Alicia pronunciation variation?

[crabette]

Recently read that the Swedish actress Alicia Vikander pronounces her first name "ah-LISS-ee-ah."

I'd have always read Alicia as "ah-LEESH-ah", as in Dixon, Keys, Silverstone.

I actually really like "ah-LISS-ee-ah"... is this just asking for problems / pronounciation trouble though?! I'm in Scotland if that makes any difference.

ci can have a ch or sh sound, that's how
A-leesh-ya arises

A-leess-ee-uh sounds try to hard to me.

I also don't like the Spanish lisp (which was originally a posh affectation, too.

Alissia is a lovely pronunciation.
I really dislike the Aleesha pronunciation.
Where I work it's almost all Aleesha though pretty much dependent on socio-economic status.

@Spied

I really don't understand how Alicia is pronounced Aleesha. A girl in my dd's class is called 'Aleesha' yet her name on the Christmas card list is spelt 'Alicia'. What are the parents thinking? It looks daft and like you have called your child the wrong name.

So how would you pronounce Patricia then

I wonder how it's being pronounced on the BBC adaptation of Malory Towers.

I love Alicia pronounced a-LISS-ee-ah and the spelling Alicia is lovely too, much classier than the variants.

I went to school with an A-liss-ee-a and really like it.
If I was set on it as a name and worried about mispronunciation I would maybe look at Alyssa or Alyssia as an alternative although I don't like them as much.

I always say Alicia as A-lee-see-a

If you're worried about mispronunciation op, I'd go for a similar name with a more obvious sound. Elissa/Elyssa or Elyssia are lovely, and would be hard for people to mispronounce. We know of a 2 year old Elissa, and it's a such a pretty sounding name. I know of a couple of Alicia's with different pronounciations, and it is hard to remember which one is which sometimes!

I only know it as Alice- ee-ah.

@Apileofballyhoo

I wonder how it's being pronounced on the BBC adaptation of Malory Towers.

It's Alice-ee-a

Ah-lee-sha

One of my best friends at primary school (essex) was called Alicia, and pronounced a-liss-ee-ya.

It wasnt until I got a bit older and heard some celebs pronounced aleesha that i realised there were other ways to say it!

I much prefer my friends pronunciation - go for it!

I know an Alicia who pronounces it Alissia. She said at primary school (late 90s and early 00s) she was always 'Alissia' but at secondary school in the mid 00s onwards people started assuming it was Aleesha or asking her which pronunciation she preferred.

I remember asking my parents how to pronounce Alicia in Mallory Towers as a child and they said 'Alissia'. They were genuinely surprised when my friend said she got called Aleesha sometimes.

Like a PP said I think it's an americanism like Marcia is pronounced Marsha in America and Marseea in the UK.

Alyssia makes the pronunciation obvious but I prefer the Alicia spelling. It's a beautiful name.

Why is it Aliss-ee-a or Aleesha. I don't get it.
Patricia isn't Patriss-ee-a or Patreesha?

I can't think of many names ending in -cia, other than Felicia, which I hear as Fel-isha not Felissia or Feleesha, and Lucia, which I hear as Loosha, Lucy-a, or Lootch-ee-a, depending on language, and Marcia, whichh is Marcy-a or Marsha.

@KirstenBlest

Alisha to rhyme with Patricia.

This is what I assumed when I read Malory Towers.

But all the ones I've met in real life have been "ah-LISS-ee-ah".

I quite like it. Seems quite posh.

It’s nice pronounced the way you like it.

How about Elisha?

@DropsofJupiterinherhair

If you're worried about mispronunciation op, I'd go for a similar name with a more obvious sound. Elissa/Elyssa or Elyssia are lovely, and would be hard for people to mispronounce. We know of a 2 year old Elissa, and it's a such a pretty sounding name. I know of a couple of Alicia's with different pronounciations, and it is hard to remember which one is which sometimes!

Spellings like Elyssia might be easier to pronounce, but on the flip side they are harder to remember how to spell.

You'll be telling me that Portia is Por-tee-a next

Morticia was Mortisha not More-tee-sha or Mortissia.

Puts me off Alicia completely.

Alesha Dixon is Alesha, by the way, not Alicia.

A-liss-ee-a is standard UK

A-lee-sha is US

The former much prettier I think, and going to be easier if you are in the UK

I've heard it pronounced both ways all my life.

When I was a very young kid (in the 80s!), there was an Alicia in my primary school class. The teachers all pronounced it 'A-LI-see-ya'. One day Alicia's mother arrived to explain that she pronounced it 'A-LEE-sha'.

I much prefer the first pronunciation.

I also prefer 'Fe-LI-see-ya' to 'Fe-LEE-sha'.

However, I also prefer the older pronunciations of Maria and Sophia too, i.e. Ma-rye-a (like Mariah Carey) and So-fye-a.