Newsflash: Simple Spellings Help in Life

February 13, 2012 at 11:05 pm , by Paula Kashtan

Score one for the traditional spellers! A new study found that easily pronounced names make you more likely to find a job, attain a promotion and get elected to office.

This is interesting, because it’s not about common names or the length of the name — it just speaks to how easy the name is for people to recognize and pronounce. In other words… Apple Paltrow, you’re doing ok!

1. by Angie

   On February 14, 2012 at 12:21 pm

   I’ve always been a proponent for traditional spellings. But there are some grey areas.

   For example, I really love the name Louis. There are very few underused classic boy names out there.

   But I had always assumed the pronunciation was Lew-is, with the nickname Louie, pronounced Lew-ee. I always knew Louis was pronounced Lew-ee in French, but I thought only in French.

   Then I learned some English speakers pronounced Louis Lew-ee, and I began to wonder if Lew-is (for Louis) was a bastardization and would seem uneducated.

   I don’t like the look of Lewis, especially with my Italian last name, and I am not sure I could embrace putting Louie on a birth certificate, even though I know it is popular in England.

   I’ve only known one Louis and he went by Lou. I was never sure how he pronounced his full name.

   This confusion with Louis caused me to shelf it as a name for my son, and I wonder if I may have over thought the issue.

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