Is there a rule for complex words when y (at the end of first) must be changed to i? [closed]

Why do complex words like “citilink” or “citibank” use “i” at the end of “city”?

I bet they mean city in the first part of word. I’m not sure if there is some rule for complex words when “y” must be changed to “i”; is this true?

Solution 1:

There are guidelines to generalize the changes in the spelling of Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives that end in "y."

For example,

• If the end spelling is consonant + y:

y >>> ies

y >>> ied

y >>> ier, iest

y >>> ily

y >>> ying

• If the end spelling is vowel + y:

"y" doesn't change to "i"

There are of course exceptions to these guidelines like the words "day," "pay" etc.

Unfortunately, the words that you cited above are in fact proper nouns (not "complex words") and as such they are not covered by these guidelines, and their form mostly depends on their creators' discretion

Solution 2:

With the exception of obvious compound words, any time a "Y" precedes a consonant, that "y" will be generally have the long pronunciation: "Style" "thyme" etc.

You can imagine how "happyly" or "busyly" might introduce some uncertainty to the reader.

"CityBank" or "HappyLand" or whatever are clear enough, but "Citibank" is entirely acceptable, and it seems to me that it comes across as much more European/exotic.

Solution 3:

There are no rules. Such spelling variations may be an attempt to circumvent previous trademarks.

In general, you will find that the word won't be modified if the original meaning can't be sussed out. It also may depend on how "awkward" the construction feels (a big company will almost certainly conduct brand name research for this).

There is also the fact that y has (mostly) disappeared as an internal vowel in English, so a 'y' in the middle of a word may stick out (not necessarily a bad thing for a marketer).