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Re: Does Leila work as LY-la in an English speaking country (more)
This pronunciation would not naturally be the first one an English speaker in the United States would try when they first look at this name. I think only English speakers who are familiar with the way German is pronounced would naturally think of it as a possibility. Other common words and names which start with Lei- (leisure, Leigh, Leighton) are pronounced either rhyming with Lee or Lay by most Americans, so those would be the natural pronunciations of this spelling for most people. In my experience, elderly American women named Leila usually pronounce their name as LEE-la, though younger generations will often use LAY-la. But you really need to spell it Lila or Lyla for most people to try the "lye" pronunciation first.
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