de-lay-nee... I think there's really only one way of saying it, and everyone is trying to transcribe the same thing. It is 100% not del-in-ee.
Delaney is beautiful sounding and looking and I have a personal association with it (as a surname) with someone I really loved. So I think of it as strong, spirited, tragic, stained with melancholy... I don't like it as a name per se, it's way more of a surname to me, and I don't like very surname-y names, but I do like it in itself and I really do think it sounds beautiful... and I actually don't mind seeing it used as a first name as much as I normally would do, because I associate it so much with my loved one that it's just nice to see little reminders around. If I wasn't sentimental about it, I'd probably see it first and foremost as a surname and be like 'eh, lovely sound, but it's a surname'.
I do not think del-in-ee sounds anywhere near as beautiful and I would actually be a bit put off to see Delaney and see it pronounced del-in-ee...
Del-in-ee - Delinee? Delynee? Deline? I don't know, it's hard to make something up... just please don't use Delaney and pronounce it del-in-ee!
This message was edited 1/19/2022, 2:20 PM