Moss Spelling Dictionary

lewnularia, spelled the English way

heard as lewnularia

spelled lunularia

The sound is right, the letters are Latin: lunularia.

What the ear did

English writes this vowel ew in dew, new and stew, and u in lunar, tuna and duty. The Latin name uses the plain u, and the y glide many speakers put after the l is not written at all.

Sound decision: the long u, the one that starts with a y. Said loon-yoo-LAIR-ee-uh.

L-U-N-U-L-A-R-I-A

The full entry for lunularia covers the name itself.

Other spellings people try