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A woman recently turned to the internet for advice on approaching the topic of telling her friend she spelled her baby’s name wrong.

Posting on the forum, Mumsnet, she wrote:“ Would you tell someone they’ve misspelt their baby’s name?! A colleague has recently announced the birth of ‘Pheobe’ on Facebook and since referred to the baby as ‘Pheobe’ several times.”

“Would I be awful to gently suggest the correct spelling or just hope it’s picked up on when they register the birth?”

Some have said she should definitely asks the mum, just in case it was an honest mistake.

“I’d point it out, in private so as not to embarrass them. Maybe they have done it deliberately though,” one person wrote.

“Maybe just drop a congrats message and ask whether it will be spelt Pheobe or Phoebe,” another suggested.

Others said perhaps a more subtle attempt would be more appropriate. The problem being that people spell names in all sorts of ways now.

“I would put a comment on welcoming little Phoebe to the world, but wouldn’t say anything directly,” was one reply.

Do you think it is OK to correct a friends way of spelling their own child’s name?

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  • You could simply ask so you can clarify…is the name pronounced ‘fee- o- b” and when they say No ‘fee-b” then you could say “oh…I wasnt sure as you are not using the traditional spelling”

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  • Parents spell their kids names in all sorts of ways. The stranger they are the more some parents like them

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  • What is a misspelt name and is there even one ?
    We chose the spelling of the name of my daughter in Dutch Ketura (instead of Keturah), many friends spell her name wrong as it’s an unusual name, spelling for example Katura.
    One of my foster girls name is Khloe (instead of Chloe), her name is often spelled wrong by others.
    I don’t make a big deal of it.

    Reply

  • I don’t consider it ‘misspelt’ but rather, that is the way the parent/s have chosen to spell the name, perhaps they want it to be a bit more unique.

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  • Lots of different ways to spell names. Parents choice.

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  • No you shouldn’t!!

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  • I’d ask them privately if they have chosen a different way of spelling their child’s name. I’d just say that I’ve seen it spelt so many different ways I don’t want to get their child’s name wrong. That may cause them to take a second look at their spelling of it

    Reply

  • Poor kid to be stuck with a mispelled name her whole life.

    Reply

  • Here is something that might interest you moms. Looks like this mom is not alone in her spelling.
    Pheobe or phoebe?
    https://imageserve.babycenter.com/15/000/079/P4drmETAeGKDGzHIXdafrYV1d1ncMihb
    smidgo
    25/12/15
    We love the name pheobe/phoebe…but which one is the correct spelling. I thought pheobe is because you say the e first rather then the o…help!?!

    Reply

  • I know a ‘Hiedi’ which probably should have been ‘Heidi’. I feel sorry for the child going through their life always having to correct their name or put up with the wrong spelling.

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  • In this case it really looks like an error as spelling it ‘Pheobe’ doesn’t make any sense. That being said people are coming up with all sorts of weird and wonderful spellings. I think people just need to stop with the trying to be creative as they are taking it too far. I have even heard of someone spelling their daughter’s name ‘Paaige’ – what logical reason is there to have two ‘a’s other than to be a complete douche and have your child correcting people’s spellings their whole life!

    Reply

  • I would seriously doubt a Mum could misspell a name she had chosen for her child ….. There are so many variations of names nowadays that she probably spelled it like just to be different.

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  • I thought names were spelled any way the parent wanted.


    • I am with you – it really does not matter and such a small thing too. No need for anyone to correct a name to their liking or for their approval.

    Reply

  • It’s like Megan and Meagan, it’s fine isn’t it?

    It’s up to the parents…

    Reply

  • I am annoyingly the grammar queen but… maybe she meant to spell it that way. I might ask how to spell it, just to be sure, but names are spelt so differently these days it may be on purpose.

    Reply

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