Braithwaite pronunciation

I saw this search term in my keyword stats, and thought, "How delicious! Someone wants to know how to pronounce my name!"

Mispronunciation of my name has been a lifelong annoyance, and the reason that I make an extra effort to get other people's names right.

Sometimes people are really trying, but a lot of the time, they just butcher it without even making an effort.

For 8 years, the same woman at the same event butchered my name the same way every time she introduced me as a speaker, even after my correcting her.

Now, when I'm going to be introduced at a speaking engagement, I always make sure the introducer can say my name.

It's not like my name is made up of a series of consonants, like a particularly difficult Polish name, for example.

It follows all the basic rules of phonetics that we all learned in first or second grade (unless you learned to read by the whole language method or are from another country and didn't grow up speaking English).

I actually told a nurse last week that hers was the worst pronunciation of my name that I had ever heard. She had a good sense of humor about it. Good thing, too, because she was about to stick a needle into my arm.

So let me walk you through it.

The "b" sounds like "b" as in "bat."

The "r" sounds like "r" as in "rat." When you put them together, they make the same sound as in the word "brat."

The "ai" in both halves of Braithwaite sounds like a long "a." That is, think of the "a" sound in "wait" (hey, that's part of my name!) or "brain" or "mail." Yep, you got it.

The "th" makes the same sound as in "with" or "think."

The "w" sounds like "w" - as in "walk" or "water."

The "t" at the end is not silent and makes the same sound as the "t" in "tomato" or "tickle."

The "e" is silent.

Split the word in two: "Braith" and then "waite."

Now, here's where it gets tricky:

Do you see a "k" in my name? As in "Brake-away"? No.

Do you see an "n" in my name? Or a "th" at the end? Like "Brain-waith"? No.

Are you forgetting to say the "t" on the end, as in "Braith-way?" Good. Remember, the "t" is not silent.

As an extra gift, here's an audio clip of my name:



Speaking for Braithwaites everywhere, I thank you for making the effort to pronounce my name correctly. I will do the same for you!

How do people butcher your name? Vent here!

____________________________________________________
On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!