Elinor or Eleanor?

[basketoffreshveg]

We've pretty much decided on this for DC but unsure which spelling to opt for? Any preferences?

Go with Elena (not biased that its my name!) unless you want the O pronounced heavily at the end of her name.
My name is not pronounced eh-LAY-nah, or eh-LEE-nah, but el-LE-na

If your accent is Irish, Scottish, American, Canadian, West Country or anywhere else they pronounce their r sounds properly, Eleanor and Elena are nothing alike! Even the el-LE-na pronunciation is nothing like Eleanor when I say it.

I find the OR sound at the end ruins a lovely name. It isn't very feminine sounding either imo.

I also have an Eleanor (though she is rarely called that unless she's in trouble!)

I am amazed at what a positive reception it's had here as Ellie usually gets slagged off as boring on MN

I still love the name and think it really suits my DD

Congrats on your impending arrival

Definitely don't go for Eleanor if you don't like the OR sound . Remember she might want to move to Los Angeles or Dublin one day and everyone will pronounce it with the r.

Fwiw I slightly prefer Elena.