Message: "Gendered names with the same pronunciation but different spelling"

[Opinions] Gendered names with the same pronunciation but different spelling

by jonesilove

3/26/2023, 12:06 AM

I’ve been thinking about names with different meanings that are pronounced the exact same, but have different spellings for boy names versus girl names. Can you add any to my list?

Gene and Jean
Don and Dawn
Iván and Yvonne

#pronunciation

Replies

- molly

3/28/2023, 12:20 AM

Joe and Jo
Ronnie and Rani
Lonnie and Lani
Raz (unisex) and Roz
Rowe and Ro
Artie and Aarti
Nikita and Nikita (the same spelling when transliterated to English, but spelled differently in Russian and Hindi)

- JemimahGertrude +1

3/27/2023, 12:38 PM

In my country Aaron and Erin are pronounced differently. Aaron's A has an 'apple' sound. Erin's E has an 'egg' sound.

- jonesilove

3/27/2023, 10:51 PM

That’s fascinating! I had never heard that pronunciation but I’m sure it has been helpful to differentiate the two names.

- clevelandkentevans +8

3/26/2023, 11:17 AM

Just to point out, there are many people in the English-speaking world who still make a distinction between the "ah" and "aw" sounds and who therefore do NOT think Don and Dawn are pronounced the same way.

And of course, in English Ivan and Yvonne are also not pronounced the same way, though in other languages they are.

- jonesilove +7

3/26/2023, 11:27 AM

Just so you know, there is a big difference between Iván and Ivan.

- ari. +6

3/26/2023, 11:36 AM

And Iván isn't pronounced anything like Yvonne either.

- jonesilove +5

3/26/2023, 7:41 PM

Maybe not in your dialect.

- ari. +4

3/26/2023, 11:14 PM

How do you pronounce them?

- jonesilove +3

3/27/2023, 7:28 AM

I have no doubt they could be pronounced otherwise, but I have always heard ee-VAHN and ee-VAHN.

- ari. +2

3/27/2023, 7:38 AM

What's the ah sound? The a in car? The o in pot?

- jonesilove +1

3/27/2023, 8:35 AM

Like car in both, yes

- ari.

3/27/2023, 10:16 AM

Interesting. Never heard Yvonne pronounced that way!

- Ceri (Ceri12) +1

3/26/2023, 10:55 AM

Gayle and Gale
Geri and Jerry
Leigh and Lee

- jonesilove

3/26/2023, 11:31 AM

These are both great, especially as we see Gale gaining momentum in the US it seems.

- Kaesy

3/26/2023, 10:33 AM

Frances and Francis

(Don and Dawn definitely aren't homophones for me)

This message was edited 3/26/2023, 10:34 AM

- Manipura (glaucous) +2

3/26/2023, 9:35 AM

Noah "rest" & Noa "motion"
Gael & Gail
Béla & Beyla / Beyle / Baila
Paulie & Polly

This message was edited 3/26/2023, 9:50 AM

- jonesilove +1

3/26/2023, 11:28 AM

Great to know the differences exist between Noa and Noah! I actually thought Noa was simply a variant of Noah. Silly me!

- Manipura (glaucous)

3/26/2023, 12:06 PM

Technically they could be spelled both ways for either gender/meaning in English (I've seen examples of that, even though Noa seems most prevalent as feminine and vice versa), but yeah, they're based on separate Hebrew names.

This message was edited 3/26/2023, 2:27 PM

- RoxStar +1

3/26/2023, 7:29 AM

Don and Dawn?

These aren't pronounced the same at all. Maybe in some accents, but ...
In English, Ivan is usually pronounced EYE-Vin, not like Yvonne.

- jonesilove

3/26/2023, 11:30 AM

Yes but as you will noticed, I specifically wrote Iván. Ivan and Iván are pronounced very differently, but of course you need to actually know what the accent means.