What Does L-E-A-H Spell?
@danishcanadian (28955)
Canada
August 10, 2009 8:31pm CST
A cab pulled up to Second Cup, and asked for Lee. I told him I was Leah, and yes I called a cab. We started talking on the way home, and I started wondering about why people keep calling me Lee. My name is Leah, and that's pronounced Lee-Ah. Some pronounce it Lay-ah, but I'm Lee-ah. Two syllables.
I asked the driver how dispatch spelled my name, and he told me "L-E-A-H and that spells Lee." So I asked him how he thought Leah should be spelled.
"L E A H A" he said.
what? LOL To me that's pronounced Lee-Ah-Ha LOL
My mother spelled my name "Leah" so there'd be no doubt about the second syllable.
Tea, which you drink is pronounced like the lettter T.
Bea, short for Beatrice is pronounced B.
So it went without saying to my mother, and to me, that Lea would be pronounced Lee, so she made sure the H would be on there. Also, Leah is a biblical name.
People can't seem to spell my name either. LOL I've also gotten:
Lee, Leigh, Leigha, Leighah, Leaha, Lia, Liah
So how would YOU pronounce L-E-A-H? How would you spell it?
7 people like this
19 responses
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
11 Aug 09
Phonetically its pronounced Le ah, because a vowel follows another vowel the second one cancels out the hard sound of the first one. I'm sure you are tired of telling people how to say it.
3 people like this
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
11 Aug 09
Exactly!! And Mom put the H on there to emphasize it, and YES YES YESSS I am sick and freaking tired of telling people how to pronounce my name.
1 person likes this
@Shaun72 (15959)
• Palatka, Florida
11 Aug 09
I understand how you fell my name is Shaunee. Pronouned Shaun/ee two syllables. I have been called Shaney, Shannon, all kinds of ways my name has been pronounced. Like a nurse at a old doctor I use to go to called me Shaney. I kept trying to sorrect her but she inored me. I finally got sick of her additude and stopped going to their office.
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
11 Aug 09
Your name is extremely phonetic. If people can't see that it's pronounced the way it's spelled, they need my white cane more than I do!
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
11 Aug 09
Leah - that's how I'd spell it, in fact, that's how I do spell it... I've ignored friends when they mispronounce my name. We met a guy just after the first Star Wars movie who spelled it Leia when he wanted to get introduced to me. Maggiepie, who was my roommate at the time said, you won't get any where with her if you misspell her name...
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160952)
• United States
11 Aug 09
So you are also a Leah? I would always say it that way.
1 person likes this
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
11 Aug 09
Hey AWSOME!! Another Name Sister! :) Don't worry, I won't tell anything. LOL And I agree with you. A guy wouldn't get very far with me either, if he misspelled my name.
1 person likes this
@moonchild1au (6237)
• Australia
11 Aug 09
I went to high school with a girl called Leah & she pronounces it the same as you do...I don't know any other way to pronounce it :p
@deejean06 (1952)
• United States
12 Aug 09
Hi danish...Oh my goodness! I can't understand some people and their pronunciation sometimes...I can totally sympathize - My name is Denise and I've been called Dennis too many times to count!
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
22 Aug 09
Well, I am a dispatcher for a Cab company and so we have to input people's names all of the time, so maybe the person who originally took your call if yours does it that way spelled it Lee? I would always spell Leah the way you say yours is spelled and know how to pronounce it correctly as we have a Good friend named Leah. I always have my last name now in marriage and my maiden name mispronounced so it just becomes something I get used too.
@GardenGerty (160952)
• United States
11 Aug 09
I know of at least one Leah, currently, besides you. I also knew one in college, and I am familiar with the Leah in the Bible. Leah has always been Leah to me. I have a problem with people spelling the word Sheila, because I often see it Shelia. . . it is not may name, but it just bugs me to see that. It is, however, very common. The second one should be Shel lee uh, first one is Shee luh.
1 person likes this
@sweetgirl_k1 (3972)
• United States
11 Aug 09
I went to school with a girl named Leah that spelled it the same way you spell yours. I knew it was pronounced Leah. It's not that hard to figure out. I don't know what is wrong with some people. People always spell my name the wrong way and I've been called different names to. My name is Kristin and they sometimes will call me K I R S T E N and I've also been called Christian before. I don't know why people can't get names right if they aren't that hard. I could understand if it was a long name and was hard to pronounce but our two names are not very hard.
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
21 Aug 09
I would spell it just like you do and pronounce it the same way. Some people need to learn English a bit more in order to pronounce the words correctly. Then again, some people are just morons and love it.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
11 Aug 09
I'd say Leah, Leigha would be the ways I'd spell it. Don't feel bad they butcher my name all the time. I"m a Michele, but people have spelled my name MicheLLe. Or I've been called Michael or Mitchel... I don't see where they got either of those especially since I"m a girl!
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
11 Aug 09
i pronounce it like its supposed to be.. LEE-AH.. but maybe its because i grew up and knew a Leah.. some people are just stupid i swear lol
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
11 Aug 09
LOL The same way you do. But, I had a good friend when I was younger with the exact same spelling. She hated her name I wonder if it had anything to do with the problems that you have. People not knowing how to say or spell a simple name.
1 person likes this
@aschip (166)
• India
11 Aug 09
What can I say?
As a famous bollywood movie dialog goes "English is a funny language"
Go is Go , but To is Too/Tu if you get what I mean!
Basically english has now become a slang, where people can say whatever they want for whatever they write.
Americans use "what" for any kind of question, who/when/where is all what!
I have heard Canadians/Americans saying "You was" or "All of you all" ...
What I mean is I dont think english has any rules any more.
So if someone pronounces your name in some way, your argument of "spelling" is wrong.
You say Leah should not be Lee and should be Lee-Ah, then why don't you spell it
Leeah?
Spelling is not pronounced Spee-Ling, you take that e as "ae" then why should someone not take "e" in your name as "ae" ?
Dont get mad, but in my opinion, english is the most indisciplined
(undisciplined for British people ..lol) language in the world !!
@princess07031980 (5412)
• United States
11 Aug 09
That is a funny story, even though it's frustrating for you and all. My name is caonstantly mispelled too. My name is Sarah- with an H too. The most common way is without the H and that ticks me off so bad when people spell it like that. Then I have seen Sarha and Sarrah . People can be terrible with spelling and if you look at it, what does it spell?? Not Sarah!! To contradict one name you said, "Tea" is most commonly pronounced like the letter T as you mentioned, but I dated a guy once with a daughter named Tea, pronounced Taya. I would definitely spell your name the way you do, and in fact that is the only way I have seen it spelled! Leighah seems way to "full" and the rest of them just don't look pretty I don't think. (If there is such a thing to "prettiness" to the spelling of a name!!)
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
11 Aug 09
LOL! Maybe the cab driver hasn't completely grasped the English language. Heck, I have a hard time with it sometimes and here it's my native tongue. LOL But at least I know better that Leah is pronounced Lee-ah, and not Lee. Though I have to admit that it would throw me for a loop if there was no "H" at the end of it. 
Next time you call for a cab just tell them it's for Lee, just to see if they get it right. 
LOL
Happy mylotting!
Next time you call for a cab just tell them it's for Lee, just to see if they get it right. LOL
Happy mylotting! 
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
11 Aug 09
i'd pronounce it like you do.
you'd have to be creative to get "lee" out of that.
i knew a girl by the same name in K-5 school.
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
11 Aug 09
I've always had your name right and when I speak about you I have to enunciate so as not to get someone confused with Aliyah, the grand daughter. They always think that I am speaking of her when I say your name until I say what I am saying, most of the time. Sometimes they will hear the "a" on the front of her name, but usually not.
@fifileigh (3615)
• United States
11 Aug 09
i am familiar with the name Leah. i would pronounce it the same way you would.
many people say my name fifi leigh as fifi lay. and leigh is also very common.
i guess there are many people out there that are not familiar with certain common names.
