Page 4 | How would you pronounce this name?

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Moveoverdarlin · 30/04/2025 09:29

Tay-zer

(As in the police had to use their taser).

Mostunexpected · 30/04/2025 09:30

Has no one heard of the actress Taissa Farmiga - or are they just not sure how she pronounces her name?

Original poster

JusttInCase · 30/04/2025 09:30

BangersAndGnash · 30/04/2025 09:25

The Ukrainian pronunciation is lovely.

But most UK people would need to be told how to say it.

This would be normal in London, to learn how to say a name.

Yes, I adore the Ukrainian pronunciation but don't want to doom her to a life of being called everything but her name.

OP posts:

MolkosTeenageAngst · 30/04/2025 09:30

JusttInCase · 30/04/2025 09:22

Thanks everyone. It's basically as I expected.

It's a Ukrainian name, Cyrillic spelling is Таїса. I've seen it transcribed with s or ss. (There's an actress with the Taissa spelling)
Actual pronunciation is Ta-ee-sa - the isa at the end is pronounced as in Lisa.

For context: I have Ukrainian heritage and my first daughter has a Ukrainian name (but with a more obvious pronunciation) and we're debating whether to go with another Ukrainian name but there aren't too many that I love. My first choice would have been Larissa but my partner doesn't like it.

It’s a lovely name once you know how to pronounce it! Unfortunately I don’t think there will be a way to spell it that will lead to native English people pronounce it correctly as I can’t think of any common words where ai are together but said as two sounds (unlike ia or eo for example) but it’s not hard to pronounce so I think once you told people how to say it they should have no issues with saying it correctly.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 30/04/2025 09:30

JusttInCase · 30/04/2025 09:22

Thanks everyone. It's basically as I expected.

It's a Ukrainian name, Cyrillic spelling is Таїса. I've seen it transcribed with s or ss. (There's an actress with the Taissa spelling)
Actual pronunciation is Ta-ee-sa - the isa at the end is pronounced as in Lisa.

For context: I have Ukrainian heritage and my first daughter has a Ukrainian name (but with a more obvious pronunciation) and we're debating whether to go with another Ukrainian name but there aren't too many that I love. My first choice would have been Larissa but my partner doesn't like it.

OK, so I probably wouldn't pronounce it correctly the first time but I would find it easy to remember how to pronounce it once I knew.

I don't think it's particularly "out there".

anotherside · 30/04/2025 09:30

Like the fizzy orange drink?

CurlewKate · 30/04/2025 09:33

The problem with people saying they would get it right once they were told is that she will be meeting new people all her life, and will have to tell them every time….

anotherside · 30/04/2025 09:34

I wouldn’t go for it. I think it’s a bit awkward for English speakers - both guessing the pronunciation and saying the word itself even when known. I strongly suspect having a “tricky” name can have a subtle but negative affect on a person’s life chances.

Popquorn · 30/04/2025 09:34

Tay to rhyme with say and sa to remind with ma

glasspeach · 30/04/2025 09:38

Like the gun.

Waterweight · 30/04/2025 09:43

Taysia (Tay & Asia)

Natsku · 30/04/2025 09:47

JusttInCase · 30/04/2025 09:22

Thanks everyone. It's basically as I expected.

It's a Ukrainian name, Cyrillic spelling is Таїса. I've seen it transcribed with s or ss. (There's an actress with the Taissa spelling)
Actual pronunciation is Ta-ee-sa - the isa at the end is pronounced as in Lisa.

For context: I have Ukrainian heritage and my first daughter has a Ukrainian name (but with a more obvious pronunciation) and we're debating whether to go with another Ukrainian name but there aren't too many that I love. My first choice would have been Larissa but my partner doesn't like it.

As someone with two heritages, my rule for names is that they have to be easily pronounced and written in both languages (though I completely blanked on the fact that DD's name would be pronounced differently in English but at least its a consistent different pronounciation).
Are there some other Ukrainian names that you like that are more clear to pronounce for English speakers?

peachescariad · 30/04/2025 09:48

Tie -eesa

Eenameenadeeka · 30/04/2025 09:49

First one Tay-sa, second spelling Ty-sa

BitOutOfPractice · 30/04/2025 09:51

Tazer / Tay-da

chattychatchatty · 30/04/2025 09:52

It’s a shame DP doesn’t like Larissa, that’s standard English and very pretty. Taisa is pretty but I wouldn’t know how to pronounce it from the spelling. I’d guessed it sounded like Tessa.

Doncarlos · 30/04/2025 09:52

First instinct was Tay-sa

Elmo230885 · 30/04/2025 09:55

Tie ee sah

Original poster

JusttInCase · 30/04/2025 10:01

Natsku · 30/04/2025 09:47

As someone with two heritages, my rule for names is that they have to be easily pronounced and written in both languages (though I completely blanked on the fact that DD's name would be pronounced differently in English but at least its a consistent different pronounciation).
Are there some other Ukrainian names that you like that are more clear to pronounce for English speakers?

Show quote history

Solomiia (could also be written Solomiya to aid pronunciation) and Zoya. I also like Inessa, although in that case I pronounce it wrong myself (Ukrainian puts the emphasis in a totally different place).

There are also plenty of non-Ukrainian names I like so we're not 100% stuck on it being Ukrainian. I'm mostly trying to gauge where to put Taissa on my list. For our first daughter we wanted to include something from my family since she has her dad's surname. I'm 100% English on my dad's side though - Ukrainian is mum's side.

OP posts:

ItGhoul · 30/04/2025 10:01

With a double S, I would guess ‘Ty-ee-ssa’ (which is lovely). But I wouldn’t want to assume - it’s one where I’d definitely check with the person first.

ImthatBoleyngirl · 30/04/2025 10:04

Tay-sa

LavenderBlue19 · 30/04/2025 10:04

Tay-sa, probably?

Clearly no-one has a clue though, so if you use it you're going to need to accept that people will say it 'wrong'.

Natsku · 30/04/2025 10:08

JusttInCase · 30/04/2025 10:01

Solomiia (could also be written Solomiya to aid pronunciation) and Zoya. I also like Inessa, although in that case I pronounce it wrong myself (Ukrainian puts the emphasis in a totally different place).

There are also plenty of non-Ukrainian names I like so we're not 100% stuck on it being Ukrainian. I'm mostly trying to gauge where to put Taissa on my list. For our first daughter we wanted to include something from my family since she has her dad's surname. I'm 100% English on my dad's side though - Ukrainian is mum's side.

Show quote history

Oh I like Zoya and that seems like a name impossible to pronounce wrong. Inessa is good too (emphasis in a different place is the issue with my DD's name and its not jarring like a completely wrong pronunciation). Solomiia/solomiya seems to me to have at least two different possible pronunciations, at least the Solomiya spelling but sounds like a lovely name.

Hastentoadd · 30/04/2025 10:13

JusttInCase · 30/04/2025 08:09

Taisa/Taissa.

I will tell you how I would want it pronounced once I have a few replies. Trying to gauge how complicated/annoying a name it would be.

Tee-sa

BurningBright · 30/04/2025 10:24

I was at uni with a girl named Taissa.

She pronounced it as two syllables - 'tie' and 'eesa', with the 's' in 'eesa' as in 'sip', not 'zip'. The two syllables were run together really quickly, though.