Similar name endings

A different perspective -- Varick and Edric are visually very different (& don't actually sound very much alike either). I would never confuse them on the page, and would have no problem meeting them both in the same chapter.

Agreeing, in an audio book it might be trickier, but the letter-shapes and spellings are different enough that I wouldn't confuse them on the page. It's not like, say, Edric, Elric, Edwin and Eric.

I have Marina and Marco. Should I change his name? I mean, if it was Marina and Mario, it would have been too close. But how you feel about Marco? Close enough to require a change of name, or not really?

I think Marina and Marco would be different enough, considering with their (presumed) gender difference and the emphasis in the names are on different syllables.

Yeah, I would mix things up-- as others have mentioned.

Just my two cents!

In the original drafts of a manuscript, the main characters were Rick and Mark. After about four drafts, I had to change Mark to Matt because of all the hard "k" sounds on a page making it sound like everybody was clearing their throats or hocking goobers. I knew if it bothered me that much, readers would feel the same way.

folclor said:

Thanks for the opinions! I really do like the names better than the alternate one I was thinking of (would've changed Edric to Lynde). Once it's ready for beta readers I'll see how people feel in the context of the story.

I wouldn't have difficulty with Marina and Marco at all! Especially considering what aheuett said.

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Edric sounds male. Lynde, to some readers, may sound female (Lynn or Lyndsey). This is not to say that males cannot have female names or vice versa. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (both from Fleetwood Mac) are great examples. Denote gender if it may be confusing for readers.

It's usually better to try to keep names from becoming too similar both from a visual and aural perspective. Some people with read the book in print, and others may read with text-to-speech or an audio version.

If your cast is huge, you'll probably run into unavoidable letter repeats here and there, but I would probably try to avoid something as similar as Mar- or Ma- at the beginning of both names even if just the M had to repeat because you were out of other common letters.

Yes, I agree with the above comments. It would be best to change a name. I remember when I read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in high school. With some 6 characters referred to as Mr. Mrs. or Miss Bennet, I felt my concentration was very taxed keep track of which was which. Although, if Jane Austen got away with it, you may be able to get away with it too. If those names still "feel" best to you, you could try to distinguish them in other ways, and to ask a beta reader what they think after they've read your draft.

I don't see a problem here. I avidly read audiobooks, and I'd be fine if I heard these two names spoken aloud in the same chapter. The Va sound is a distinct difference from the Ed sound.

Enlightened said:

Edric sounds male. Lynde, to some readers, may sound female (Lynn or Lyndsey).

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For the record, both Lynn and Lyndsey (more commonly spelled Lindsey) were originally male names, and Lindsey is still used by both.

But Lynde is very close to the unambiguously female Linda, which was hugely popular 50-60 years ago, though less so today.

I'd be okay with it personally, but I can see how it might get confusing, especially in audio format. Lynde is a nice alternative name imo.

folclor said:

Initially I had two characters introduced in the same chapter named Varick and Edric. Does the exact same second syllable make these two sound too similar? I have an alternate name I could use for one of them just in case.

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I'd be fine with these - usually it's not the ending of the word I focus on, but the first couple of letters. For example, I endlessly mixed up Edgar and Edmund in King Lear (still not entirely sure which is the goodie and which is the baddie) but when reading stuff from ancient Greece, where name endings are usually very similar, I have no trouble at all.

folclor said:

I really do like the names better than the alternate one I was thinking of (would've changed Edric to Lynde)

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I do like this name as well though.

folclor said:

Does the exact same second syllable make these two sound too similar?

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Not for me. Since they start with completely different letters, confusing them wouldn't be an issue. But the similar ending would make me wonder if they're both from the same culture, and if so, why the same ending sound would merit a 'ck' in one name and a 'c' in the other.

ETA: Lynde sounds feminine to me. What about Lyndon, though?