Moss Spelling Dictionary

lyounularia and the y sound at the front

heard as lyounularia

spelled lunularia

The y is heard and not written. Lunularia.

What the ear did

Older British pronunciation puts a distinct y glide after l in words like lunar and lucid, so the first syllable can arrive at the ear as lyoo. There is no letter for it here; the u carries the whole thing.

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