List of Names in English With Counterintuitive Pronunciations - Given Names

Given Names

  • Antawn Jamison – /ˈæntwɑːn/ (American English pronunciation of "Antoine". For more information, see the section on his name.)
  • Chynna Phillips – /ˈtʃaɪnə/
  • Kiki Cuyler – /ˈkaɪkaɪ/ (KY-ky); compare with the more common /ˈkiːki/ (KEE-kee), as in Kiki Dee and Kiki Vandeweghe
  • Magdalen(e) (as in Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalene College, Cambridge) – /ˈmɔːdlɨn/
  • MaliVai Washington – /mæləˈviːə/ (mal-ə-VEE-ə)
  • Matraca Berg – /məˈtreɪsə/ (mə-TRAY-sə)
  • Michellie Jones – /mɨˈkiːli/ (mə-KEE-lee)
  • Monta Ellis – /ˈmɒnteɪ/ (MON-tay)
  • Picabo Street – /ˈpiːkəbuː/
  • Ralph – traditionally /ˈreɪf/, as with Ralph Fiennes, Ralph Vaughan Williams; now usually the intuitive /ˈrælf/
  • Rise – occasionally /ˈriːsə/ (REE-sə, after Risë Stevens: the diaeresis over the e of Risë indicates that it is not a silent e)
  • Seamus – /ˈʃeɪməs/ (spelling Séamus is regular in Irish)
  • Sean – /ˈʃɔːn/ (spelling Seán is regular in Irish)
  • Shan Foster – /ˈʃeɪn/
  • Siobhan – /ʃɨˈvɔːn/ (shə-VAWN; spelling Siobhán is regular in Irish)
  • Stephen Curry – /ˈstɛfən/, instead of the more common (in American English) /ˈstiːvən/
  • Wynonna Judd – /waɪˈnoʊnə/ (wy-NOH-nə)

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Famous quotes containing the word names:

    “All the names of good and evil are parables: they do not declare, but only hint. Whoever among you seeks knowledge of them is a fool!”
    —Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)

    “It is a sad truth, but we have lost the faculty of giving lovely names to things. Names are everything. I never quarrel with actions. My one quarrel is with words.... The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for.”
    —Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)