# What's worse: "creative" name spelling, or "creative" name pronunciation? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699 "2015-06-05T12:51:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/41 "2015-06-06T17:13:46Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > They’re pronounced differently. > > Sara has short, hard A. Sarah has longer vowel sound. You must be Australian. That’s the only place which draws this distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/42 "2015-06-06T19:06:10Z")
These threads always make me sad about my name. It’s hard knowing so many people must have negative thoughts and feelings about my name. I didn’t choose it, so I don’t take it personally in that way, but on the other hand, it’s me, you know? When I have to explain it to people, I usually say “it’s just Brenda with a y instead of an e” and sometimes add that my parents condemned me to a lifetime of having to spell my name. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/43 "2015-06-06T23:04:23Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > When I have to explain it to people, I usually say “it’s just Brenda with a y instead of an e” and sometimes add that my parents condemned me to a lifetime of having to spell my name. “It’s Gwendolen, G-w-e-n-d-o-l- **E** -n.”… Person loses interest/attention or assumes they know the spelling (but, why do you think I’m spelling it??) and materials come back with “Gwendolyn”. I’d try “Gwendolen with an e at the end” but I’d get Gwendolyne. I know Gwendolyn is more common but it is supposedly a variant of Gwendolen, and my parents weren’t trying to be dyffarent. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/44 "2015-06-06T23:20:11Z")
> [@opmike](#): > > To the majority of the English speaking world, they are pronounced EXACTLY the same. I have to agree. I have known women with that name spelled both ways and I never heard nor ever would have guessed that they were pronounced differently. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/45 "2015-06-06T23:36:06Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > i feel like you’ve committed some sort of heinous violation of the Social Contract if you give your kid a conventional name with a weird pronunciation. Like if you choose to name your kid James but spell it Jaymz, you might trip some people up, but most English-speakers will look at that name on a list and pronounce it right. If you name your kid James but pronounce it Jah-meez, there is no one on this blighted planet who is going to figure that out and you’ve now doomed your son to 90 years of correcting every single person he ever encounters in his lifetime. Not to mention that every person he encounters is going to thinks he and/or his parents are backwards illiterate hicks who can’t even pronounce a basic name. I think that’s worse than thinking you’re a try-hard special snowflake. It’s even worse if the name is a real word. I saw a woman whose nametag said “Chastady.” Were her parents unaware that the name “Chastity” is also a common word? Or were they bad spellers who couldn’t be assed to look the name up? either way, she might as well have been wearing a tag that said “My parents are ignoramuses.” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/46 "2015-06-06T23:44:25Z")
> [@I.Dunno](#): > > I have to agree. I have known women with that name spelled both ways and I never heard nor ever would have guessed that they were pronounced differently. Well, a FOAF always pronounces hers “Sara-no-h”, enough that people now call her that as her name. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/47 "2015-06-06T23:51:36Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > You must be Australian. That’s the only place which draws this distinction. To make it more confusing, I’ve met Sara(h)s of both spellings who have insisted on both pronunciations - that is, I’ve met Sarahs who pronounce it sah-rah, and Saras who pronounce it sair-ah, as well as the other way around. Big Brother Australia in the early 2000s had contestants named Sara-Marie and Sahra, and if I recall correctly they both pronounced their name as sair-ah. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/48 "2015-06-07T00:37:24Z")
There is a high school girl that works as a checker where I buy groceries. He name tag says “Extacy” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Angry\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@The\_Angry\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Angry_Badger)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/49 "2015-06-07T00:45:20Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > There is a high school girl that works as a checker where I buy groceries. He name tag says “Extacy” Ouch. Apart from the shitty spelling, did her parents want her to be a stripper when she grew up? Because that’s the only profession I can think of where that name would work in her favour. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/50 "2015-06-07T00:52:58Z")
Sorry, fat fingers Her name tag says “Extacy” ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/51 "2015-06-07T02:04:21Z")
> [@dinahmoe](#): > > Where do you stand on “Meaghan”, pronounced MEE-gan? I have had this name for 45 years. My knee-jerk reaction is that it’s ok because I can concievably get mee-gan out of that. If I saw it on my card before giving a tour I would say “megan” but once you say "it’s actually “mee-gan” I would re-read your name and understand it. So you’re cool in my book! 🙂 …but just barely ;)😛 ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/52 "2015-06-07T02:47:14Z")
Goofy spelling is marginally worse, simply because of job applications and potential for prejudice. I’m not sure I’d consider a Steave or a Nyjella for a position, all else equal. Steve or Nigella, yes. Towanda, yes. If I mispronounce Twombly as Toomly, I won’t be mad at myself, and I won’t be mad at Twombly. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/53 "2015-06-07T06:33:58Z")
A suggestion for those with pretentious or unpronounceable names: Get used to being addressed as "Heighyyeugh. Pronounced, "Hey, you’ ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/54 "2015-06-07T07:38:21Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > You must be Australian. That’s the only place which draws this distinction. Not this Australian. I pronounce them the same. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/55 "2015-06-07T08:14:26Z")
I’d say crazy pronunciations, but only because I find an unusual spelling easier to remember, especially if I’m used to pronouncing the word differently. I’m someone who still instinctively reads “hyperbole” as “hyperbowl” and has to mentally correct it. (But I found “calliope” easy because I barely ever said it.) Neither really bother me too much unless the name also sounds stupid or has unfortunate implications. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/56 "2015-06-07T08:19:22Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > “It’s Gwendolen, G-w-e-n-d-o-l- **E** -n.”… > > Person loses interest/attention or assumes they know the spelling (but, why do you think I’m spelling it??) and materials come back with “Gwendolyn”. > > I’d try “Gwendolen with an e at the end” but I’d get Gwendolyne. > > I know Gwendolyn is more common but it is supposedly a variant of Gwendolen, and my parents weren’t trying to be dyffarent. Have you tried not reducing the last e, so the last e has the same vowel as the first e? That’s how I would say it my head to remember which spelling to use. I do that with pen and pin, even though most people I know around here pronounce them the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/57 "2015-06-08T03:08:21Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > They’re pronounced differently. > > Sara has short, hard A. Sarah has longer vowel sound. I once had a class with three Sarahs, all spelled differently, but all pronounced the same. I have heard of people who pronounce Sara(h) as Sah-rah, but never had a girl in class who pronounced it that way. Now Andrea. I had two Andreas one year, and one was Ann-dreea and the other was Ahn-draya. Of course Ahn-draya never told the teachers how it was pronounced, and never corrected us. She just waited until her mother came in and yelled at us for mispronouncing her daughter’s name. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/58 "2015-06-08T05:10:21Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Really? That’s nowhere near as heinous as Greg being misspelled as Gregg. 🙂 Part of my job is to ensure that a person’s name is spelled correctly. A few times, my conversation has been… Me- …and the first name is? Caller - Gregg Me - is that two g’s or three? Caller - (giggles) two! Me - so that’s “G-R-E-G” Caller - no… it’s “G-R-E-G-G” Me - that’s three (and laughing raucously inside) aaahhhh… I KILL me! ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/59 "2015-06-08T05:34:29Z")
> [@GrizzRich](#): > > Part of my job is to ensure that a person’s name is spelled correctly. A few times, my conversation has been… > Me- …and the first name is? > Caller - Gregg > Me - is that two g’s or three? > Caller - (giggles) two! > Me - so that’s “G-R-E-G” > Caller - no… it’s “G-R-E-G-G” > Me - that’s three (and laughing raucously inside) > > aaahhhh… I KILL me! I bet I’d say two, also figuring you meant at the end rather than the whole name, and probably before you got the word three out of your mouth. That’s because I sometimes anticipate, and sometimes hear what I expect a person to say. And I have certainly made mistakes with both. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699/60 "2015-06-08T14:15:57Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > These threads always make me sad about my name. It’s hard knowing so many people must have negative thoughts and feelings about my name. I didn’t choose it, so I don’t take it personally in that way, but on the other hand, it’s me, you know? > > When I have to explain it to people, I usually say “it’s just Brenda with a y instead of an e” and sometimes add that my parents condemned me to a lifetime of having to spell my name. I know what you mean; my name is spelled with an “I” at the end. As a little kid, I thought it was pretty nifty to be different, until I realized that I could never get anything preprinted with my name spelled correctly at places like Disneyland. Then I got on board with the whole “spelled with an I is a bimbo thing”, seemingly forgetting that my own damned named is spelled the “bimbo” way :smack: I’m pretty much over both of those things now, but the mind does boggle how someone could pronounce “Shari” as “Sharry” (rhyming with “starry”). \ That’s not even a _word_! \ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worse-creative-name-spelling-or-creative-name-pronunciation/721699.md?page=4)