Love the name Eleanor but we can’t say it right??

[IamJob]

So DH and I both love the name Eleanor but realised we both say el-e-ner rather than how it should be pronounced el-a-nor

We’ve tried but we can’t say it correctly! It’s so weird! We both come from different regions too. Does anyone else say el-e-ner or do we have to veto the name?

Other names we like:
Madeleine (mad-e-lynn)
Juliet
Olivia

I pronounce it like you do.

Incidentally, i know twi s callex Eleanor & juliet, everyone loves their names!

I pronounce it like you do too. It's fine. I'd say it's correct.
Fantastic name. Makes me think of the admirable and formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Maybe I've watched too many episodes of The Good Place featuring Eleanor Shellstrop.

It's definitely EleNOR.

@Blubells

Maybe I've watched too many episodes of The Good Place featuring Eleanor Shellstrop.

It's definitely EleNOR.

Yes, EleNOR is definitely one of the pronunciations.

You are saying it correctly.

The Phonetic Nor end is American

In the UK it’s pronounced Ell-En-Ah (or by some RP accents as El-Lin-Ah)

Madeline is either MAH-Dah-Len or MAH-Dah-Lin
Sometimes the middle syllable is swallowed to sound more like the French, but these are tiny differences.

They are popular names, just crack on. (And correct the odd fan of The Good Place who uses the Yankee style)

@Blubells

Maybe I've watched too many episodes of The Good Place featuring Eleanor Shellstrop.

It's definitely EleNOR.

@Blubells

Only in the US

The Phonetic Nor end is American

In the UK it’s pronounced Ell-En-Ah (or by some RP accents as El-Lin-Ah)

Not all accents in the UK are non-rhotic - Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of England all have rhotic accents that mean the r in Eleanor is pronounced.

Elena is pronounced Ell en ah.

I'd say that is El-ayn-a, after all you don't pronounce Lena as Len-ah.

Actually you do pronounce Lena as LEH-na. Only English speakers say Lay-na.

And you pronounce Helen as Hell-en.

Only English speakers say Lay-na.

The two Lenas I know are Russian and Poish and both say Layna.

I’d pronounce Lena as Lee-na and I think Helen as just Helen! Definitely pronounce the r in Eleanor

Eleanor = el en uh.

Elena = ell enna.

Very different names.

Reminds me of the Elan I met. "Ah, Élan!" (and inside my head "A stylish, debonnaire French name...")
"No Miss, it's Ell-un"

Oops

I'm British but live in Sweden and my kids are half Swedish, I chose Björn for my second child. I can't pronounce it 'properly' in Swedish but the word translates to Bear. So I just call my boy Bear!

For those who keep saying ‘it’s American’ I think they are forgetting the Welsh Elinor 😏
Personally I much prefer the Nor ending (diminutive Nora or Nel) but that’s personal opinion.

I only know Eleanors who say it as Ellen-uh.
One gets called Ellen-ORE by some.

Juliet is nice but the Julie-ETTE pronunciation that some use puts me off

I agree the ‘nor’ emphasis is American. I have a friend called Eleanor known as Elle and she pronounces it the way you do.

I’d pronounce Elena as Eh-lay-na the same way I’d say the name Lena if the E wasn’t there.

I’d pronounce Elena as Eh-lay-na the same way I’d say the name Lena if the E wasn’t there.

But there's no 'ay' sound in Lena. It's LEH-na like the Les in Les Miserable. It's very popular in Germany, Poland and Austria.

Elena is Elen-ah

Prefer Elena - pronounce El-LAY-na

Only know Lena as pronounced Lay-nah. But there's probably some Lee-nahs but I would always say Lay-nah until corrected.

I'm an Eleanor my name is pronounced like Helena without the H and it seems to be the most common English pronunciation of it. EllaNOR pronunciation seems most common is America, either is perfectly acceptable imo. Just use it.

My name is Eleanor and no one ever pronounces it el-a-nor despite that being how I introduce myself.

My sister is Eleanor and pronounced el a nor, never heard
el e ner or any other pronunciation except on MN 🤷🏼‍♀️

The only Lena I knew pronounced her name like "lean-a"

But it was short for Torquilina. True fact.