Is this a horrible spelling?

[bellarosabella]

I've loved the name Madilyn for years, but my best friend keeps telling me that it's terrible. Is it? I personally find it cute and the pronunciation is clear.

I don't hate Madeline or Madeleine, but I feel like the pronunciation is not so clear and that Madeleine will get associated with the sad case of the little girl, as I also realised how much the name had fallen in popularity since the events.

Madelyn looks really bad to me somehow (sorry, I don't mean it in a bad way, I just dislike the way the "made" sticks out so much in this one).

So is Madilyn fine or should we go with another name entirely?

I’d use Madeleine, or nothing. At the risk of terrible snobbery, the other way, your way, risks making you look a bit…thick. 😬

But Madeleine and Madeline can both be pronounced Mad-a-lin.

In Ireland it's often pronounced Mad-a-leen, not Mad-a-line or Mad-a-lin.

Madelynn is just an attempt at a phonetic spelling of one of the established pronunciations of the name.

@Aquamarine1029

its not ridiculous. It might not be for you, but for many of us that's the immediate thought.

but changing the spelling doesn't change that.

@bellarosabella I don't like alternate spellings of common names. She would forever more have to spell it out to everyone. I agree it 'reads' ok, but that's not even 50% of the issue with an uncommon spelling. It's the writing of it (by others).

Spell it correctly. Madeleine is the correct spelling and is lovely. Don't butcher it.

Madeline is Mad-eh-line like the cartoon series from the 90's (??) "I'm Madeline, I'm Madeline, but inside I'm big!"

If you like Madilynn, then just do it. People use "younique" spellings all the time.. however as you asked for opinions, I would assume you didn't know how to spell and it was an accident, not intentional.

Please don’t; it’s awful.

I’m going to be the one person who agrees with OP. I don’t understand how people get the mad-a-lyn pronunciation from either Madeline or Madeleine. The way they’re spelt I would say Mad-a-line and Mad-a-lenn. So if you want that pronunciation, honestly it makes more sense to spell it Madilyn.

Dreadful

This ^

Even when you spell the nema for people they still right down the common spelling.

I was given an unusual spelling and by the time I was 16 I was using a diminutive which is now my legal name.

What made it worse was that my older brother has one of the most common names for men his age, so every holiday he could get a souvenir with his name on.

I think it's fine Op.

You have Katherine/Kathryn. Both versions are accepted.

Stick with the proper spelling

Also

Catharine
Catherine
Cathryn
Katharen

Katharine
Katheryn
Katharyn
Kathryne
Katheryne
Katherin
Kathrine

99% of people will write Catherine or Kathryn even if you spell the name out.

I think it’s awful, sorry OP. You are overthinking things. Madeleine is the right spelling, please don’t give your child a made up one. Madeline is OK too. People will pronounce it how you say it!

@bellarosabella , It's awful. It's not even phonetic because Madeleine is usually Mad-uh-lin or Madlen if French.
I'd say Madilyn as Mad-ih-lyn and Madelynn as Mayd-lyn.
I wouldn't particularly associate the name Madeleine with anyone.

I like it! I think it's obvious how to say it and it's a nice name. Do what makes you happy!

I don't the reaction here is unusual. Many people will make assumptions about this sort of name and it would mean a lot of correcting people who will just see or hear Madeleine or Marilyn.

No I don’t like it, and I thought you’d mis-spelled ‘Marilyn’.

Madeline is Mad-eh-line like the cartoon series from the 90's (??) "I'm Madeline, I'm Madeline, but inside I'm big!"

Not aiways!
I'm a Madeline pronounced Mad-uh-leen, which is a very widely used pronunciation of the name in Ireland where I live. It's from the French pronunciation of that spelling of the name. All ine endings (but not eine endings) in French names are pronounced een so Catherine is Cathereen, Caroline is Caroleen and so on.

I think it’s fine, it’s one of those names thAt has many spellings anyway.

You have picked literally the worst spelling of it.

I'm a 48 year old British Madeleine with French lineage. I've spent almost 5 decades with people misspelling and mispronouncing my name.

In French it sounds more like Mad-a-lehn, or Mad-u-leine, depending on the region. The French will tell you that Mad-elaine is the anglicised version. The most common pronunciation in the UK however is Mad-a-lyn, an Americanisation which has gained dominance here over the last 40 or so years. I'm used to being called Mad-a-lyn now, and it doesn't bother me, although I'm always amused when I'm in the UK with a French person (as happened recently) and they hear me being called Mad-a-lyn by someone and they insist on correcting it in my 'defence'😀

Perhaps it's my age but I've never once had the Madeleine McCann reference mentioned to me when someone has learnt my name. I've had many references to Proust though...

If you go with it OP, please spell it correctly. It's a beautiful name even if I do say so myself 😀

For me, Madeleine will always be the doll on Bagpuss and I sometimes wonder if that was the real reason my sibling chose it for their child.