Aaron/Arron - How do you pronounce them?

[upinaballoon]

When I was at primary school we had scripture lessons. I learned that Moses had an older brother whose name was Aaron. It was pronounced with a long 'a', because there are two 'a's there and it sounded more or less like this - 'air-on'.

For decades I have heard and seen people being called Aaron - spelled like that with the two 'a's at the beginning, but pronounced 'Arron', more or less rhyming with Karen, Darren et cetera.

If a parent wants a child's name to sound like 'Arron', why do they spell it/have them baptised 'Aaron'?

I don't know either and I agree with you. Had my DC telling me I was saying it wrong using the Biblical pronunciation! Er, nope

Because that's how Aaron is pronounced. Think you have been taught incorrectly in scripture lessons.

I agree with you OP!

They just want to be first in alphabetical lists.

I always said airron but I think I'm wrong for modern times.

We said Airun in bible study too. But I have friends with Aarons who pronounce it Arrun.
It's a lovely name.

Neither is the correct Hebrew pronunciation (which is more like urrun) so you can do what you like, I think! I went to an evangelical school where they said it to rhyme with Karen.

I grew up being taught about Air-on from the bible as well. But I think the people whose names are Aaron can choose to say it either way. My own friend Aaron says it like Arron. It sounds the same as in arrow.

It's the same with Naomi. Nay-omi or Ny-omi?

In that case Aardvark would be air-dvark?

Surely double-a would make Aaaaahron or aaaahrdvark.

Arron and Aaron both rhyme with Darren IMO but I’d pronounce it however the person wants.

See: Aaron Carter

The school teacher who pronounced it Airon, pronounced Sharon and Karen to rhyme. So there’s no ‘correct’ answer, imo.

But what makes you assume that the way you were taught it by a primary school teacher was correct? A quick google shows that the original Hebrew name was Aharon (pronounced a-ha-ron), but that the 'h' got dropped at some point. So no 'air' sound in there. When names have been imported into the Latin alphabet from other languages a very long time ago, it can be pretty hard to unpick the phonetics and spelling!

Rhymes with Karen.

Aaron is the correct spelling.

And the Lord said unto Moses
All Jews will have round noses.
Except for Aaron.
He’ll have a square ‘in.

My dog is called Arran after the Scottish island. Most people assume he is called Aaron, which I think would be a strange name for a dog!

Like this? 😂

How do you pronounce Arran? I say Aaron as arr in and Arran the same

I'm Scottish so I pronounce Arran as quite clearly "A-rran". But people always think I'm saying the boy's name, which I would actually say as "A-rron". I live in England.

I say Nay-omi and if I said Ny-omi I would expect there to be an 'i' after the 'a', as in Naiomi.

I’ve known people onto say Nair-me and Nigh-uh-me too. NAY-uh-me and nay-OMI too.

The reason I assumed that the primary school teacher and the Sunday school teacher were correct, in the 1950s, is because they were teachers, the same ones who had taught me how to pronounce 'thought', 'though', 'caught', Nebuchadnezzar.

And the Lord said unto Moses, "Come forth",
But he came fifth and lost his something, but I can't remember what it was.
(Come back, older generation, and tell me.)

It was always pronounced 'airon' in Sunday school and church when I was growing up, but I'm happy to accept that's as wrong as much of the other stuff they taught!

The one that throws me is 'Elisha' used as a girls name pronounced 'eleesha' - rather than as a male name rhyming with Elijah, first syllable 'Eli' seems 'correct'? Or is the girls name derived completely separately?

Aaron = air-on
Arran = a-ruhn

Yes, I think there's been a shift over the decades. I thought someone had already said that but it must have been your post here, about being wrong for modern times.

Yes, I think there's been a shift over the decades. I thought someone had already said that but it must have been your post here, about being wrong for modern times.

Perhaps the 'shift' wasEnglish people getting it wrong and the change is more of a correction to be closer to the Hebrew pronunciation?