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Help[Opinions] Pronunciation of Elena and Helena
I think we need this thread ;)
I've known at least 5 Elenas. I met all of them in the US but they all had parents who immigrated from either Eastern Europe or Spain. All of them pronounce it EH-leh-na or EL-eh-na (they sound the same to me).
I know it can also be pronounce eh-LAY-na and I actually prefer that pronunciation. However I'm so used to EH-leh-na that I automatically pronounce it that way when I see Elena. It never occured to me to pronounce it e-LAY-na until I watched a show in which it was the name of the main character.
Have you ever met an Elena? How did she pronounce it?
How would you pronounce Elena?
How would you pronounce Helena?
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it?
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina?
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it?
I really like Alaina and Elaina but pronounce them differently: ah-LAY-na and ee-LAY-na. I like Elena as eh-LAY-na but have only ever heard it pronounced EH-leh-na.
WHERE are you from? Country or region...
thanks :)
I've known at least 5 Elenas. I met all of them in the US but they all had parents who immigrated from either Eastern Europe or Spain. All of them pronounce it EH-leh-na or EL-eh-na (they sound the same to me).
I know it can also be pronounce eh-LAY-na and I actually prefer that pronunciation. However I'm so used to EH-leh-na that I automatically pronounce it that way when I see Elena. It never occured to me to pronounce it e-LAY-na until I watched a show in which it was the name of the main character.
Have you ever met an Elena? How did she pronounce it?
How would you pronounce Elena?
How would you pronounce Helena?
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it?
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina?
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it?
I really like Alaina and Elaina but pronounce them differently: ah-LAY-na and ee-LAY-na. I like Elena as eh-LAY-na but have only ever heard it pronounced EH-leh-na.
WHERE are you from? Country or region...
thanks :)
This message was edited 3/27/2012, 5:09 PM
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
Have you ever met an Elena? How did she pronounce it?
~ Nope.
How would you pronounce Elena?
~ eh-LAY-na (I don't like it any other way)
How would you pronounce Helena?
~ HEL-eh-na
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it?
~ Nope.
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina?
~ Alaina - a-LAY-na; Elaina - ee-LAY-na
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it?
~ Yes, an Alayna, and she pronounced it a-LAY-na.
WHERE are you from? Country or region... Pacific Northwest USA
~ Nope.
How would you pronounce Elena?
~ eh-LAY-na (I don't like it any other way)
How would you pronounce Helena?
~ HEL-eh-na
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it?
~ Nope.
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina?
~ Alaina - a-LAY-na; Elaina - ee-LAY-na
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it?
~ Yes, an Alayna, and she pronounced it a-LAY-na.
WHERE are you from? Country or region... Pacific Northwest USA
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Never met either. But I pronounce them "uh-LAY-nuh" and "HELL-en-uh." I pronounce Alaina and Elaina the same as Elena.
From the northeastern US.
From the northeastern US.
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Although I don't notice a lot of the nuances you do, I'll give it a try:
Have you ever met an Elena? How did she pronounce it? never met one.
How would you pronounce Elena? Uh-LAY-nuh
How would you pronounce Helena? Huh-LAY-nuh
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it? Huh-LAY-nuh.
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina? uh-LAY-nuh.
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it? same way I just said.
Have you ever met an Elena? How did she pronounce it? never met one.
How would you pronounce Elena? Uh-LAY-nuh
How would you pronounce Helena? Huh-LAY-nuh
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it? Huh-LAY-nuh.
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina? uh-LAY-nuh.
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it? same way I just said.
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I've known three Elenas, all said Uh-lay-na, which is how I automatically say it and would be seriously confused and surprised if it was el-en-uh. Helena is hell-len-uh like the capital of Montana though I've never met a Helena.Elaina and Alaina are pronounced the same as Elena uh-lay-na. My favorites are in order Alayna, Alaina, Elena, and then Elaina.im from the US
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I've lived most of my life in Texas, but I've also spent years in New York and Florida. I've met multiple Elenas, many Spanish speaking, but not all. They've all been eh-LE-na or eh-LAY-na. None of them have pronounced it like Ellen with an -uh on the end. I think I'd be thrown for a loop, at least for a while, if I met someone who wanted the EL-eh-na pronunciation. Putting the emphasis on that first syllable is very awkward and unfamiliar to me.
I pronounce Helena differently, like Helen with an -uh on the end: HEL-eh-na. I've known two. One pronounced it HEL-eh-na, the other huh-LAY-na.
I'd pronounce Alaina like uh-LAY-na and Elaina like eh-LAY-na. It's a small difference, but it's there. I would never pronounce Elaina as ee-LAY-na, mostly because I don't pronounce Elaine as ee-LAYN. It's more like eh-LAYN or even uh-LAYN. I've seen Alaina in local BAs, but I've never met anyone named Alaina or Elaina face-to-face.
I pronounce Helena differently, like Helen with an -uh on the end: HEL-eh-na. I've known two. One pronounced it HEL-eh-na, the other huh-LAY-na.
I'd pronounce Alaina like uh-LAY-na and Elaina like eh-LAY-na. It's a small difference, but it's there. I would never pronounce Elaina as ee-LAY-na, mostly because I don't pronounce Elaine as ee-LAYN. It's more like eh-LAYN or even uh-LAYN. I've seen Alaina in local BAs, but I've never met anyone named Alaina or Elaina face-to-face.
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Have you ever met an Elena? How did she pronounce it? - YES! I went to school with an Elena. Pronounced Eh-LEN-uh
How would you pronounce Elena? El-LEN-nah
How would you pronounce Helena? Hel-en-na
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it? No I haven't.
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina? Ah-LAY-nah and EL-ay-nah.
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it? I know an Alaina said Ah-LAY-nah.
I'm from Wisconsin in the USA.
How would you pronounce Elena? El-LEN-nah
How would you pronounce Helena? Hel-en-na
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it? No I haven't.
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina? Ah-LAY-nah and EL-ay-nah.
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it? I know an Alaina said Ah-LAY-nah.
I'm from Wisconsin in the USA.
This message was edited 3/27/2012, 9:59 PM
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Elena I've seen as EH-leh-na and as eh-LAY-na , I work with an Elena prn as eh-LAY-na now! :-)
Helena I say as ha-lee-na because that's how my sister says it. Her nn is Lena and she's the only Helena I know. People most often mis-pronounce her name as helen-ah more than anything. I have met 2 Heleena's though.
Helena I say as ha-lee-na because that's how my sister says it. Her nn is Lena and she's the only Helena I know. People most often mis-pronounce her name as helen-ah more than anything. I have met 2 Heleena's though.
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I know three Elenas. Two are Russian and pronounce it uh-LAY-nah (well, I'm sure they pronounce it differently in Russian, but that's how they say it in English). The third is Cuban and pronounces it EL-eh-nah. I've never met a Helena in real life, but I know one on the internet and she says HEL-eh-nah.
I'd say eh-LEH-nah for Elena and HEL-eh-nah for Helena.
Alaina and Elaina are both uh-LAY-nah. I've met one Alaina who said it that way.
I'm from California.
I'd say eh-LEH-nah for Elena and HEL-eh-nah for Helena.
Alaina and Elaina are both uh-LAY-nah. I've met one Alaina who said it that way.
I'm from California.
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I know that the stress is on the first syllable in Italy and Greece. I wasn't aware it was that way anywhere else. Then again, there is no one correct pronunciation for any name. I pronounce mine eh-LAY-nuh and I'd say most people get it right (95%). The only EH-leh-nuh I've ever gotten was the automated voice from CVS telling me my prescription was ready. ;-) I've a friend from Puerto Rico and when I asked her how she pronounced my name she looked at me a little oddly and then pronounced it the way I do. Again, no one correct pronunciation. I've never known anyone with the name although I did overhear (a year or so ago) a mom in the store calling her dd (about 10 years old). She pronounced it eh-LEN-uh.
With Helena, I've only known one. We grew up together and she pronounced it heh-LAY-nuh. I'd say I prefer HEH-len-uh, however, the first pronunciation is my default.
I pronounce Alaina and Elaina the same (uh-LAY-nuh) and have known one of each. BTW, this topic has been on the board several times so if you look in the archives, it may be helpful to you (give you a more complete idea of how others pronounce the names). I'm from the Southeastern US, BTW.
With Helena, I've only known one. We grew up together and she pronounced it heh-LAY-nuh. I'd say I prefer HEH-len-uh, however, the first pronunciation is my default.
I pronounce Alaina and Elaina the same (uh-LAY-nuh) and have known one of each. BTW, this topic has been on the board several times so if you look in the archives, it may be helpful to you (give you a more complete idea of how others pronounce the names). I'm from the Southeastern US, BTW.
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I know an Alaina and an Elena, and their names sound pretty much the same - ah-LAY-na and eh-LAY-na, but the eh- is almost ah- in her case. Elena was born in Russia, so her name is Russian. She was adopted pretty young so i can't guarantee this pronunciation is Russian. Alaina is my sister. We live in the USA.
I would probably pronounce Helena to rhyme with those two names, and would pronounce Elaina as ee-LAY-na, but know no one by either name to confirm this with. I do know Alaina gets her name mispronounces and sometimes misspelled this way often, which is why i am of the opinion they are pronounced differently.
I would probably pronounce Helena to rhyme with those two names, and would pronounce Elaina as ee-LAY-na, but know no one by either name to confirm this with. I do know Alaina gets her name mispronounces and sometimes misspelled this way often, which is why i am of the opinion they are pronounced differently.
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I would pronounce Helena as HEL-en-uh (pretty much like Helen with an -a at the end) as in Helena, Montana. I have some German great-grandmothers named Helena and I think their names were pronounced heh-LAY-na, but I'm not sure since I never met them (and I think at least one of them went by Helen anyway).
I'd say Elena, Alaina, and Elaina all the same (uh-LAY-na) unless Elena was in a Spanish context, in which case I'd say it in a Spanish accent - more like eh-LEH-na.
I'd say Elena, Alaina, and Elaina all the same (uh-LAY-na) unless Elena was in a Spanish context, in which case I'd say it in a Spanish accent - more like eh-LEH-na.
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Elena = in between eh-LAY-na and eh-LEN-a (I think I've met one at some point, but can't actually recall one)
Helena = Elena with an H sound in front. HEL-lenna is a city in Montana to me, but I guess some people probably pronounce the personal name that way.
Alaina = ahl-LAY-na / uh-LAY-na
Elaina = ee-LAY-na, but would not be surprised if it were el-LAY-na though (never met one)
Western US
Helena = Elena with an H sound in front. HEL-lenna is a city in Montana to me, but I guess some people probably pronounce the personal name that way.
Alaina = ahl-LAY-na / uh-LAY-na
Elaina = ee-LAY-na, but would not be surprised if it were el-LAY-na though (never met one)
Western US
This message was edited 3/27/2012, 5:35 PM
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Have you ever met an Elena? How did she pronounce it? She pronounced it eh-LEH-na (stress on the middle syllable) I think she was from Poland
How would you pronounce Elena? I would normally pronounce it eh-LAY-na
How would you pronounce Helena? Helen-ah is my preferred pronunciation
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it? Hel-EE-na. She was from Ireland.
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina? Alaina- ah-LAY-na, Elaina- eh-LAY-na
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it? I haven't met one
I'm from the UK.
How would you pronounce Elena? I would normally pronounce it eh-LAY-na
How would you pronounce Helena? Helen-ah is my preferred pronunciation
Have you ever met a Helena and how did she pronounce it? Hel-EE-na. She was from Ireland.
How do you pronounce Alaina, Elaina? Alaina- ah-LAY-na, Elaina- eh-LAY-na
Have you ever met an Alaina, Elaina and how did they pronounce it? I haven't met one
I'm from the UK.
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