Irish names with silent letters and surprising sounds
Most of the confusion with Irish names comes from a handful of letter patterns. Learn what each one usually does and the rest of the names fall into place. Dialects vary, so treat these as a guide rather than a rule.
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bh / mh
Between vowels, "bh" and "mh" usually sound like a V (or a soft W), so Siobhán starts "shi-V", not "shi-b".
- Aibhlinn – AV-lin (Possibly 'dream, vision')
- Ailbhe – AL-va (White, bright; debated)
- Almha – AL-wa (Lady of Allen)
- Aoibheall – EE-vul (Beauty)
- Aoibheann – EE-van (Beautiful, radiant)
- Aoibhinn – EE-veen (Delightful)
- Bébhinn – BAY-vin (Fair lady)
- Béibhinn – BAY-vin (Fair woman)
- Caoimhe – KEE-vah (Gentle, kind, precious)
- Caoimhín – KEE-veen (Gentle, handsome)
- Cumhall – KOO-al (Of uncertain meaning; father of Fionn mac Cumhaill)
- Dearbhla – DER-vla (True desire, uncertain)
- Domhnall – DOH-nul (World ruler)
- Eibhlín – ay-LEEN (Form of Aveline; also used for Helen)
dh / gh
Before or after most vowels, "dh" and "gh" are usually silent or only a faint "y" or "g" sound. Tadhg ends like "tige", with no hard "g".
- Aodh – AY (Fire)
- Aodhán – AY-dawn (Little fire)
- Cadhla – KY-la (Graceful)
- Clodagh – KLOH-da (Named for a river)
- Darragh – DAR-ah (Oak, fertile)
- Eochaidh – YOH-hee (Horseman)
- Eoghan – OH-an (Born of the yew, debated)
- Fearghal – FAR-gal (Man of valour)
- Fiadh – FEE-ah (Wild, deer)
- Laoghaire – LEER-ee (Calf herder)
- Lugh – LOO (Uncertain, perhaps shining)
- Muirgheal – MUR-yal (Sea-bright)
- Murchadh – MUR-uh-khoo (Sea warrior)
- Odhrán – OH-rawn (Little pale green one)
ao
"ao" is a long vowel: it sounds like "ee" in many places (Aoife, Saoirse) and "ay" in others (Aodh, Aodhán). Regional dialects differ.
- Aodh – AY (Fire)
- Aodhán – AY-dawn (Little fire)
- Aoibheall – EE-vul (Beauty)
- Aoibheann – EE-van (Beautiful, radiant)
- Aoibhinn – EE-veen (Delightful)
- Aoife – EE-fah (Beauty, radiance)
- Caoilfhionn – KEE-lin (Slender and fair)
- Caoimhe – KEE-vah (Gentle, kind, precious)
- Caoimhín – KEE-veen (Gentle, handsome)
- Caolán – KWAY-lawn (Slender one)
- Conlaoch – KUN-lay (Son of Cú Chulainn)
- Faolán – FWAY-lawn (Little wolf)
- Fraoch – FREEKH (Heather)
- Laoghaire – LEER-ee (Calf herder)
eo
"eo" often sounds like "yo" or "oh" (Eoin, Eoghan, Eochaidh).
- Eochaidh – YOH-hee (Horseman)
- Eoghan – OH-an (Born of the yew, debated)
- Eoin – OH-in (God is gracious)
- Seoirse – SHOR-sha (Farmer)
ei / ea
"ei" is often "eh" or "ay", and "ea" is often "a" as in "cat" or "ay" depending on the word (Eimear, Neasa, Deirdre).
- Aoibheall – EE-vul (Beauty)
- Aoibheann – EE-van (Beautiful, radiant)
- Deichtire – DEKH-tir-uh (Mother of Cú Chulainn)
- Deirdre – DEER-dra (Uncertain, possibly sorrowful)
- Eibhlín – ay-LEEN (Form of Aveline; also used for Helen)
- Eilís – AY-leesh (My God is an oath)
- Eimear – EE-mer (Possibly swift, quick)
- Eithne – ETH-nya (Kernel)
- Keira – KEER-ah (Dark, dusky)
- Muireall – MWIR-ul (Sea-bright)
- Muireann – MWIR-an (Sea-born, sea-white)
- Muirgheal – MUR-yal (Sea-bright)
- Neasa – NAS-ah (Uncertain, perhaps ungentle)
- Peadar – PYA-dar (Rock)
Accents (fadas)
The accent, called a síneadh fada, lengthens the vowel: á is "aw", é is "ay", í is "ee", ó is "oh" and ú is "oo".
- Adomnán – AH-dum-nawn (Little Adam)
- Ailís – AL-eesh (Noble)
- Aodhán – AY-dawn (Little fire)
- Bláithín – BLAW-heen (Little flower)
- Bláthnaid – BLAW-nid (Little flower, blossom)
- Brónach – BROH-nakh (Sorrowful)
- Bébhinn – BAY-vin (Fair lady)
- Bébinn – BAY-vin (Fair woman)
- Béibhinn – BAY-vin (Fair woman)
- Caitlín – KAT-leen (Pure)
- Caitríona – kah-TREE-nah (Pure)
- Caoimhín – KEE-veen (Gentle, handsome)
- Caolán – KWAY-lawn (Slender one)
- Caílte – KWIL-cha (Swift warrior of the Fianna)
th
Irish "th" is usually a soft "h" rather than the English "th" (Cathal is "KAH-hal").
- Bláithín – BLAW-heen (Little flower)
- Bláthnaid – BLAW-nid (Little flower, blossom)
- Cathair – KAH-her (Warrior)
- Cathal – KAH-hal (Battle ruler)
- Cathbad – KAH-vad (Battle crow)
- Daithí – DAH-hee (Swift, nimble; debated)
- Eithne – ETH-nya (Kernel)
- Gormlaith – GOR-m-la (Illustrious princess)
- Jarlath – JAR-luth (Tributary lord)
- Mathúin – MA-hoon (Bear)
- Partholón – PAR-ha-lawn (Early settler of legend)
- Saorlaith – SEER-la (Free princess)
- Scáthach – SKAW-hakh (Shadowy one)
- Tuathal – TOO-ul (People ruler)
ch
"ch" is the throat sound heard in Scottish "loch", not the English "church" sound (Murchadh, Sorcha).
- Brónach – BROH-nakh (Sorrowful)
- Conchobar – KON-uh-var (Hound lover, debated)
- Conlaoch – KUN-lay (Son of Cú Chulainn)
- Cúchulainn – koo-HULL-in (Hound of Culann)
- Deichtire – DEKH-tir-uh (Mother of Cú Chulainn)
- Donnacha – DUN-a-kha (Brown warrior)
- Eochaidh – YOH-hee (Horseman)
- Fiachra – FEE-ak-ra (Raven)
- Fraoch – FREEKH (Heather)
- Lochlann – LOK-lan (Possibly 'land of the lakes')
- Macha – MAH-kha (Uncertain, possibly plain)
- Malachy – MAL-uh-kee (Messenger)
- Muircheartach – MWIR-hyar-takh (Skilled mariner)
- Murchadh – MUR-uh-khoo (Sea warrior)
Frequently asked questions
Which letters are silent in Irish names?
Combinations such as dh, gh and fh are often silent or very soft, and bh and mh usually sound like V or W. The exact sound depends on the neighbouring vowels and the dialect.
Why does Tadhg not have a hard G?
In Irish, dh and gh next to certain vowels are soft, so Tadhg sounds like "tige" and the g is not pronounced.