How to Phonetically Respell Your Name
Step 1: Start with your full name as it appears in SSOL. Remove any names you do not wish to have read and add any nicknames and suffixes you do want read.
Step 2: Identify common names (such as Tom or Johnson) that do not need to be phoneticized, and keep these as they are.
Step 3: For the remaining names, try to think of any common words that are pronounced similarly, and swap these in. Example: Albert Kao becomes Albert Cow. (Watch out for words that could have multiple pronunciations! For example, “bow” could sound like “boh” as in “bow and arrow” or “bough” as in “bow wow.”)
Step 4: Use the respelling guide to determine how to indicate the remaning sounds in your name. Example: If the name Bowman begins with the sound in “bow and arrow,” write Boh-man.
Step 5: Separate the syllables with a dash. Example: Amy Nostdahl would be written as Amy Nahst-doll.
Step 6: Capitalize any syllables that should be emphasized. Example: Adebola Adeniran becomes Ah-DAY-buh-la Ah-DEN-i-ran.