View Message

[Opinions] Leila
What are your thoughts on Leila?How do you pronounce it?Read further after you have thought about the pronunciation ;)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.Do you think lie-la would work or will it be too annoying to correct people?Please rate my list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/6232
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

I actually like Leila, I had a friend with that name in the Summer of 2019. I thought it was pretty nice, I’m not sure if I prefer this spelling or Layla, but Layla I can appreciate because of the Eric Clapton song. Regardless, I dislike the LIE-la pronunciation and it sounds sour and unpleasant on the ear. I’d pair Leila with...Leila Imogen
Leila Belle Rose
Leila Gabrielle
vote up1
I have always thought it pronounced LAY-la; I prefer that pronunciation, but I feel about it much the same way I feel about many other names - it feels like a nickname, even though I know it isn't one. For the LIE-la pronunciation, I prefer Lila, but that too feels incomplete as a name to me.
vote up1
I used to adore Leila but over the years my love waned. I knew a beautiful Arabic woman with the name, with this spelling, and it made me partial to this spelling because of her.That said, the lie-luh pronunciation isn't that bad. Since meeting the previously mentioned Leila the more I've met they've pronounced it lie-luh. So I don't think it'd be that big of a pain. Besides, once you tell someone how to pronounce it they'll usually remember. I have a name no one can pronounce but it doesn't bother me to correct people all the time.
vote up1
Love Leila / Laila / Layla. I pronounce it the English way. If you want a name pronounced Lila, just use Lila. You will have to correct 100% of people.
vote up1
I'm neutral about Leila; I don't like it or dislike it. But I prefer Layla better, I guess. I think I'll pronounce it as /lay-LA/. I don't think I'll pronounce Leila as /lie-la/ -- it sounds like German to me. But of course the pronunciation and the mindset are depending on the bearer.
vote up1
My great-grandmother's name was Lela and in some cases, I believe it was also misspelled as Leila so when I pronounce it I use 'lee-luh' and I can see how it can also be said as 'lay-luh' but that to me is Layla/Laila.
vote up1
It's beautiful. Silky, memorable, wonderful meaning. I pronounce it LAY-la. I imagine LIE-la would cause much confusion (in the English -speaking world, I know it's the Arabic pronunciation).
vote up3
In my opinion, Leila’s fine. I’ll use it for a pet or a small daughter. I prefer Layla. Laila is a bit princessy.Lie-la won’t work. I pronounce it LAI-lah.
vote up1
Among English-speaking people, Leila is pronounced Lay-La, just like Layla, Leyla, Laila, et al. If you want the other pronunciation, you use Lila, Lyla, Lilah, Lylah.I like Leila, but far prefer Layla. The Leila spelling feels somehow old/elderly to me.
vote up1
Sorry, though I suspect the majority of English speaking people under the age of 30 pronounce Leila the same as Layla, this is NOT the case among older generations. All of the women I knew as a child who were named Leila in the USA pronounced it as "LEE-luh" with the first syllable the same as Lee, and I still think "LEE-luh"" when I see that spelling. If you want to be sure that almost everyone in an English speaking country will pronounce the name as "Lay-luh", the spelling Layla (or Laela) should be used.

This message was edited 7/5/2022, 8:39 AM

vote up1
My stepfather's grandmother was Lela, pronounced Lee-la. My grandmother had a friend named Leila, pronounced Layla. A patient at the optometrist's office where I used to work was Leila, but she pronounced it Lee-EYE-La. She was maybe seventy and I believe she was originally from Texas. I actually think Lee-Eye-La is rather pretty, but again, hard to spell so people would know how to pronounce it.
vote up1
Maybe you'd like Laelia? Lie-lee-ah

This message was edited 7/5/2022, 9:19 AM

vote up2
My Random House unabridged dictionary published in 1987 gives Lee-la as the first pronunciation and Lay-luh as the second for Leila. I've never heard the 3 syllable pronunciation before but I'm not shocked by it. You say you used to work in that office -- if that patient was 70 then, how old would she be today? The women I new named Leila as a child would all have been at least 50 years older than me and so would be at least 120 if they were alive today, which of course none of them are.
vote up1
Is that so clear? Just wondering.Because behindthename lists lay-la, lie-la, lee-la as English pr. of Leila.
vote up1