On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 5.

You're* rather

Anonymous wrote:I'm another one who has never in my life heard anyone pronounce Laura any way other than Lar-uh. Never Lore-uh...that is a different name (Lora). I am from the South but have also lived in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Mid-Atlantic and have known Lauras every where I've lived.

Your from the south and have never heard of George Bush's wife? Interesting...

How about the word "Laurels", do you pronounce that as "Lar-els"? Because AFAIK it's "Lore-els"

If you're expecting your average American to roll the R and would be upset about them not doing it, do not choose this name. Most English speakers cannot roll their Rs.

Anonymous wrote:I'm another one who has never in my life heard anyone pronounce Laura any way other than Lar-uh. Never Lore-uh...that is a different name (Lora). I am from the South but have also lived in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Mid-Atlantic and have known Lauras every where I've lived.

Looks like even Laura will have confusion about pronunciation, so I wouldn't worry about Lara.

I think that with certain accents, Lore-ah vs Lah-ra isn't that noticeable/bothersome. I bet many Lauras don't bother to correct people and that's why everyone here is so adament that it's always Lore-ah or always Lah-ra. Maybe we're all wrong half the time! Next time I meet a Laura I'll pay special attention to how she pronounces it herself.

My instinct would be to pronounce Lara as Lah-ra. I think about 50% of people will have that instinct. I'd also pronounce Tara as Tah-ra though I pronounce Cara as Cair-ah. I'd never pronounce Lara as Lair-ah, though.

meh

I pronounce it "Lai-ra". Honestly, it didn't occur to me to pronounce it any other way. It's the same as Dara, Mara, Sara, Kara, and Tara. It's a good name.

I think most people would pronounce it as either "Lahr-a" or "lair-a" ....that was my first impression anyways.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never in my life heard anyone say Law-rah. It sounds like someone is speaking with a speech impediment.

No. Actually it doesn't. Do you think names like Dara and Tara (tah-ra) sound like someone with a speech impediment?

Tar-Ah/Tare-Ah does not sound like Law-rah. Unless you mean that Law sounds like Lar.

It's like Lah-rah. Not Law-rah.

Anonymous wrote:Makes me think of Lara Spencer. I would like to be Lara Spencer.

That was Laura Spencer -- very late 70s/early 80s!

... Flynn Boyle?

... Croft: Tomb Raider?

... Sounds very 90s!

Anonymous wrote:It's a very popular and beautiful name in my parents' home county but I wonder if it would work in the States. It's pronounced with a rolling "R"... Think "Larrr-ra." Or is she going to spend her whole life correcting people that's it's not pronounced like "Lahr-a" or that it's not actually Laura?

What comes to mind for me is that I cannot roll my Rs. I have tried, believe me. The rolled r is not native to American English, and for many of us, we didn't get to hear it/learn it as children so it is impossible to make that sound now as adults.

So I'd be calling her "Lahra" and would know I can't say it and would be embarrassed, and apologize a lot. Not a deal breaker but not exactly great, either.

I'm another one who has never in my life heard anyone pronounce Laura any way other than Lar-uh. Never Lore-uh...that is a different name (Lora). I am from the South but have also lived in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Mid-Atlantic and have known Lauras every where I've lived.

I like it. She'll have to correct pronunciation for some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time anyway.

I'm a Lara. Born in 1981, Zhivago-inspired and a nod to my Eastern European heritage. My family pronounces it LAH-ra according to the Cyrillic alphabet spelling, but there are regional variations and yes, I do have to repeat it for people and spell it aloud at times. It's not a problem.