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Zuleika, Zulaykha, Zulekha...
I have been really loving this name, especially as a middle name. It's pronounced zoo-LAY-kuh.
I had only heard of Zuleika, but in searching for it, I've found Zulaykha and Zulekha as Arabic forms. I like that Zulaykha/Zulekha have actual Arabic roots, whereas Zuleika is "just" a literary name with possible Persian roots (not that I really mind that). I love that Zuleika means "brilliant beauty".Which of the three appeals to you most? Thanks!
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I have been fond of Zuleika for a number of years and may use it for a cat someday. I tend to prefer that spelling, but I'm not picky because it has many transcriptions. As unusual as it is, I actually know someone with the middle name. She is English and she said her parents told her it was the name of an Indian princess (go figure). I guess I never really paid attention to Zuleika's connection to Potiphar before. After poking around, I think the Islamic accounts of Yusuf and Zuleika seem much more elaborate (and celebrated) than the Jewish and Christian stories. It seems she was never named until much later, which I find rather interesting.
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Zuleika.
I usually say it as zoo-LIE-kah.
Before anyone (trusting in the infalibility of the site) tells me that I'm wrong, I would like to explain. Names with ei are always a bit tricky for me to say because my first and primary language is English, a language in which that diphthong doesn't exist. Because when I first saw this name I had never heard it before and I knew some German, I used that. My apologies for not knowing Persian, but I like this way better.
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Love it! Gorgeous! Zuleika is best imo.
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Zuleika. Zulaykah looks almost dumbed down to me, as if it was spelled phonetically by someone who had never seen Zuleika in print before. Zulekha is pretty enough, but I want to pronounce it as zu-LEK-uh because of the spelling. Zuleika is the most familiar and intuitive, imo.
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I prefer Zuleika. I also think it's the easiest to spell. I don't like the look of Zulaykha at all. It's way too complicated. Zulekha is nice, but I would pronounce it zoo-leh-kah not zoo-lay-kah.
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I say zoo-leh-kah and zoo-lay-kah the same, but I agree about spelling. As a middle name though, spelling isn't my number one priority.Thanks!
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Zuleika
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