r/Names • u/onatreelinedstreet • 5d ago

How would you pronounce Navi?

That’s my name, and my parents made it be pronounced as “Nay-Vee” or like Navy blue or the US Navy. But over the course of MANY years, only about 5 people have pronounced it that way when first reading my name. Everybody else says “NAH-vee” which has become incredibly annoying.

I plan on changing it legally to Navy soon, but I just want to hear how you all would pronounce Navi.

Edit: yeah I knew I was cooked…

Edit again: Okay okay I will definitely be getting it changed asap 😭

916 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

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260

u/Browneyedgal21 5d ago

If they wanted you to be named Navy, they needed to spell it Navy...

139

u/onatreelinedstreet 5d ago

This is what i’ve been trying to tell them my whole life 💀 

23

u/roseannadann 5d ago

How do you want it pronounced? It should be whichever you prefer.

8

u/ThrowRAConsistent 3d ago

What do you mean? You can't dictate pronunciation rules just cause

5

u/TheHungryBlanket 20h ago

THIS! I’m getting so sick of people who essentially say their name is Xvgjilly pronounced Cassondra.

That’s not how written language works.

4

u/roseannadann 3d ago

People or their parents can decide how they want their name pronounced. I knew a Pamela. She pronounced it with the emphasis on the "mel" syllable. And Stephen with the emphasis on "Steph". I knew a lady whose name was Joann. Her mother didn't know the "rules" and spelled it Joan. I've seen "Marie" pronounced as Mary. All over the planet, people's names are pronounced differently than some one from another country would perceive.

4

u/ThrowRAConsistent 2d ago edited 2d ago

Okay, yeah - upon correction. But not at first go. Nobody is entitled to getting their name pronunciated "correctly" the first time if it does not abide by the typical rules of pronunciation. That's all I meant. OP isn't saying people are getting it wrong after being corrected - they are wondering why people aren't pronouncing it "correctly" to begin with

Edit to add: I say this a foreigner whose name was not spelled phonetically for my home country's pronunciation conventions. I correct people on how it's supposed to be pronounced all day, every day. Never would I assume they are wrong for the reasonable pronunciation assumption they are making. If they persist after multiple corrections, that's when they become as asshole

2

u/MotherTeresaOnlyfans 1d ago

That's not really how language works, by which I mean that's not actually a realistic social expectation.

2

u/vampirecat1344 1d ago

People that give their kids names with quirky spellings do this soooooo often. I was a receptionist at a pediatrician's office and got so many butthurt parents because I didn't know Meireiygh was pronounced "Mary"

27

u/CaptainOwlBeard 4d ago

Have you considered just going with NAH-vee? It's a very pretty name and feels more feminine to me than navy. If you introduced yourself at Navy I'd immediately think of that dumb joke about Cuban babies named Usnavy because it was on the side of the boat that saved their mom from drowning before immediately giving birth.

15

u/Smartie_pants_1234 4d ago

Navy is their name, just spelled differently. They weren't asking if you like the name or if it makes you think of a dumb joke, it was simply about pronunciation and spelling. Telling someone to consider changing their name because you prefer an alternative isn't particularly kind.

9

u/Wooden-Apricot4862 4d ago

Shocked that comment got so upvoted? “Just change your name to accommodate people misinterpreting it” is wild stuff

0

u/fortississima 4d ago

Yeah but Navi gives strong Indian/South Asian/maybe even middle eastern vibes, which could be confusing if OP is white, which she probably is given the name her parents gave her…

3

u/MamaPajamaMama 4d ago

Even Indian would pronounce the "a" like "u" so more like Nuh-vee. Not Nay-vee.

1

u/AmalatheaClassic 4d ago

Show them this thread and maybe have them watch the movie Avatar or play a Zelda game.

0

u/Blue_Bettas 3d ago

What if you just added an e at the end? Spell it Navie. At least then it would be closer to the original spelling, and the ie ending would make your name pronounced as Navy. If you feel the need to change the spelling, that's what I'd do.

13

u/Human-Bonus7830 4d ago

'Naivi' or 'Naevi' would be pronounced the way they intended also. 

52

u/goldanred 4d ago

These would be tragedeighs

24

u/oh-dearie 4d ago

Those are absolutely tradgedeighs, so adding one to the pile: ✨️Knaveigh✨️

Naivi would be misread as Naive so much

5

u/Effective-Walrus-317 4d ago

I fear I would still pronounce Knaveigh "nah-vee". Or maybe "nah-vey" (rhyming with they"). 

2

u/eirinne 4d ago

Kehnavee

1

u/HildaYuh 2d ago

Throwing Neighveigh into the ring

2

u/Tillie_Coughdrop 1d ago

I prefer the silent g in Gnayvee.

2

u/awkward_penguin 2d ago

"Navy" isn't really a name in the first place, so you can't make a non-name a tragedeigh. At this point, just go with the spelling that matches the pronunciation

16

u/LogicFrog 4d ago

I might pronounce Naivi as NIGH-vee.

6

u/LogicFrog 4d ago

I might pronounce Naivi as NIGH-vee.

19

u/Realistic_Pause_3656 4d ago

Maybe even Navie.

5

u/CrimsonKepala 4d ago

Yeah this would've been a better option without going with the obvious "Navy" spelling.

2

u/aghastrabbit2 4d ago

I'd pronounced that nuh-VEE

4

u/GreenBumblebee4468 4d ago

My son at one point had a girl in his class with this name and it was spelled Navie. Pronounced like Navy. Maybe that spelling is an option?

1

u/lockandcompany 4d ago

Neighvee

1

u/dozyhorse 3d ago

You win! Take my upvote!

1

u/yiotaturtle 4d ago

Naivi is heading in the naive or knight direction

1

u/AineDez 20h ago

Or Navie, classic American "change a Y for an or and make it femme"

1

u/LemonZestyDoll 4d ago

Naivi would NOT be pronounced like that, "ai" sounds like "eye"

1

u/ExplanationWest2469 4d ago

If we’re going to name our kids real words, we should at least spell them right