View Message

For the pronunciation you want, I'd go with Althea instead. I love Rona (prefer that spelling to differentiate it more from Rhonda, which I also dislike). Rhoda I'm not a fan of though. I can't divorce it from the character on the Mary Tyler Moore show- not that she's a bad character but it makes the name feel really dated.

I think Alethea would be confused too often with Althea and like you said Alicia with a lisp. Also sounds or looks like the word Lethal with an A.

---

As far as Rhoda and Rhona I don't think of Rhonda at all. Rhoda is awful to me. I think of an older, unkept woman with 20 cats! Sorry cant get the imagery out of my head! Rhona however is pretty and unique. It is more similar to Rowan than Rhonda for me. I could see Rhona used for a young girl, an old lady and everything in between. Very pretty

I'm assuming you mean more like a-le-THEE-a right? I don't love Alethea, but it's okay. I guess I mean that I can appreciate it for someone else.

---

Rhoda and Rhona are both pretty fun. And way way better than Rhonda.

lol I was about to ask how you say Alethea because I was saying it like Alicia with a lisp, or like Ilithyia if it started with an A. I don't think I like though, said either way. Just sounds a bit odd. I prefer Ilithyia which sounds similar but nicer and which I like the spelling of better.

---

Rhoda is my second mn and I like it, it was my grandmother's name. She went by Rhodey, like Iron Man's sidekick lol which I think is kinda cute. Though, I admit I think Rhona is much prettier!

I'm not a big fan of Alethea, partly because of the ambiguous pronunciation and partly because of a personal association with an Alethea. She pronounced it as "al-THEE-uh" (middle syllable rhymes with 'flea') which doesn't seem to fit the spelling to me. Thea appeals to me more (and maybe even Dorothea?).

---

I do like Rhoda and think it would suit a little girl or grown lady. I agree with you that I don't like Rhonda, and Rhona falls into the same category for me - I think its because I don't like the "Ron" sound.

Hmm, Alethea is one of those names I want to like more than I actually do. It does give me the Alicia with a lisp issue. I'm not great at reading the phonetic versions of names, so I can't really distinguish your preferred pronunciation. I do Know a lady named Aletha, pronounced a-LEETH-a, which I have come to prefer, although I suppose it could be seen as just Alisa with lisp (though it doesn't strike me that way, for whatever reason).

---

I can't say I love either Rhoda or Rhona. I could probably get on board with Rhoda as a nickname for Rhododendron but I have a shameless and unquenchable love for nature names ;). Rhona is a hardware store in these parts, so that's a no for me. And Rhonda, nooooooo.

My daughter had a friend in high school whose name was Alethea. I always liked it. It's the style of name that I usually like. However, it was not pronounced the way that you prefer. It was pronounced uh-LEE-thee-a. I much prefer uh-LEE-thee-a. Maybe that's just a language thing. I don't think that sounds like Alicia with a lisp. If it were uh-LEE-tha, it would, but the long E sound in the third syllable of uh-LEE-thee-a keeps it from sounding like that.

---

I despise Rhoda and Rhona. Along with Rhonda.

---