: Re: Complicated names - spelling question based on a character hearing the name said I'm writing a first person story and the main character will hear a number of odd names said. The odd names

@Si5022468

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If you are going to show the main character googling the names, I'd suggest using the phonetic spelling you describe, and making it very clear that the character knows it's not actually spelled like that. Maybe she's studied a map and hasn't seen anything remotely like "Kilconquhar", maybe she's run into the issue before, and knows the odds are in her favor if she assumes its not spelled like it sounds. But if she is going to be googling, it's usually a good idea to let the reader know there's a reason for it.

There's an example of a similar situation in Susan Cooper's "The Grey King." One of the main characters is an English boy visiting Wales. Another boy tells him to read the map, then corrects all his pronunciations on the spot. In this case, it's written with the syllables the boys pronounce, alongside the letters being read. Obviously, you've got a slightly different situation (The Grey King is pre-internet), but it's an example of how something like this can be handled.

But there isn't a hard and fast rule for this sort of thing. It's all about what you want your readers to understand about the situation.

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