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Sounding Out Fun Names

Welcome to Sounding Out Fun Names! This site is a fun site where you can say famous celebrity's names and have lots of fun doing it. Sometimes words are just fun to say, and some people are lucky enough to have names like that. Below you will find fun names to say, with instructions on how to pronounce them for maximum effect. Don't just read this page. Try each one. Enjoy.


The Names


Isabella Rossellini

Isabella Rossellini is a great name with multiple pronunciation options. The best way is to linger overlong on the accented syllables, prolonging the trailing consonants, and using the non-accented syllables as simple stepping stones from one accented syllable to another, creating a sing-songy effect that recalls the Italian language. Make sure you roll the 'r' and keep the 's' very soft. Say it:

An alternative that can be enjoyable, though difficult, is to run all the syllables up to the 'l' together, saying them as quickly as you can, in an escalating pitch. When you get to the "lli" syllable (at a moderately high tone of voice), prolong it, then say the "ni" more quietly and in a lower tone of voice. If you can do it quickly, roll the 'r' just slightly and use a vaguely Italian accent. Say it:

A third alternative fun pronunciation also makes use of the Italian accent. This time, pretend you're Stromboli from Disney's Pinocchio, only with perhaps slightly less a baritone voice. You're very angry; say the name as if you were firmly declaring an ultimatum. Speak further back than your lips; let your lips go somewhat slack and shake your head with quick, defiant jerks as you say the name. Slow the pace from the previous time, interjecting dramatic pauses. Starting with "ross," run the syllables together and escalate the volume of your voice -- but drop it slightly, as before, with the last syllable. Say it:


Antonio Banderas

It's not hard to pronounce Antonio Banderas in a fun way. The easiest way is to emphasize it normally, but speak it in a slightly mechanical, dramatic voice. Emphasize the "der" and de-emphasize the "i;" all other syllables should have the same emphasis. Say it:

A more powerful pronunication requires rearranging the emphasized syllables in the last name. Put the accent on the first syllable -- overdoing it to a ridiculous extreme, barking it like a military order, making the 'b' erupt from your lips suddenly, and lingering on the trailing 'n.' Run the last two syllables together, emphasizing the "as" (which should be spoken very open-mouthed) slightly more than the "der." Try to make the "on" syllable a nasal sound, but don't vary the emphasis of the syllables in the first name. Say it:


Salma Hayek

The secret to pronouncing Salma Hayek is making the last name sound like the type of sound you'd made prior to executing a deadly karate chop. Throw a little aggressive insanity and maybe even a tiny bit of loose saliva into it. Prolong the "sal," and make the "ma" short, choppy, and deliberate. Say it:


Alyssa Milano

The longer you can linger on the "yss" syllable, the better. Make the 'i' sound like a long 'e' than a short 'i,' and while the "mil" syllable isn't drawn out for very long, make it an exaggeratedly pronounced long 'e' sound. Pace the syllables deliberately, but let the "mil" and "an" syllables run somewhat together. Make the "an" syllable as nasal as you possibly can. End with a flourish and a triumphant hand gesture, as if you are a conductor just finishing the last note of a symphony and expect applause at any moment. Say it:


Fyodor Dostoevsky

There's no special accent you need to spice up Fyodor Dostoevsky. Just say it firmly, regally, and with powerful tones, particularly in the last name, but keep the volume at a normal level -- in this case, less is more. The 'o' in the "dost" syllable is the most important -- make it sound that way. Say it:


Raffaella de Laurentiis

Any name with two 'i's in a row has to be fun to say, but Raffaella de Laurentiis has the added bonus of a cool first name as well. Roll the initial 'r,' of course. At the "ae" pronounce both the (long) 'a' and the (short) 'e' sounds separately. The key, however, is to build volume on "laur" and carry it through to a resoundingly powerful "en." Don't make it musical, but the whole last name should sound like something that might have inspired John Philip Sousa to write march music. This is a powerful name and that fact should be flaunted. Say it:


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