How should I spell my baby's name?

[Desert Strawberry]

If this baby is a girl, I like the name Lee-ruh. ETA: Or Leer-uh. Close enough.

How should we spell it?

[Dory]

I like the look of Lyra better, but you will end up with some people pronouncing it as Lie-ruh. That being said, people seem to be able to mispronounce names no matter how you spell them so I would still vote for Lyra.

[Jennay]

I think Lie-ruh when I see Lyra.

I think Leer-uh when I see Lira.

So I voted something else.

[Ailaena]

 

 

Ha, you should have made a poll ;) 

 

Here is my two cents:

 

Lira = leer-uh

Lyra = lie-ruh

 

I'm trying, but I cannot get to lee-ruh, which seems like you want the emphasis is only on the lee? Leera?

 

 

 

lol, you made a poll while I was fighting with autocorrect :P

[Amy in NH]

Lyra = lie-ruh

 

Lira = Lee-ruh

[Ellie]

Ha, you should have made a poll ;) 

 

Here is my two cents:

 

Lira = leer-uh

Lyra = lie-ruh

 

I'm trying, but I cannot get to lee-ruh, which seems like you want the emphasis is only on the lee? Leera?

 

 

 

lol, you made a poll while I was fighting with autocorrect :p

 

I think you're worrying too much about syllables, lol. Lee-ruh and Leer-uh pretty much sound the same. :-)

 

[Guest]

I like the look of Lyra better, but you will end up with some people pronouncing it as Lie-ruh. That being said, people seem to be able to mispronounce names no matter how you spell them so I would still vote for Lyra.

I vote this. Lyra looks like a real name; Lira looks manufactured. Be prepared to give a lot of good-natured correction. I thought I chose the most obvious spelling imaginable with DD, but people still mistake her name for several similar names.

[chiguirre]

Lira is a currency. I'd choose Lyra. That's the way they spell the constellation.

[hornblower]

lira was the currency of italy until they joined EU & it was pronounced lee-ra 

to me they both say lee-ra but I like the look of Lyra better....

Beautiful name btw.

[blondeviolin]

I say Lyra. We don't say lyrics lie-ricks.

[Word Nerd]

Lira is a currency. I'd choose Lyra. That's the way they spell the constellation.

The constellation is pronounced lie-ra.

[momto10blessings]

I say Lyra. We don't say lyrics lie-ricks.

This is what came to my mind.

[hornblower]

But we say lyrical :)

[Word Nerd]

Do you say Lycra as "lee-cra" or lyre as "leer"?

[daffodil]

I voted for Lira because I think it's more likely to get the pronunciation you want.

[Twigs]

It looks like no matter how you spell it, you will be correcting someone on the pronunciation, so spell it however you like.

Best wishes.

[ThisIsTheDay]

Most people aren't going to say it correctly, no matter how you spell it.  I can't believe how the simplest of names will sometimes throw people.

 

It's a beautiful name, and I voted Lyra.  To me, it's the "right" way, and even if most others are wrong, at least you'll be right!

[SeaConquest]

You might want to see a real life Lyra? My friends' daughter. http://www.therebelheart.com/charlottes-blog/2014/10/19/getting-crafty-custom-animal-pillow-for-lyra.html

[Tohru]

Lyra is much more feminine.  Lira looks strange.

 

Use numerology.  lol!

[Chelli]

I would pronounce Lyra = Lie-ruh and Lira = Leer-uh if I saw them written down and had to give it my first guess. 

That being said, I like the spelling of Lyra better because it would be prettier in cursive (does any one else do that when choosing names, see how it looks when written in cursive?)

 

I agree with everyone else though. Lyra/Lira is one of those names where everyone will probably say it differently when they see it. 

[milovany]

Interesting!  I read the first post and the answered the poll before looking at any replies.  For me, when I saw both names in the poll, I instantly thought:

 

"Lyra" = leer-uh

"Lira" = lie-ruh

 

I voted for Lyra.  Very pretty. 

[KrissiK]

I would spell it with a "y" and when I saw the name, I pronounced it "leer-uh" in my mind.

[rjand6more]

I like the name a lot.  

 

It looks like Lyla, though, and that's how I would pronounce it. Lie-rah

How about Learah?

[hornblower]

I did just remember that there is a Lyra in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series (Golden Compass etc). In the movie they have her name pronounced as Lie-rah

I think you should just go with whichever one you like the look of more :)

[foxbridgeacademy]

You might want to see a real life Lyra? My friends' daughter. http://www.therebelheart.com/charlottes-blog/2014/10/19/getting-crafty-custom-animal-pillow-for-lyra.html

She's adorable!

 

I like the spelling Lyra best but would pronounce it Lie-ruh (think Lycra) .  Lira for me is Leer-ruh (stretching out the r sound).  Sorry, to get Lee-ruh I would need it spelled out a bit more.... Leera maybe? I like the Lee-ruh best though, my dad's middle name is Lee and I've thought about ways to incorporate into a girls name .... Leela was my favorite. 

 As someone with an often mispronounced name I can tell you it is extremely frustrating when 9 out of 10 get it wrong, I ended up shortening it to a one syllable so I didn't have to listen to people butcher it.  

[horsellian]

I would go with Lira if you want the Lee-rah pronunciation, everyone I know would pronounce Lyra as Lie-ra.

 

In Europe everyone would pronounce Lira right, because that was the spelling and pronunciation of the the pre-Euro Italian currency  :laugh:.

[Tammi K]

Lyra = lie-ruh

 

Lira = Lee-ruh

 

:iagree: Yep. That's exactly what I was going to say.

[Mom in High Heels]

Lyra.  We say lyric, lyrical, and lyricist that way, so why not Lyra?  I think it's a beautiful name!  No matter how you spell it though, someone is going to pronounce it wrong.  

[Jasperstone]

I like the look of Lyra. I would even consider putting a *h* on the end. But that's just me. :laugh:

[kiwik]

I like the way lyra looks but I would say it lie ruh. If that is a problem try another name because I would lira leer a which is worse.

[diplomum]

Just fyi, lira is still a currency - used in Turkey.

[Guest]

Lyra. We say lyric, lyrical, and lyricist that way, so why not Lyra? I think it's a beautiful name! No matter how you spell it though, someone is going to pronounce it wrong.

This is what I think. I see the name and assume to etymology of the name is the same as those musical words.

 

To Strawberymama - this is giving you a taste of what will happen, no matter how you spell the name. OTOH, if you love the name, I would not be discouraged. My dd is named Kyla. It is constantly conflated with Kayla, Kylie and Kayleigh. However, she just corrects people, no big deal. I am not sorry her name is Kyla; it is the perfect name for her.

[Matryoshka]

I'll have an opinion. ;)

 

To me, Lyra is definitely Lie-ruh.  But I like that spelling better, and to be quite honest, I also like that pronunciation better, because not only is Lira the spelling of the currency, Lee-ruh is the pronunciation as well. 

 

So I say Lyra and Lie-ruh. :D

[Chris in VA]

I like the look of the Y, but agree with others that you will get varying pronunciations, so just go with what you want.

 

Can we ask the middle name? Lyra sure is pretty! One of my preschool kiddos has a sister with that name (spells with a Y, I think).

 

Just don't spell it Leera. Too much like leer--which describes a yucky action.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I chose Lira. Lyra makes me think lyre or a long I sound.

[Cinder]

I pronounce them both the same way so I voted Lyra because it looks prettier.

[horsellian]

Lyra.  We say lyric, lyrical, and lyricist that way, so why not Lyra?  I think it's a beautiful name!  No matter how you spell it though, someone is going to pronounce it wrong.  

 

But we also say "lyre" which doesn't have the same pronunciation as "lyric" etc.

 

I say a long i sound in "lyre" but short i in "lyric", "lyrical" or "lyricist", which would give the name "Lyra" the pronunciation "Li-ra" not "Lie-ra" or "Lee-ra", which sounds really odd.

[bolt.]

Leara

[elegantlion]

I like Lyra - but I'd pronounce it Lie-ruh

[momto10blessings]

Do you say Lycra as "lee-cra" or lyre as "leer"?

I don't ever say those words ;)

[Haiku]

Lyra is "lie-ruh." Lira is nice. I'd probably spell it Lirah to distinguish it from Italian currency.

[merry gardens]

I voted "Lyra".  Setting phonic and old Italian money aside-- it looks beautiful to see handwrite a name with a looped capital L followed by a looped lower case y. Spelled the other way, she'd have to stop her signature for a dot and it simply wouldn't have the same flow.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I voted "Lyra".  Setting phonic and old Italian money aside-- it looks beautiful to see handwrite a name with a looped capital L followed by a looped lower case y. Spelled the other way, she'd have to stop her signature for a dot and it simply wouldn't have the same flow.

I always dot my i's after writing the entire word.  Which doesn't answer the OPs question but I had to respond to the idea of stopping the signature for the dot.

[Word Nerd]

I always dot my i's after writing the entire word.  Which doesn't answer the OPs question but I had to respond to the idea of stopping the signature for the dot.

Me too. We were taught to dot or cross letters after writing the whole word, not after writing an individual letter.

[Haiku]

Me too. We were taught to dot or cross letters after writing the whole word, not after writing an individual letter.

 

Yup. The whole point of cursive is not to lift your pencil until the word is done.

[merry gardens]

Me too. We were taught to dot or cross letters after writing the whole word, not after writing an individual letter.

 

I dot "i's" after handwriting each word, so with that method when writing a full signature that would involve stopping between first and middle or last name if spelled Lira. I think there's a better flow to handwriting "Lyra Lastname" than "Lira Lastname."

 

Everyone on the thread was so focused on phonics, when both spellings could be pronounced the same.  I threw in the aesthetics aspects of the choices onto the thread. Dots or loops? I feel loops flow better and look a bit more sophisticated than dots, but dots seem to me a bit more playful and fun.

 

:D

[domestic_engineer]

Here's something completely different:  Leira

... following the pattern of the English/Irish name Keira / Ciara ... see their pronunciation here:  http://www.babynamesofireland.com/keira

 

[Laurie4b]

Lyra looks a lot like lyre, so I think you'll get a long i pronounciation. I can't think of a word with y in the middle that has a long e sound, only at the end. (There probably are some, but long i or short i are much more common)

 

Lira looks like Lisa, and I think you're more likely to get the pronounciation that you're looking for, but you could still get the long i.

 

 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I say Lyra. We don't say lyrics lie-ricks.

 

This is what I was thinking. I'm surprised people automatically think "lie-ruh" with the y. 

 

I connected Lira with the currency right away too; when I see Lyra, my mind automatically goes to music. 

 

I vote Lyra.

 

ETA: Should have read all the posts :lol: My mind goes to lyrics or lyrical immediately. Lycra and lyre never even entered my mind. I suspect most people have never even heard of a lyre, let alone know how to pronounce it!

 

OP, I think you could debate this all day; you'll still end up correcting people a lot. Choose whichever spelling YOU like best.

[Word Nerd]

This is what I was thinking. I'm surprised people automatically think "lie-ruh" with the y. 

 

I connected Lira with the currency right away too; when I see Lyra, my mind automatically goes to music. 

 

 

I automatically think that because I connect Lyra with the constellation Lyra, which is pronounced only one way: lie-ra (or \ˈlÄ«-rÉ™\ to be exact).

 

I think that unless you (OP) go with a made-up spelling like Leera, you or she will regularly have to tell people how to pronounce it. YMMV whether that's a deal breaker or no big deal. If it isn't important, choose whichever spelling you prefer.