Love the name hate the spelling

[CiciLapin]

Baby girl due in 2 weeks and we are set on the name pronounced ARE-lee-yah.
Struggling with spelling although are leaning towards Arlia.
Aware it's probably a marmite name.
Other names we liked were Ophelia/Aurelia/Amelia/Delilah but for various reasons they aren't top.

Any thoughts on a better way or is ours okay? Not sure I like how it looks? (I have a name always mispronounced/spelt wrong and it's not been an issue so have no problem with that for her) just not sure Arlia is too literal a spelling. Other ways we've looked at are: Aalia, Ahlia. Aware it can be spelt Aaliyah/Aliya/ Aliyah but we don't like the y and h.

Also any ideas for middle names?
So far we like grace, we are aware it's very common but seeing as her first will be unusual though best to not be too "out there". Thought a one syllable middle name would be best as first is 3 but open to other options. Last name is one syllable.

Thoughts? (Please don't hate on the name too much, we took forever to agree )

Your spelling can only be read as you intend it to be pronounced so it’s fine. I quite like Ahlia too. And I like Grace, it goes well together.

Why not Alia? The r looks wrong somehow.

Alia is a good way to spell it.

@Ellmau

Why not Alia? The r looks wrong somehow.

I think it's the r that makes it look wrong to me too. Alia was my original spelling but when I was testing sneakily everyone I showed it to pronounced it "AH-lee-yah" so husband suggested the r would remove that option. Same with the h. Also Alia now seems too short?

What about AliyahApri

Aliyah April

Alia Rose
Alia Beth
Alia Kate
Alia Terry

I like Ahlia - looks prettier than Arlia to be, and pronunciation clearer than Alia (which can be pronounced “ay-lee-ah”)

I like Arlia. M

Alia I would say a-leah

I think Aalia looks best and would be most likely to be pronounced how you want it. It's a nice name.

Arlia definitely doesn't look right, it looks silly like for example when people spell Lindsay as Lyndzi or something.

Aleah
Allia
Aleea

I think Ahlia looks better than Arlia. I would pronounce Alia as AH-lia

I'm confused. You want it to sound like ARE-lee-yah, but AH-lee-yah is wrong?

Are you English, or do you live somewhere where the accent is rhotic? Because to me they're one and the same.

I’m in the north west and I’m saying this as “our Leah” a bit like Noel Gallagher saying “our kid”

If she ever lives anywhere else Arlia and Ahlia/Alia might not be pronounced the same.

I like the suggested of Ahlia or Ahlea. I think you just have to yell people til they get used to pronouncing it... I like Arlee too

I would go Ahlia if pronunciation is importantly you.

Like Dahlia without the D.

I've never heard this pronunciation. Aaliyah/Aliya/ Aliyah/Alia are all usually pronounced A-leea.

I think if you want that pronunciation you will need to spell it Arlia or Ahlia

Aalia and Ahlia look best to me

The R makes me think of the huge dairy company (Arla) I’m afraid. I would use Alia - yes people will sometimes pronounce it wrong but only one then they’ll learn!

But Dahlia is also a flower and pronounced Day-leah
Alia could be pronounced like the word alias.
Arlia should be pronounced like Charlie without the Ch, all things being equal.
You will get used to the spelling— it’s just that it’s new and unfamiliar, not that it’s intrinsically “wrong”.
If anyone asks for an explanation just tell them you wanted to ensure the correct pronunciation.
Almost any name would sound fine as a second name. Even a longer one such as Elizabeth or Catherine or Beatrice.

@Apileofballyhoo

If she ever lives anywhere else Arlia and Ahlia/Alia might not be pronounced the same.

If she ever lives anywhere else Arlia and Ahlia/Alia might not be pronounced the same.

they certainly would be anywhere I've lived.

If you want the "r" pronounced no matter where she lives than I think you have to put it in the spelling.

I'm not keen on the look of Arlia but I would pronounce it the way you want it.
I prefer the look of Alia but I would probably say the Ali like Alison until I knew the spelling.
I know hundreds of Aaliyahs and I'm not keen on the name anyway but most of them pronounce it ar-LEE-a.
Do you not like Aria? It's similar but without the spelling issues (and I think it's nicer too).
I would use a more interesting middle name than Grace. The first name isn't different enough to mean there won't be 3 Aaliyah Graces in her class (even if they are spelt differently).

If you like that I'd go for Aria.

@saraclara

I'm confused. You want it to sound like ARE-lee-yah, but AH-lee-yah is wrong?

Are you English, or do you live somewhere where the accent is rhotic? Because to me they're one and the same.

Sorry probably didn't explain that very well thought "ah" would be read differently. We are English (east to be exact) and Alia to everyone I showed to was pronounced like Malia (as in Greece) without the M.