# How do you pronounce the name "Caitlin"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 24, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350 "2014-10-24T14:01:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/21 "2014-10-24T23:48:09Z")
I would assume it to be “Kotch-leen” if I were in Ireland or at a Ceili, and “Kate-linn” if I were in a more American setting. I’m really surprised at some of the Irish answers below. Although I understand the shared roots, it would never occur to me to pronounce it “Kath-leen” if it’s spelled with a c-a-i-t. Do people really do that? > [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > If I’m in Ireland, I know it’s “Kathleen”. If it’s an American girl, she’s probably “Kate-lynn.” > [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Here in Ireland it could be Kathleen or Cawtch-Leen if it has the fadas, Cáitlín, and IIRC the American pronunciation has made inroads too. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > It’s just the Irish spelling for “Kathleen,” which in turn is the Irish version of Katharine. The trouble is, Irish palatal T is not directly equivalent to anything in other dialects of English. In earlier centuries it was mapped onto TH (thus the spelling). For _Cait_, the T is more like English CH, but not quite: even more like T in British English Tuesday (Tyooz-day). In the combination -itlí-, it’s still more like TH to my ear (rather than **An Gadaí** ’s “Cawtch-Leen”), but nothing like the TH in English Kathleen. > > I always use this pronunciation when I call roll, and I am always corrected to “Kate-lynn.” ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/22 "2014-10-25T03:14:34Z")
On Venus it’s pronounced “Nigel”. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/23 "2014-10-25T04:08:21Z")
Closest is Kathleen, as others have explained the lack of a direct translation to English. I still think of the Kate Lynn way as being a sign that people didn’t know any better, but I also realize the tide has turned and I’m just being pedantic about it. (And I say that as someone who has a relative whose name is pronounced “dee-dray” because her mother read it in a book.) We had a similar issue in our household when my husband decided he wanted to name our daughter Caitriona, only he believed it was okay to pronounce it however he liked. I used the veto. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/24 "2014-10-25T04:25:26Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Here in Ireland it could be Kathleen or Cawtch-Leen if it has the fadas, Cáitlín, and IIRC the American pronunciation has made inroads too. ^This. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > It’s just the Irish spelling for “Kathleen,” which in turn is the Irish version of Katharine. The trouble is, Irish palatal T is not directly equivalent to anything in other dialects of English. In earlier centuries it was mapped onto TH (thus the spelling). For _Cait_, the T is more like English CH, but not quite: even more like T in British English Tuesday (Tyooz-day). In the combination -itlí-, it’s still more like TH to my ear (rather than **An Gadaí** ’s “Cawtch-Leen”), but nothing like the TH in English Kathleen. ^And this. I was going to post about the fada if no one else had. The name just isn’t proper Irish unless the fada is included, and without it, the key to Irish pronunciation of the name is lost. I voted for number 4; I’m not from Ireland, but my ancestors are, and I’ve studied the language some. To understand Irish phonology you have to learn to distinguish “lean” consonants from “broad” ones. The “lean” (i.e. palatalized) ones are adjacent to the letters e and i. Often the e or i isn’t pronounced but it’s there to show that the consonant next to it is palatalized. The “broad” consonants are adjacent to a, o, or u. Again, they may not be pronounced but rather put there to show that the consonant isn’t palatalized. It’s slightly more complex than that, but that’s the basic principle. The fada (acute accent) on vowels is important because any vowel marked with it is long and is always pronounced. The unaccented vowels adjacent to the long vowel with fada are not pronounced but affect the consonants next to them. For earlier generations of Irish-Americans like the Kennedys the approximate phonetic spelling of Kathleen was good enough and at least not terribly far off for English speakers who completely lack the lean/broad distinction. But then we got our Celtic pride up and would settle for nothing less than the _authentic_ original Irish name, so everybody became Caitlin—except that without the fada, and with a pronunciation completely unlike the Irish original, I would say the whole point of trying to be “authentically” Gaelic was lost. On [FAILblog.org](http://FAILblog.org), this would be noted as “Irish FAIL.” ---
**Author:** ![MrsTime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@MrsTime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrsTime)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/25 "2014-10-25T04:28:44Z")
My neighbor pronounces her daughters name as Katelyn. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/26 "2014-10-25T04:46:30Z")
The two Caitlins I’ve met here in the Midwest have both been pronounced as the first choice. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/27 "2014-10-25T10:57:43Z")
roast meat. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/28 "2014-10-25T11:21:09Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > roast meat. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/29 "2014-10-25T11:44:27Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Here in Ireland it could be Kathleen or Cawtch-Leen if it has the fadas, Cáitlín, and IIRC the American pronunciation has made inroads too. Then how do you guys pronounce Kathleen? And if the answer is simply “Kathleen” how do you tell the difference ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/30 "2014-10-25T12:09:00Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > :mad: 😃 Caitlin sounds like a sweet name. while we’re on the subject, how do we pronounce **Caitriona**? Katrina? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/31 "2014-10-25T12:28:27Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > 😃 > while we’re on the subject, how do we pronounce **Caitriona**? Katrina? And perhaps more to the point, how does **delphica** ’s husband want to pronounce it? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/32 "2014-10-25T12:51:15Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Then how do you guys pronounce Kathleen? > > And if the answer is simply “Kathleen” how do you tell the difference Throatwarbler Mangrove. I don’t understand your question, we pronounce it “Kathleen”, difference between it and what? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/33 "2014-10-25T12:58:04Z")
I mean if you’re introduced to someone and her name is Kathleen and you want to write a mash note to her later, how do you decide which spelling to use (Caitlin or Kathleen)? ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/34 "2014-10-25T13:13:40Z")
i do this when i forget someone’s name: “Sorry, how do I spell your name?” “B-O-B” ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/35 "2014-10-25T15:49:21Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I mean if you’re introduced to someone and her name is Kathleen and you want to write a mash note to her later, how do you decide which spelling to use (Caitlin or Kathleen)? What shijinn said, you as how they spell it if you’re unsure. There are many Irish names with multiple spellings so it’s often a good idea to ask. For example: Orla Órla Orlagh Órlaith Órfhlaith etc. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/36 "2014-10-25T16:25:27Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Then how do you guys pronounce Kathleen? > > And if the answer is simply “Kathleen” how do you tell the difference Caitlin McPurr of the d’Pounce McPurrs. From County Tuna by way of Treats. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/37 "2014-10-25T16:47:46Z")
> [@MrsTime](#): > > My neighbor pronounces her daughters name as Katelyn. Cattle-in? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/38 "2014-10-25T21:21:46Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > while we’re on the subject, how do we pronounce **Caitriona**? Katrina? It’s Caitr **í** ona, and yes. Pretty much. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/39 "2014-10-25T22:17:56Z")
Another Irish one checking in. If I saw ‘Caitlin’, I’d pronounce it ‘Katelyn’. If I saw ‘Cáitlín’, I’d pronounce it ‘Kawtchleen’ (roughly). I wouldn’t pronounce it ‘Kathleen’ either way, but that’s one of those things that can vary regionally, and I’m pretty sure An Gadaí and I are from different bits of Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350/40 "2014-10-25T22:22:41Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Then how do you guys pronounce Kathleen? > > And if the answer is simply “Kathleen” how do you tell the difference How do you tell the difference between Philip and Phillip? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-the-name-caitlin/702350.md?page=3)