# How should I pronounce this name? "Alisa" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 29, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137 "2008-07-29T20:10:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/1 "2008-07-29T20:10:40Z")
Alisa Is it ah-lee-sah…ah-lee-za…or ah-lis-sah. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/2 "2008-07-29T20:16:41Z")
I know someone by that name. She pronounces it uh-LEE-suh. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/3 "2008-07-29T20:24:23Z")
It looks misspelled to me, but I would still pronounce it the same way I’d pronounce Alyssa. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/4 "2008-07-29T20:25:53Z")
I would pronounce it however the person who has the name wants you to pronounce it. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/5 "2008-07-29T20:26:56Z")
Pronounce it “Lisa” and then when corrected, say you mis-read. ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/6 "2008-07-29T22:09:56Z")
That’s my cousin’s name. She pronounces it “uh-LEE-suh”. Basically, “A” + “Lisa”. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/7 "2008-07-29T22:11:53Z")
I know someone who pronounces it the same way as mentioned above. Which is to Uh LEE sah. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/8 "2008-07-29T22:54:40Z")
I have a relative whose name is Alyssa. She pronounces it “ah-lis-sah”. ---
**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:** [July 29, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/9 "2008-07-29T23:35:41Z")
My son has a friend in school who picks on/teases him who pronounces her name “ah-lis-sah”. (I don’t have the heart to tell him he’ll probably end up married to her…) ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/10 "2008-07-30T03:17:22Z")
Yeah, another vote from someone who knows a girl with that name… she pronounces it like Lisa but with an A before it. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/11 "2008-07-30T03:32:20Z")
Alisa is a Lisa. Alissa (or Alyssa) is a Lissa (or Lyssa). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/12 "2008-07-30T16:21:10Z")
I’ve encountered the name quite a bit, and every time the girl in question has pronounced it uh-lee-sa. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/13 "2008-07-30T16:31:15Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] It looks misspelled to me, but I would still pronounce it the same way I’d pronounce Alyssa. [/QUOTE] But it’s not the same name. Hmm, the name Kristi looks misspelled to me. I’ll just pronounce it Janet. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/14 "2008-07-30T17:23:10Z")
Just _ask_ her, for goodness sake. 🙂 FWIW, we have “Alissa” and “Alisa” here at work and they both pronounce their names “uh-LISS-uh.” ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/15 "2008-07-30T17:36:21Z")
One more possibility: the name could be Japanese, in which case the closest English pronunciation would be /a-ri-sa/. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/16 "2008-07-30T18:08:37Z")
Maybe I should just ask her. 😃 Seriously, the best thing would be to get her name correct right out of the gate – First impressions, and all that jazz. Of course asking her is an option. Jeesh, I though there’d be consensus as to the pronunciation of the name! I love the name ah-liss-ah…or uh-liss-uh (guess it depends on your dialect), BUT it’d make more sense to me if it was actually ah-lee-sah…or uh-lee-suh. ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/17 "2008-07-30T18:25:02Z")
Ah, one of the reasons I always dread the first week of school (I’m a teacher). How do you pronounce those names that could go 2 ways? My first instinct on this name is always like Alyssa (don’t know why). Sometimes I’m right, sometimes I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/18 "2008-07-31T21:28:36Z")
And the correct pronunciation is… …ah- LEE- sah… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/19 "2008-08-01T01:06:13Z")
Call her Bob, & damn all consultations. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137/20 "2008-08-01T01:09:44Z")
You should put your hand right on the side of her neck and then whisper it in her ear - like, right up next to her ear, practically touching it with your mouth. That always turns girls on. It’s almost like their ears and necks are sexual zones or something. If you do it right, it doesn’t even matter how you pronounce it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-pronounce-this-name-alisa/458137.md?page=2)