134. 11 VERY Challenging English Names to Pronounce

Welcome to the Influency Podcast. I'm Hadar and this is episode number 134. And today we're going to talk about the pronunciation of challenging names in English. Hey, everyone, thank you so much for joining me for another episode of the Influency podcast, because you are always, always in fluency. Boom. Anyway, today we are going to talk about the pronunciation of challenging names in English. Common names and not so common names. And one name is actually Irish, but with strange spelling pattern, so I decided to include it and I wanted to talk about the pronunciation of these names so it'll be easier for you whenever you come across these names. But also when we talk about the pronunciation of these names, we talk about common pronunciation challenges, usually around TH's and R's and other fun consonants, and then how to just overcome these challenges, not just when it comes to these names, but when it comes to any word that has a combination of these consonants or when you're not sure what to do with your tongue. And this is why, even if you don't use these names on a regular basis, maybe you don't have a Carl at work or a Deirdre, but still you want to learn how to master those pronunciation challenges, because when you do it in one place, you can do it in another place too. Uh, so that's it. This is what this episode is all about. Now, before we dive into the episode, I wanted to ask you if you like the podcast. I would love it if you could rate and review the podcast because it really helps this podcast get to people who need it because then it's ranked better in the podcast platforms and then more people are exposed to it. So take a few moments and just hit the rate button and even write a review and help them learn more about the podcast when they do come across it. Thank you so much. And let's listen to how to pronounce challenging names in English.

Thank you so much for joining me. Today we are going to talk about 10 challenging names to pronounce if you are a non native speaker of English. In this video, we're going to talk about the names, how to pronounce them, and cool tips that are going to help you with pronunciation challenges, not just when it comes to pronouncing those names, but when it comes to speaking in general. If you don't know me yet, my name is Hadar and I'm a non native speaker of English and I am here to help you speak English with clarity, confidence, freedom and joy. Yes, it is possible and I invite you to come and say hi on Instagram. You can find me at Hadar Accentsway, where I share a lot of free tips and secrets. Secrets, fun secrets. Anyway, let's get started with the first name. The first name is Arthur. Arthur. We have an R. We have a th. We have a schwa. All of the good stuff in one name. We have Arthur. You start with R, as in car. Drop your jaw round the lips just a bit. Keep the tongue down. Don't lift it up as you pronounce the ah sound. And then lift the tongue up in the back until you hear the R sound. R. Stick the tongue out for the th. It's a soft th. Just air. R. Thur. And then pull it back to the R. There is no U sound, even though it's spelled with a U. There is no U, Arthur. It's called a schwa, and you can learn more about it if you click the link in the show notes in the description. Arthur. Primary stress is on the first syllable. Arthur. The next name is Rory. Rory. Yes. More Rs. We start with an R sound, then it's the or, as in for so R. And then keep the tongue down and then another R round the lips. Bring the tongue up and finish it up with a high E. Pull the lips to the sides a bit. Rory. Rory. One of the things that happens when we have an R and then another vowel and an R is that we tend to keep the tongue up and then the entire word sounds muffled, like Rory, Rory. Rory. Is this the case for you? Because if it is, let me know in the comments. I need to know about it. Okay, so. And if it is the case, then the secret is to bring the tongue up for the R, bring it down for the vowel. It has to be down. And then bring it up again for the R. Rory. Rory. Rory. I talked to Roary last night. Have you seen what happened to Rory? Rory. Then we have the name Cory. Cory is very similar. It rhymes with Rory. A little easier because we don't have an R at the beginning. Start with a K sound, then the or, as in for cor. Corey. Cory and Rory are eating ice cream. Cory and Rory. Cory and Rory. The next name is Jonathan. Very common. But I do know that some people confuse this name, and I've been asked about this name in the past. So, Jonathan. It starts with a J sound that. The ahs and father. Ja, and then N. An N sound and a schwa. Not an ah sound, but just a really reduced sound. Ja, N, and then th. N. No, Vowel in the middle. Thin. Thin. Right. It's kind of like you want to bring the tongue out for the th and then pull it in really quickly for the n. Thin. Thin. Jonathan. Jonathan. I talked to Jonathan last night. Jonathan. The next name is Carl. In the first place, I worked in New York City. One of the owners was named Carl. And back then, I wasn't very much in control of all the sounds of English. And I remember that this name was so, so hard for me to pronounce. So I actually practiced it because I didn't want to embarrass myself calling him for help. Hey, I have a problem with a cash register. Carl. He wouldn't know I'm referring to him. So I had to practice saying this name again and again and again. The reason why it's so tricky is because there is an R sound and then a dark l. And sometimes this combination is challenging for new speakers of English. So you start with the word car, and then you lift the tongue up for the R. Car. Make sure the tip of the tongue doesn't touch anything.

Car.

And then as you pronounce the R sound, you want to create tension in the back for the dark L. Carl. That is the transition. Just make sure that you're giving the R enough time so it doesn't move automatically to the L. Carl. But Carl. URL. If it's challenging, just practice this transition. R to L. R to L. Carl. Good. The next name is Ethan. Ethan. This name has two syllables. The first syllable is E. E, like the beginning of the word eat. And then it's a th sound and an N. Thin. Just like Jonathan. Thin. Ethan. Ethan. Just make sure that you stick the tongue out for the th and you relax it so the air actually comes out as you pronounce the th. Ethan. The next name is Bar. Bra. Bar. Bra. This name has two syllables. The first syllable is bar. Bar. Start with a B sound. Close your lips.

Bar.

And then make sure that you don't lift the tongue up too soon. Again at Berbera, but bar. And then the second syllable is bruh. Bruh. Bruh. It's a B sound. An R. Round your lips for the R. And a schwa sound. It's a very neutral vowel sound. Bruh. Bruh. Bruh. Not bra, but bruh. Barbara. Barbara. I gotta call Barbara. Barbara. What's going on? Barbara. I haven't heard from you in so long. Barbara. Where's my fish? The next name is Aaron. Now, this pronunciation is actually the pronunciation of two different names. A boy's name. Aaron. Aaron. And a girl's name. Aaron. Aaron, yes. They're pronounced the same. The first syllable is and even something closer to an E sound. And then the second part is run. Run. An R sound, a schwa, and an N. Run. Aaron. Aran. The next name, and I love this name, is Joaquin. Joaquin. Because of the spelling, it could be a little confusing, unless you're a Spanish speaker, and then it's easy peasy for you. But generally the J does not represent the H sound in this name. It does. Joaquin. So you start with an H sound. Hwa. Hua. Close your lips and then open it up for a W sound. Hua. And then keen. A K sound, a high E and an N. Joaquin. The next name is Deirdre. Deirdre. The spelling can be a little confusing here. And this is how you pronounce it. You start with the syllable dear. Dear. Like my dear. And then the second syllable is Dr. Deirdre. Deirdre. Finally, we have this name. Now, this name is very common, but the spelling again could be deceiving if you've never heard this name before or you've never associated the name with the spelling. And this is how you pronounce it. You start with she, like ship. And then the next part is von. Von. A V sound, as in father, or you can even round the lips a little bit. And then an N. Von Shivan. Okay, that's it. These are the 10 names that are sometimes challenging for non native speakers to pronounce. Can you think of other names that are challenging to pronounce? If so, put them in the comments below. And if you like this video, consider liking it, sharing it, and subscribing. If you haven't subscribed yet, and if you'd like to know how you too can become more confident and clear when speaking, check out my website because it has a ton of free resources that are designed to help you get to where you want to be. That's it. Thank you so, so much for being here with me. And remember, don't worry about pronunciation mistakes, because you know what I always say, mistakes is really the only way to learn. Thank you so much and I'll see you in the next video.

Bye.