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I would pronounce it "mah-REE-suh". Which makes sense as it's a combination of Maria and Luisa.

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I would pronounce it "mah-RISS-uh" if it was spelled Marissa.

I would pronounce it the way you prefer. It's your name!

I had a friend growing up named Marisa who pronounces it muh-RISS-ah. I do know of people named Marisa who pronounce it ma-REE-sa, though.
I think that if you live in an English-speaking area, ma-riss-ah is probably more intuitive, but in a Spanish-speaking area, ma-REE-sa seems like the way to go.
In my opinion, though, it depends on your preference, as well as what your parents intended. I also don't see an issue if you go by ma-RISS-ah outide of the family, but ma-REE-suh with your family.
It's your name- you should be able to pronounce it how you'd like.

I say them:

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Marissa - mah-RISS-sa or meh-RISS-sa
Marisa - mah -REE-sa

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So I'd say it mah-REE-sa.

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I know two girls named Marisa and they pronounce it mah-REE-za. I prefer mah-REE-sa, though.

My instinct is to say it as your family do; Marissa would be my spelling of your way.

If you personally like one pronunciation better, use that. If you don't have a preference between the two, I would pronounce it ma-REE-sa when you introduce yourself since that's the pronunciation your parents chose. But if people call you ma-RIS-a and you don't care, don't bother to correct them.

I've never heard of anyone pronouncing it as Ma-REE-sah and I've known plenty of people with your name.
They've always pronounced it Ma-RIS-ah.
Ma-REE-sah sounds kind of ghetto to me so keep it with the way you already say it.

I would've said mah-REE-sah. mah-RISS-ah to me is only when it's spelled Marissa. Single s vs. double s changes the way I pronounce it.

I usually say Marisa as Ma-REE-sa. I say Ma-RIS-a when it's spelled Marissa.

I think you shouldn't dumb down at all. Your name is mah-REE-sa and people should respect that. Correct them once or twice. Most will get it. I speak from experience. Most people pronounce my name correctly (Elena) and my dd's (Anna). Her Kindergarten teacher changed the pronunciation (to AH-na) and it has stuck.

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BTW, I love your name and have always pronounced it the way you do. Now with Marissa, I assume it has the 'iss' sound. After all, we don't pronounce Lisa as Lissa. It's up to you.

I personally prefer the Ma-REE-sa pronounciation, but if the other one works better for you, I say go for it ^^

Well, I'm in the U.S. and I would pronounce Marisa the way your family does. To get the "ma-RIS-a" pronunciation I would spell it Marissa.

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If you prefer "ma-REE-sa" then go ahead. It might take a few corrections along the way, but I think most people here will get it just fine.

Which ever way is easier for you to say. Nobody should have trouble pronouncing their own name. If your family wanted you to pronounce it a certain way then they shouldn't have bestowed it upon you (no offense).

This message was edited 1/27/2010, 5:45 PM