How would you write this in a last name pronunciation?

Question

My last name is Phouasalit.

Pronounced:

Po-sa-lit

But the "o" sound is like the o in orage,not like the o in flow.

How could i write it correctly or is there no way?

Answer 1

It's your last name. I'm sure it's correct in the language it comes from. Don't worry about it. My last name gets mispronounced all the time, and I collect the funny words that come out of it (someone called me DiGiorno, once - like the pizza)!

Edit: Oh, I see. You just want phonetic spelling. I'm afraid the English language just has "o" - it doesn't tell the difference between those two sounds. You could try the International Phonetic Alphabet (pay attention to the third column, with the American flag): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPA_chart_f...

Answer 2

Technically in Webster's phonetic notation an "o" by itself is pronounced as in "bottle." To denote an o as in "note" it has to be written with a macron (line) on top.

However, since that is not possible here, you may write it as "Paw-sa-lit."

Answer 3

I'm guessing it's Khmer. It's very difficult to write a name phonetically in English but try this: Poasalit. You definitely have to get rid of the H after the P since it is usual to pronounce that as F (as in phone). You will still have to tell people how to say it correctly but that true of most Asian names. Good luck.