Comments (Pronunciation Only)
This is my middle name and is pronounced ay-lay-nə.
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Variant English Pronunciations: ə-LAYN-ə, ə-LEEN-ə, i-LAYN-ə, i-LEEN-ə.
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The name is pronounced E-leh-nah. There is no Y sound, whether it is Spanish "Elena' or Slavic "Elena".
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I've only ever heard Elena pronounced as EL-a-na where I live (Canada,) but I know that in Russian it's ye-LYEH-na, and in some other languages the stress is also on the second syllable. I've never heard it pronounced like Alaina, but I guess it's possible! I love how the name Elena translates well into so many other languages!
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ə-LEE-nə is the way I pronounce it.
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Variant English Pronunciation: i-LAYN-ə.
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Better than Helen and Ellen, I pronounce this Eh-leh-nah.
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This has become a very popular name. The ways I hear people say it are "E-lay-na" and "A-lane-a". [noted -ed]
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My name is Elena and I’ve spent what seems like half of my life correcting people on its pronunciation! I am Welsh and my name is pronounced El- eh- na, I love it pronounced that way. It’s always bothered me when most people say El- ay- ner, usually English or American accents. I much prefer the European way! It’s not a very common name where I live, which I like, and I find it strange when watching gymnastics on tv - almost all the Russian gymnasts are called Elena! : )
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It’s not “American laziness” with the pronunciation “uh-lay-nuh, ” but rather simply the way it’s pronounced among most English speakers, at least in the U.S. Names are pronounced differently in different languages, accents, and dialects. Of course, there are simply incorrect ways to pronounce things; but to say Americans are ignorant or lazy when pronouncing something differently, not from ignorance, but rather from different regional accents and simply different ways of pronouncing things, isn’t very fair. I’ve heard English speakers from different English-speaking countries pronounce this name (and other names that Americans are given a hard time about for the way they say them) the “lazy American way,” yet it’s only the Americans who are given a hard time for it.
Sorry for the rant, but apparently the fact that people pronounce things differently based on where they come from needed to be brought back to people’s memory. Now, again, there certainly are incorrect and simply ignorant ways of pronouncing things; but when a significant number of people are pronouncing something the way they do simply because that’s how they speak does not indicate that they are lazy or ignorant.
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Sorry for the rant, but apparently the fact that people pronounce things differently based on where they come from needed to be brought back to people’s memory. Now, again, there certainly are incorrect and simply ignorant ways of pronouncing things; but when a significant number of people are pronouncing something the way they do simply because that’s how they speak does not indicate that they are lazy or ignorant.
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As is evident by the comments, this name has numerous regional variant pronunciations depending on the linguistic influences in that region. For those arguing the 'correct' Spanish pronunciation; there are notable differences in Spanish dialects from Spain to Mexico to Bolivia, etc. And the pronunciations may vary even in Spanish. Spanish dialects often have the regional indigenous population native to that region influence words in that particular dialect. So, you all have valid points.
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This is my name. Most people say it eh-LAY-na, but usually American laziness makes it uh-LAY-na. I've always thought that the correct pronunciation was more like ee-lay-na, but I'd also heard the Spanish eh-leh-na and Russia ye-leh-na. I don't mind the "lay", but the "uh" bothers me, and it's always annoyed me to death when my grandma calls me "Elener." But I guess it's just her accent. My sister used to call me Miss Elenious.
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My name is Elena and I pronounce it as ah-LEEN-nah (Aleena). I hate when people mispronounce it as Ah-lay-na or Eh-ley-na (Spanish). I'm African American and my ancestors are Native American descent as well as African American. My name is beautiful and it means shinning light, light of God and Bright.
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I like this name a lot. I pronounce it El-Lain-Uh.
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In Croatia this name can be pronounced in 2 ways: el-LENN-ah or EL-en-ah. I love both of them.
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Well, my name is Elena and I am Serbian so I was named after my great grandmother, Jelena (Ye-LEH-na) I pronounce my name E-LAY-nuh or just uh-LAY-nuh I find this the prettiest way to pronounce the name. I am frequently called Eh-LEH-na which I hate because personally I think it sounds kind of ugly.
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I'm not sure why anyone would look at the name Elena and pronounce the le as "lay". I've always heard it as "leh", and that makes sense to me. When I named one of my daughters my own variation of this name, I wanted it pronounced "ee-LAY-nah", so I spelled it Elaina.
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The Italian pronunciation is not e-LE-nah, but E-le-nah! [noted -ed]
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You can pronounce it however you want, but the real pronunciation is e-leh-na. I mean c'mon, please, people, get it right.
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This is my name and everyone always pronounces it UH-lay-na, which I hate. Personally I think it should be pronounced the way it was meant, Eh-leh-na.
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A girl at my school's name is Elena and she pronounces it El-eh-na.
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My name is Elena and my parents have always said it as E-Lee-Na. And to tell you the truth. I have never liked it.
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In Spanish, this name would be pronounced ay-LAY-nah.
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In Spanish this name is NOT pronunced ay-Lay-nuh but eh-leh-nah. It really bugs me when Americans pronounced this name ay-Lay-nuh and INSIST that it's the correct pronunciation. If this name where to be pronounced ay-LAY-nuh in Spanish then it would be spelled Eileina, so please pronounce it the right way!
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The Spanish pronunciation is not e-LAY-na. It is eh-LEH-na. Only in English is the name pronounced e-LAY-na, though where the long 'a' sound comes from really escapes me.
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Actually, it IS pronounced ay-LAY-na in Spanish. "E" is pronounced "ay," not "eh" in Spanish, so that's where the "ay" sound comes from in the English pronunciation, as well. This is my (non-Spanish) niece's name, but is also a fairly common name in the area where I live for girls of Mexican heritage, and they do NOT pronounce it ay-LEH-na.
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It is funny when non native speakers of Spanish try to teach us natives lessons on how to pronounce our language. I'm not a Mexican living in the US but a Spaniard living in Spain so I have a "slight" idea of how to speak Spanish.
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In Russian this name would be pronounced YEH-lehn-ah.
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