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HelpHelena or Elena?
In Chrisell's post on the perfect girls' name, I was going to answer Helena because, while it's not my 100% favourite name, I think it has ideal characteristics of class and feminity.
I always thought however I'd be more inclined to use Elena, even though I preferred Helena, just because Elena is more Italian (we don't have names starting with the letter h). Yet when I typed "Helena" for Chrisell's thread, I realized that, after all Elena pleased me more, and I changed it.
I know it's just one letter difference, which is barely pronounced, but which form you prefer and why?
I always thought however I'd be more inclined to use Elena, even though I preferred Helena, just because Elena is more Italian (we don't have names starting with the letter h). Yet when I typed "Helena" for Chrisell's thread, I realized that, after all Elena pleased me more, and I changed it.
I know it's just one letter difference, which is barely pronounced, but which form you prefer and why?
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I prefer Elena. I think it has to do with my exposure to Spanish (and Italian to a lesser degree). I love the name, but I can't use it because it is my wicked Russian step-grandma's name. :-( I like Helena as well, but it isn't my favorite form of the name.
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I've loved Elena for years.
Helena is lovely too, but it doesn't have the same place in my heart that Elena does.
[By the way, I pronounce Helena as, "helen + a," like the capital of Montana or Ms. Bonham-Carter, not the way I think you do, "elena + a." The responses you get might be affected by how Helena is pronounced.]
Helena is lovely too, but it doesn't have the same place in my heart that Elena does.
[By the way, I pronounce Helena as, "helen + a," like the capital of Montana or Ms. Bonham-Carter, not the way I think you do, "elena + a." The responses you get might be affected by how Helena is pronounced.]
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I love the name Helena for the history of the name and sound. And there are multiple ways to pronounce it.
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I love both names as well and when I say them out loud, there's hardly any difference, like you noted. So, going by aesthetic alone, I'd choose Elena. I just think it looks prettier :-)
Helena also has the probability of being pronounced 'hell-ehn-ah' or 'hell-ehn-uh' while Elena is pretty much going to be 'el-ayn-ah/uh' everywhere, and the latter is my prefered pronunciation.
Helena also has the probability of being pronounced 'hell-ehn-ah' or 'hell-ehn-uh' while Elena is pretty much going to be 'el-ayn-ah/uh' everywhere, and the latter is my prefered pronunciation.
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Helena; it has more depth and seems classier. At the same time, it's not at all prissy. And for some reason, it seems very strong to me. The beginning, even without the same pronunciation, is reminiscent of a woman who is so beyond description that 1,000 ships move because of her - and yet the a at the end changes the name and makes it more feminine.
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