The word "yelda" is spelled in a way that can be confusing to English speakers. However, it is actually a loanword from Turkish that has made its way into Arabic and Persian. In Turkish, the word is spelled "yılbaşı" and pronounced /jɯlbaʃɯ/. The initial "y" sound is similar to the "y" in "yes," followed by a close "i" vowel sound. The "l" sounds are both clear "l" sounds, and the final "a" sound is pronounced similarly to the "a" in "father."