- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Baby Names
duffmaker
member
Spelling vs. pronunciation of Cassandra + Do you wish your parents chose differently?
duffmaker
member
in Baby Names
Hi ladies! I just wanted to throw this out into the bump BNB universe.
My full first name is Cassandra. Pronounced like Cassondra.
See, my mom didn't like the way the name looked with an "o" but she didn't like the way the name sounded with the "a" so she decided to get crafty and use a "french a". Let me tell you this has been and still continues to be such a hassle for me... it wasn't fun explaining to my classmates and teachers that my name is pronounced with a "french a" and I was teased mercilessly for it all the into high school. I go by Cassie, but would love to go by my full name if it wasn't such a hassle. Plus as an adult it is awful to constantly have to correct people, professionally, doctor's, nurses, etc. etc. and just like in school it makes me sound like a pretentious b*tch which I am absolutely NOT. Sometimes I even consider legally changing the spelling of my name (especially since I personally LOVE the look of the "o").
So please, if you are going to name your child this or any name for that matter... seriously consider pronunciations. Just because something looks good on paper doesn't mean it's practical.
Anyone else have problems with their given name? Wish your parents had done differently?
Proud babywearing, breastfeeding, vaccinating SAHM of 2U2!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Spelling vs. pronunciation of Cassandra + Do you wish your parents chose differently?
Etta Jane and Claire Elaine are here! Born March 28, 2012.
my blog
What it's like to cloth diaper twins, Part I.
Cloth diapering twins, Part II.
Your girl's are beautiful and I love their names, you did good mama
It was that easy? Where are you? I'm in NY and I thought I read somewhere years ago that it costs $100+ to file the paperwork and I figured you may have to mess around with the courts some. Has it been a pain though, with insurance and past documents like medical histories, lease agreements, loans etc. etc.... I feel like I would have to change everything and that scares me.
Etta Jane and Claire Elaine are here! Born March 28, 2012.
my blog
What it's like to cloth diaper twins, Part I.
Cloth diapering twins, Part II.
This. The 'o' looks silly. I would have pronounced your name Cass-on-dra upon reading it. I prefer this pronunciation and it wasn't uncommon where I grew up (west coast). The spelling with an O takes the beauty out of the name for me.
I don't totally understand. People have trouble pronouncing Cassandra like Cassondra? But tat's how the name is pronounced. It's not just a French A, it's an English A. I guess you're saying people are pronouncing the middle A like the A in ant? That's really only a slight difference and is easily correctable-- it hardly requires a lengthy discussion of French As.
I'm sure that spelling your name Cassondra would turn out to be a HUGE pain. Cassondra is not a "real" spelling, according to behindthename.com (which is pretty authoritative). Instead of correcting people's pronunciation occasionally, you will ALWAYS have to correct people's spelling, which is more important in a lot of ways because correct spelling on paperwork can have legal implications. Also, to me, Cassondra looks super weird and just wrong. I think your mom made the right call!
Ditto and ditto! Your Mom did it right...spelling AND pronunciation!
Cole Joseph 7/05/07
Nora Anne 11/03/12
9lbs, 6oz
Agreed.
My name is Cassandra. I remember in elementary school, I would get people either pronouncing it Cassondra, or Cass-ann-dra. I asked my mom which it was, and she said, "I don't know. Which ever one you like." Um, ok? haha. I don't correct people when they say my name, since its usually one of the two. I go by Cassie anyway, so if they say Cassandra, I just correct them to Cassie.
I do have to say though, most people say Cass-ann-dra to me.
This. FWIW I live on the east coast in a major metropolitan area.
Same here. EverY Cassandra I've ever known, it was pronounced with an "o" sound, but I think it looks ridiculous to actually spell it that way.
So you think the spelling with the "o" is rediculous? Look at how my mom spelled mine. Kasondra. I'm totally used to it (been with me for over 30 years) but some people have a hard time with it which is fine. I also have to always spell my name out for people, obviously. Honestly I have no problems with that or with people saying my name with an "a" rather than an "o" in the middle. If they ask I will correct them otherwise I let them say the name either way.
I also go by Kasi which is much easier for everyone except my family is hispanic and we say it in Spanish rather than pronouncing it like the normal way of saying Cassie. With this I let people say it however they wish to pronounce it. I'm not going to force someone who knows no Spanish at all to say it the proper way (proper for my family).
CRAFTY ME
my read shelf:
Kasi80, I like the way the "o" looks, my mom didn't. Oh and I absolutely loves Kasondra, I wish my name was spelled that way. I worked with a girl with the exact same spelling long and short of your name and she was called the basic Cassie. She was greek though not hispanic.
I'm really surprised so many people thing Cass-on-dra is the normal pronunciation of Cassandra. I'm not in a super rural area, but EVERYONE I know immediately pronounces it Cass-ann-dra. All my doctor's in the city, anyone who interviews me for work, teachers, co-workers, basically anyone who I come across. Only once hs someone pronounced my name correctly and it was a customs agent going across to Canada, I remember bc I was soooo excited lol. The 2 Cassandra's I know personally go by that pronunciation to. So I'm the only one that's "weird"... I also just realized that the beginning "Cass" of the name sounds different with the cass-ann-dra pronunciation vs. the cass-on-dra version, I can't believe I have never really thought about this before... but the first the a's sound like the a in "ant" and the second the sound like the a in "allow"
Oh and I ABSOLUTELY HATE Cass-ann-dra (with the a's as in ant) ...
Can anyone suggest a spelling then that would make people pronounce (the majority of people at least) it with the a as in "allow" sound vs. how everyone does now.