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HelpRe: Zoe, Zoé or Zoë?
in reply to a message by Lily
I love this name and hope one day to use it for a girl!
So far as I know, Zoe and Zoë are both pronounced ZO-ee. The diaeresis does not change the pronunciation. It is merely an accent mark that indicates that Zoe is pronounced ZO-ee, rather than ZO. This use of the diaeresis is still in use in English, but has been on the wane. Most people omit it; and many people who see the punctuation won't know what it means.
I have never heard Zoe pronounced Zo-ay. Is that the French pronunciation Zoé?
My personal opinion is that you would be equally correct to render Zoe with or without the accent marks. (I am myself tempted to write the name Zoë.) However, most Americans ignore accent marks or don't know what they mean. If it will annoy you to see people constantly forgetting to write the name with accent marks ... and some government agencies refusing to record them ... then I'd go with simple Zoe.
So far as I know, Zoe and Zoë are both pronounced ZO-ee. The diaeresis does not change the pronunciation. It is merely an accent mark that indicates that Zoe is pronounced ZO-ee, rather than ZO. This use of the diaeresis is still in use in English, but has been on the wane. Most people omit it; and many people who see the punctuation won't know what it means.
I have never heard Zoe pronounced Zo-ay. Is that the French pronunciation Zoé?
My personal opinion is that you would be equally correct to render Zoe with or without the accent marks. (I am myself tempted to write the name Zoë.) However, most Americans ignore accent marks or don't know what they mean. If it will annoy you to see people constantly forgetting to write the name with accent marks ... and some government agencies refusing to record them ... then I'd go with simple Zoe.
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