ARGENTINA · FORWARD
How to pronounce
Lionel Messi
lee·oh·NEHLMEHS·ee
American /ˌliː.oʊˈnɛl ˈmɛs.i/
Sound by sound
5 little beats. BIG = the stressed part.
- lee the ‘ee’ in see
- oh the ‘oh’ in go
- NEHL the ‘eh’ in bed — say this beat loudest
- MEHS the ‘eh’ in bed — say this beat loudest
- ee the ‘ee’ in see
Don’t say…
- LYE-uh-nul MEH-see
- mes-EE
- lee·oh·NEHL MEHS·ee — stress on NEHL and MEHS
Where the name comes from
Messi is an Italian surname — his father’s family traces back to Recanati in central Italy before emigrating to Argentina. Lionel is a French/English given name his parents chose after the singer Lionel Richie, which is why Argentines say it lee-oh-NEHL rather than the English “LYE-uh-nul”.
- Nation
- Argentina
- Position
- Forward
- Club
- Inter Miami
- Born
- 24 Jun 1987
Why Spanish names sound the way they do
- Every vowel is pure and short — a = ah, e = eh, i = ee, o = oh, u = oo. No gliding.
- J and the soft G are an H sound — Julián → hoo-lee-AHN, Giménez → hee-MEH-nehs.
- Ñ is ‘ny’ (as in canyon), and ll / y are a ‘y’ — Yamal → yuh-MAHL.
- The rolled R is just a normal American ‘r’ for us, and a final -z is said ‘s’ (Fernández → fehr-NAHN-dehs).
Hear it for real
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Practice in the appMore Argentina names
FAQ
How do you pronounce Lionel Messi?
Lionel Messi is pronounced lee·oh·NEHL MEHS·ee in American English — 5 beats, stressing NEHL and MEHS.
What position does Lionel Messi play?
Lionel Messi is a forward for Argentina (the Argentine national team).
Where does the name Messi come from?
Messi is an Italian surname — his father’s family traces back to Recanati in central Italy before emigrating to Argentina. Lionel is a French/English given name his parents chose after the singer Lionel Richie, which is why Argentines say it lee-oh-NEHL rather than the English “LYE-uh-nul”.