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Alicia pronunciation

53 replies

user071017 · 27/11/2017 19:30

Love Alicia as al-i-see-ya
Hate the pronunciation Alesha

Is Alissia an acceptable spelling?

OP posts:
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lljkk · 28/11/2017 14:23

Don't choose it if you can't handle alternative pronunciations.
Uh-leesh-ya is what I expect when I see Alicia.

Alyssia is nicely said & spelled.

pipilangstrumpf · 28/11/2017 14:28

I agree, Alyssia is a great spelling if you only want it pronounced like that.

Alicia is often Alisha like Patricia.

NotAgainYoda · 28/11/2017 16:24

"you only have to tell people once"

No. Her DD will be telling people for the rest of her life

dowotmakesuhappy · 28/11/2017 20:45

Alissia or Alyssia are perfectly acceptable spellings.

stellarfox · 28/11/2017 20:47

I say Ah-liss-ee-aa and I’m from the UK

stellarfox · 28/11/2017 20:48

Oh and I would not change the spelling. What about Alyssa?

NamechangeMcNamechangerson · 28/11/2017 22:27

My friend Alicia pronounces it Al-EE-see-yah but is called Alyssia and Alesha by people who have known her for years.

WaitrosePigeon · 28/11/2017 22:30

Ah-Liss-ee-ah

Sweetmimi · 29/11/2017 00:42

I’d pronounce it

Ah-lee-thee-ah

Ttbb · 29/11/2017 00:43

Alicia is pronounced Al/ee/shya

DullAndOld · 29/11/2017 00:55

obviously it can be pronounced either way, seems to be a matter of personal preference.
I have only heard it as Aleesha, though.

DullAndOld · 29/11/2017 00:57

UK I should have said.

IsadoraQuagmire · 29/11/2017 14:06

There are various legitimate ways to pronounce Alicia. If I saw it written down I'd just ask them how they pronounce it;

Al-ee-shia
Al-ee-sha
Al-isha
Al-iss-ia
Al-ees-ia
or
Al-ee-thia (if Spanish speaking)

all correct.

Having said that, I also have a name that can be pronounced 2 ways and people are always pronouncing it the "other" way. I do usually answer to both, but if it's going to annoy you, maybe ditch the name.

OP, I only like your preferred pronunciation, and only spelled Alicia.

leghoul · 29/11/2017 14:09

This is why I didn't use this name for DD.
Alice, Elisa or Lucy are nice alternatives

MikeUniformMike · 29/11/2017 14:17

Al-ish-a

Don't use it as it is too confusing.
Aleesha
Al-iss-ya
Al-ee-see-a
Alithia
Al-eeth-i-a ...

NeilPetark · 29/11/2017 17:37

I have a friend called Alicia (Alice-ee-ah), can’t say it’s ever been an issue.

HeartburnCentral · 29/11/2017 17:41

I would pronounce it: a-lee-sha

SparkleMotion82 · 29/11/2017 18:42

I think I’d probably say Al-ee-sha if I read it...but if she was introduced to me as Al-ee-cee-ah, I’d pronounce it like that....xx

user071017 · 29/11/2017 18:52

Thanks all. I do like the alissia / Alyssia spellings.

OP posts:
MikeUniformMike · 29/11/2017 18:53

Alissa is nice

HeartburnCentral · 30/11/2017 15:54

It may be an accent 'thing', depending on where you live.

Olivelor · 30/11/2017 18:15

I think you can spell a name anyway of your choice. If you don't like the common spelling; then you might as well go with the one of your choice. Personally I'd prefer Aleesha.

Huppopapa · 01/12/2017 07:56

Aliseeya is about the best spelling for the pronunciation you want in an English speaking country.

Whether people are aware of it or not there are still some conventions of pronunciation that derive from the general experience of reading and talking.

As a general rule, English stresses the first or second syllable of a word. Think of my family of seventeen's names: one is a monosyllable, one second syllable (Elizabeth) and fifteen have stress on the first syllable. Do it with people you know...

There is a little more diversity in non proper nouns, but first or second syllable stress is almost universal in English English though amusingly, 'pronunciation' is a rare example of penultimate stress.

Penultimate stress is however the general rule in European languages so Alicia in Spain would be pronounced a-li-THEE-a and in Italy, a-li-SEE-a.

So how do you indicate in spelling a name to be used by English-speakers that your child's name does not conform to local stress-conventions?

Using a Y doesn't help. Unlike Spanish (with five vowel sounds) or Italian (with nine) English has a staggering 23 vowel sounds such that one vowel can be pronounced in many, many ways. Y is not a stressed I: as often as not they are the same sound. Double vowels are a more reliable way of indicating both pronunciation and stress. Double consonants generally change the pronunciation of the letter (think 'bosom' v 'boss' but even then, you could also think 'bosun'!) but not the stress.

The result of all that is that I would put good money on your chosen spelling - Alissia - would result in most English speakers saying a-LISS-ee-a or a-LISH-a, while Alyssia would be the same with a greater chance of a-LEESH-a. They're all splendid names, but if you really want the pronunciation a-li-see-ya your best chance would be to spell it exactly like that!

Aliseeya later!

pipilangstrumpf · 01/12/2017 08:37

Great post Huppo!

starkid · 01/12/2017 11:20

I had 2 girls at school with this name, and both pronounced it differently!

If you have a problem with names being pronounced wrong sometimes it might not be the best. If you like Alyssia go for that I'd say, as that shouldn't be pronounced Alesha ever.

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