One of my male characters is named Silen (pronounced sy-luhn). Which variant of spelling looks best?:
Silan
Sylan
Sylen
Silen
Sylun
Silun
Sylon
Silon
Which do you think is the *best* way to spell this name?
The Road goes ever on
Favorite Answer
There certainly is no "best" way to spell it; ultimately, it's up to how you, the author, wish to spell it. However, I do like the spelling Silun -- I think it looks like a nice name and, as another perk, it is spelled like it sounds (based on your given pronunciation) and so perhaps wouldn't cause much confusion for the readers. Although, I also like Silan and Silen. That's all just my opinion, though. In the end, be sure that you, the author, choose the spelling that you think fits best.
Best wishes!
Steven J Pemberton
There's no "best" way to spell anything in English, but I'd go for Sylen or Sylun. The Y gives more of a clue that it's supposed to be a long "I" sound, not a short one. The E or U seem closest to the murmur vowel that you seem to want for the second syllable. "Sylon" looks too much like "Cylon".
nshooter11
I'm with Steve on this one :)
Avoid Sylon, choose one with a Y as the first vowel, and my own preference would be Sylen.
?
Sylon
The Witch-king of Angmar
Silan