Names that look lovely on paper but not so good when said out loud

[rumtumtugger]

Like Sunday Rose or Harper Seven, or Biba, or Ophelia....

Just trying to figure out what to avoid for dc2!

[MolotovCocktail]

I love how Saorise looks, but it sounds too much like plain old Sarah to me (sorry, don't mean to offend any Sarahs).

I love the look of Lene - should be pronounced 'Lay-nah', I think, but it's actually 'Lee-na' ... which rhymes with hyena. So, spoiled for me!

I actually really like Ophelia, OP: look and sound. Sunday Rose is very pretty to my ears, too :)

[Bunbaker]

It also depends on regional accents. MIL was going to call OH Stephen, but when she heard it being said she changed her mind.

[forgetmenots]

In my (Scottish) accent, I'm not keen on a lot of beautiful French names, to be honest

Aurelie - sounds like orally
Amelie - I think sounds like AMMMilly when a lot of Scottish people say it.

Both gorgeous names and I've recommended them on here, just wouldn't myself saying out loud.

Also have problems with some great Scottish names like Lachlan but no one outside of Scotland will be courteous enough able to prounounce it correctly. It wouldn't stop me using the latter though as it's part of my heritage and I would be appalled if someone didnt use a name from their culture just because I might need an extra stab at saying it properly (and I would try my very best to get it right). This applies for the French names above, btw :)

[exoticfruits]

Natalie

Generally Na a lee -in our area.

[forgetmenots]

Are you Scottish exotic? (Thinking there's a big glottal stop in the middle!)

[BicBiro]

Sunday rose just makes me think of Sunday roast.

sorry

[MolotovCocktail]

Sunday roast! Haha!!

[CruCru]

I'm not sure if this is quite the direction you want the thread to go in but while I love the name Rebecca, I can't stand Becky / Bex - and it will get shortened to these round my way.

[KittenOfDoom]

How are we supposed to say Lachlan then? Is it different from the way it looks?

[forgetmenots]

Lots of people outside of Scotland can't say the 'ch'. And there's an issue with the vowel (traditionally it's 'ah' but it's popular in Australia where it sounds more like Locklin). A name that's almost become a different name if you see what I mean! Wouldn't put me off but can see it would get annoying.

[BOEUF]

Anaïs

[MolotovCocktail]

Agree BOEUF: sounds too much like 'anus' :(

[mungojerrie]

Aurora

[Bunbaker]

My BIL can't pronounce "th" and my niece is now named after the top of a house

[forgetmenots]

bunbaker

[DontCallMeBaby]

All those interesting looking Gaelic names that have the double whammy of not actually being as interesting as they like (eg Seonaid turning out to be basically Shona), and the fact most of the world wouldn't have a clue about pronouncing them.

And I agree with exotic - DD is Natalie, but we don't live in an area with too much of a tendency to drop Ts. If I'd stayed where I grew up I'd probably have called her something different. Thinking about it, I knew a Natalie in sixth form who called herself Natalia ... I thought it was pretentious at the time, but maybe she was onto something, it is MUCH harder to drop the T in Natalia.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Elspeth. Looks gorgeous - sounds full of spit and slurring.

Amelia - depends on the accent obviously, but back home that sounds like 'ameee-yer', and goes extremly badly with commonly-used phrases to toddlers ('Amelia, come here!').

Sophia. Sorry. Beautiful name - but, in the nasty playground tease, a sophia is round. Midlands accents again.

Not the same, but I'm still sad at how Chloe and Cleo sound. I always thought they were really glamorous names, and I somehow thought they sounded different (having read them but not known children with those names). To me, the pronunciation is somehow a bit harder than the look on the page.

[Elvensong]

Cliona. Looks pretty, but is pronounced (where I live) like Cleaner!

[forgetmenots]

dontcallmebaby agree on seonaid, but wouldn't obviously rule out Gaelic names myself (can pronounce correctly!) - my feeling is that if someone told me their name I would try very hard to get it right regardless of spelling. Tricky, though

[forgetmenots]

And agree with LRD on Cleo and Chloe - look gorgeous, can sound hard.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Oh, I love the sound of seonaid. So soft and pretty.

[forgetmenots]

Think it depends on the accent LRD, doesn't it always! My accent rules out so many names!

[Annunziata]

I can't pronounce Lily in my Scottish accent.

[TheOrchardKeeper]

How about foihnula? I mean...who does that to a child!?

(I'm looking at you mum)

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Good point forget! Yes, I see what you mean.

theorchard -wow, that is cruel!