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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Anaïs

37 replies

IvyandOlive · 19/05/2019 10:39

So a friend has decided on this name for her baby girl.

How would you pronounce it?
I've heard it as 'a-niece' or 'ah-na-ees' even by people with that name!
Or I might be totally wrong! Both seem lovely!

Please help

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daisypond · 20/05/2019 14:21

It has three syllables.

lavalamp08 · 20/05/2019 14:22

I'd say it as Ann ay with no 'S' on the end

bridgetreilly · 20/05/2019 15:34

You need to ask the parents.

snapandfartaftermartialarts · 20/05/2019 15:36

I know an anais. She is a-nay.

HPLikecraft · 20/05/2019 15:36

The perfume was pronounced

Anay anay

No it wasn’t. I pronounced it like that, admittedly, but there were tv ads etc. that pronounced it as Ann - eye - eese (x2)

I don’t like it. It’s such a mouthful, and not particularly pretty.

sparklysunflower · 20/05/2019 15:38

Some English speakers mispronounced the perfume name! It's definitely An ah ees.

Expressedways · 20/05/2019 15:45

Traditionally it should be pronounced Anne-eye-eese and it’s a beautiful name but I would never use it as I don’t live in France and so many Brits murder the pronunciation. I have a (French) relative with the name and she always introduces herself clearly as Anne-eye-eece but this doesn’t stop the mispronunciations at all.

LadyKylieShagworthy · 20/05/2019 15:56

My DH is French, we lived in France for 20+ years and I would pronounce it Ann-eye-ees. which the correct way

Branleuse · 20/05/2019 22:26

You definitely pronounce the S at the end.

Obviously if its your own kid you can make up your own pronounciations, but the correct and classic pronouciation of the Name, when spelled with a trema over the i , means that you pronounce every letter.

GlitterPixie · 20/05/2019 22:30

As a teenager seeing it on the perfume bottles I always thought it was An Ay but I’ve only heard An Eye Ees since then

Willowkoko · 20/05/2019 22:32

Ah-Nah-EESE - the true pronunciation

I think it’s a gorgeous name but as evident on the board, it’s going to be pronounced and potentially spelt incorrectly a lot. Works well in countries where the name is more popular.

AuntieStella · 20/05/2019 22:44

It's the diacrutic that makes the difference

Just like it does to Zoë so it does not rhyme with Joe.

The double dots mean that the vowel is sounded separately. So the name is Anaïs is anne-eye-eese

Anais couid be anay, just like Zoe couid be Zo. Or it couid be pronounced in correct full form, just as Zoe is Zo-ee to many even wiithiit the dots

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