, then I would say Ezmeh

How is it said in French?!

I would assume Es-mee is the anglicised version of the name.

Esmay. It's French. With an acute accent on the second e.

Stick to your guns. ( though in Fr it would have had another e on the end as she is a dd)

I'd pronounce it however the parent or child does. Esmay and Esmee are both valid pronunciations.

The accent thing seemed to come later than the pronunciation split. People often add it for clarity but it's not an absolute. Or necessary tbh.

It is tough if you've only ever heard it one way. I know an Yvonne who pronounces it differently to every other person I know and it is sometimes easy to slip up.

Just repeat back with the preferred pronunciation.