CAPE VERDE · WINGER
How to pronounce
Ryan Mendes
Say it
RAHY·uhnMEHN·dehs
American /ˈraɪən ˈmɛndɛs/
Sound by sound
4 little beats. BIG = the stressed part.
- RAHY a long i, like eye — say this beat loudest
- uhn the relaxed ‘uh’ in sofa
- MEHN the ‘eh’ in bed — say this beat loudest
- dehs the ‘eh’ in bed
Get it right
- RAHY·uhn MEHN·dehs — stress on RAHY and MEHN
- Nation
- Cape Verde
- Position
- Winger
Why Portuguese names trip up English speakers
- -nh- is a ‘ny’ sound — Vitinha → vee-TEE-nyah, Marquinhos → mar-KEE-nyohs.
- Brazilian R at the start of a word is an H — Rodrygo → hoh-DREE-goh, Raphinha → hah-FEE-nyuh.
- Nasal endings (-ão, -ães) have no clean English match; Americans land on a plain ‘own’/‘ines’ — Leão → lee-OW.
- -s between vowels is a ‘z’, and j / -di- lean toward ‘zh’ — Júnior → ZHOO-nyor.
Hear it for real
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Practice in the appMore Cape Verde names
FAQ
How do you pronounce Ryan Mendes?
Ryan Mendes is pronounced RAHY·uhn MEHN·dehs in American English — 4 beats, stressing RAHY and MEHN.
What position does Ryan Mendes play?
Ryan Mendes is a winger for Cape Verde (the Cape Verdean national team).