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Thanks!

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Thank you to all who replied! I feel much better now.

Kathryn is like Steven and Debra: it was invented to bring the spelling into line with the way people pronounce Catherine, Stephen and Deborah! As for people thinking that Catherine is Kathryn, they might well also wonder if it's Katharine, Katherine, Catharine ... all you need to do is tell them. They'll cope.

That's how it's pronounced.

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When I was younger though, there were two girls in my Girl Scout troop, Catherine "Katie" and Kathryn. Because I never heard anyone pronounce Catherine, I assumed it was Cath-REEN, because you know, that's how it looked, and Kathryn was the correct spelling for CATH-rin. I'm glad I never said it out loud before I found out how to pronounce it correctly.

I wasn't aware people pronounced it otherwise. Must be an accent thing, maybe?

That's how I say it. I guess I might say it more like "KATH-er-in" sometimes, and I sometimes say it more flourishy like "KATH-er-EEN" in my head (but not out loud because it makes no sense in my accent). For the most part, I think people say KATH-rin.

I have always pronounced both Catherine and Katherine as "KATH ryn".

My dd, Katherine, and I pronounce her name with three syllables, however, we're the only ones in the family who do this. IOW, most people do pronounce Katherine with two syllables (much the same way they pronounce William and Julia with two syllables). I don't think you'd have a problem with this.

NO MY GOD WHAT CAN YOU BE THINKING

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Haha, yes. I think that people vary as to what extent they put emphasis on the middle syllable of Catherine, but even at its strongest, it's weak, and barely distinguishable from Kathryn.

Well, my name is Catherine and I pronounce it KATH-ryn. It sounds weird when you try to say it with 3 syllables. I guess maybe I put a very, very slight middle syllable in there, but for all intents and purposes, Catherine and Kathryn are indistinguishable. I've never had a problem with people saying my name wrong.

From what I can tell, in actual practice, Katherine and Kathryn sound pretty much the same. You'll have to spell it anyway so you might as well not worry too much about the little nuances of pronunciation.

That's how I pronounce it. No trouble.

That's how I pronounce it, and it's my middle name. I never hear it pronounced another way.

I've only ever pronounced Catherine, Katherine, and Kathryn that way. And I've only ever heard them pronounced that way. So I'd say it's definitely acceptable!

I think that is most peoples default pronunciation, perfectly fine.

Isn't it how it's pronounced in English anyway?

That's how I say it...

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How else would you pronounce it? I've never heard it said any other way.

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When I hear Catherine I assume it's spelled Katherine. Catherine Katherine Kathryn... same thing.

This message was edited 2/10/2014, 11:22 AM

Of course!

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I would automatically think Catherine / Katherine from the pronunciation. That's how I say it aloud (but Cath-er-rine in my head).

That's how I pronounce it...

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And it's the only way I've ever heard it pronounced. I don't think people would assume it's Kathryn and even if they did it might be because that's the spelling they're familiar with.

That's how I'd say it too. Maybe people say KATH-er-inn when they're thinking about it, but I think a lot of people would say KATH-ryn when they're talking quickly anyway.

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If you're worried about it, why not just spell it Kathryn?