What is the correct spelling of this name?

[ArioPrince]

Phonology of the name: /mostæfɒːiː/

There are different vowels at the end of the name with different sounds. The "a" after "f" is pronounced as in "father" and there's a long stressed "e" as in "beat" right after that. I'm confused how is this spelled correctly in English?

I've researched and I've come up with these options but I'm confused:

Mostafaie
Mostafaei
Mostafayi
Mostafa'ee
Mostafa'e
Mostafa'i
Mostafa'ie
Mostafa'ei

[emsr2d2]

As it doesn't appear to be a traditionally English name, I think it would be difficult for us to try to come up with a "correct" English spelling.

I don't do phonetics so I'm not even sure what the name you've written phonetically sounds like. From your suggested spellings, it appears to be some variation on the name Mustafa but I know at least four different variations just on that name (Mustafa, Mustapha, Moustafa, Moustapha).

[ArioPrince]

It's a last name in Persian culture. Persians usually use the Mostafa variant while Arabs and Turks use Mustafa. In Persian culture, a double "e" sound is added at the end for most common last names. So it's like "Mostafa" + the "e" sound. I hope that helps. Any other questions, I'll gladly answer.

[SoothingDave]

There is no "correct" answer. In Anglo-American culture you can pretty much spell your name and pronounce it however you like.

[ArioPrince]

Dave, as an American which one would you pick in terms of easier pronunciation and spelling? Which one doesn't require you to struggle to pronounce or which one comes to your mind when you hear the pronunciation?

[Tdol]

I think there's a bit of a problem with the spelling because the one that seems to me most logical there (Mostapha'ee) may be confusing as some may interpret the apostrophe as a glottal or missing letter. A diaeresis (ë) is often not recognised by many speakers- Citroën is normally pronounced as two syllables not three. A hyphen looks strange. I have taught may Iranian students (in the UK) and not seen the full name, which suggests that their solution was to drop the ee.

[SoothingDave]

Dave, as an American which one would you pick in terms of easier pronunciation and spelling? Which one doesn't require you to struggle to pronounce or which one comes to your mind when you hear the pronunciation?

As an American, I would encourage you to choose a version that will be familiar to many Americans. "Mustafa" was the father King in Disney's "The Lion King."

[ArioPrince]

Tdol, I want to be recognized by one name both in my homeland and in foreign countries so dropping a part of it or changing the name is not an option unless I change it in Iran which the law forbids any Muslim name change!!! So I have to go with one of those options in my first post.

(Mostapha'ee) may be confusing as some may interpret the apostrophe as a glottal or missing letter. A diaeresis (ë) is often not recognised by many speakers- Citroën is normally pronounced as two syllables not three. A hyphen looks strange.

Interesting point, I need more of these so I can decide better. So far I have to tell you, Great feedback guys. Keep 'em comin'! Best feedback among the forums I've asked this question on. Thank you.

[Tdol]

On some official documents in Japan, I have had to write my name in katakana and Richard, my first name, becomes Lichardo (the pronunciation of the Japanese spelling) and my surname acquires an extra syllable to suit their pronunciation rules. However, I haven't changed my name. As your name in Iran would be written in Persian, would it really require a change?

Couldn't you write it in Persian the way you do in Iran and use Mustafa or Mustapha elsewhere? When names have to change writing system, they may need to be a bit accommodating.

[ArioPrince]

You're right Tdol.
I found these two websites where you can type something and hear the pronunciation. I tried different spellings, one of them pronounced "Mostafaie" and "Mostafayi" just like the Persian pronunciation and the other Pronounced "Mostafai" the natural way. I should note that these websites are different than Windows Text-to-Speech, they pronounced as closest match to a human pronunciation. Unfortunately I can't post links right now since I don't have 10 posts.