13 Celebrity Names We’ve Been Pronouncing Wrong

A-listers have established a name for themselves in the entertainment industry; however, many actors, singers and models alike have struggled with their names repeatedly being mispronounced. The earned respect that comes with being a successful entertainer does not necessarily mean the acknowledgment of the appropriate pronunciation of their names. Ahead, we gathered 13 celebrities whose names you have been most likely pronouncing wrong. Rihanna, Ariana Grande and Zendaya are just a few of monikers most commonly mispronounced.

Amanda Seyfried (Pronounced: Sigh-Frid)

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According to Seyfried, the worst mispronunciation of her name would have to be say-fried or sig-freed. The Mamma Mia actress told Hollywood Streams that the correct pronunciation is sigh-frid, despite what her own sister says.

Ariana Grande (Pronounced: Gran-Dee)

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During an interview with Beats 1‘s Ebro Darden, Grande left us shook when she announced her name is actually pronounced Ariana gran-dee—not grahn-day. The common way we all say Grande’s last name was established by her own brother, Frankie. Though Grande pronounced her last name as grandee all her life growing up. There’s also some debate on how the name is actually pronounced, given that Grande is pronounced as grahn-day in Italian, but in the Grande family, its pronunciation is gran-dee.

Rihanna (Pronounced: Ree-Anna)

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The Fenty Beauty owner confirmed in an interview with HLN that the pronunciation of her name is ree-anna—not ree-AH-na. Have you been pronouncing Rihanna’s name wrong all this time? You’re not the only one. Stars including Nicki Minaj, Seth Rogan, Taylor Swift and Joe Jonas are among the many celebrities who have mispronounced the singer’s name.

Camila Cabello (Pronounced: Kuh-Bay-Oh)

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The “Havana” singer was quick to correct a Capital FM host in an interview when her name was mispronounced. Cabello pronounces her first name kam-ee-lah and her last name kuh-bay-oh. The two Ls in her last name make the y sound, as is the case in Spanish.

Charlize Theron (Pronounced: There-In)

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Theron shared that the proper way to pronounce her last name was there-in not there-own during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Atomic Blonde star also said her last name is almost always mispronounced.

Milo Ventimiglia (Pronounced: Ven-Teh-Meal-Ee-Uh)

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The This Is Us star has a silent G in his name, as seen in a How to Pronounce video, which can confuse fans who don’t know how to pronounce it. Aside from the G, Ventimiglia is actually very simple to pronounce compared to other actors’ names.

Chrissy Teigen (Pronounced: Tie-Ghen)

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Teigen admitted on Live With Kelly and Ryan that her Norwegian last name is actually pronounced tie-ghen—not tee-ghen. Even though Teigen has introduced herself as tee-ghen, her family members told her the proper way to pronounce her last name at home—and in Norway—is tie-ghen.

Emily Ratajkowski (Pronounced: Ratuh-Kow-Skee)

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The American model and actress has a lengthy surname, but similar to Ventimiglia, Ratajkowski’s name is simple to pronounce once the silent J has been learned.

Gal Gadot (Pronounced: Guh-Dote)

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Gadot’s last name is commonly mispronounced, according to the Wonder Woman star. Gadot’s original last name was Greenstein, but her parents changed it to Gadot, which means “Riverbank” in Hebrew. During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Gadot revealed her last name is pronounced guh-dote.

Zendaya (Pronounced: Zen-Day-Uh)

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Zendaya expressed in a YouTube video that her name is commonly mispronounced as zen-dye-uh, when it’s in fact, zen-day-uh. “I think a lot of people see my name and they think it’s more fancy than it is,” said the Spider-Man: Far From Home star.

Jake Gyllenhaal (Pronounced: Yee-Len-Hey-Lo)

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Gyllenhaal told Conan O’Brien that his Swedish last name is pronounced yee-len-hey-lo. Many fans refer to the actor as jill-en-hall, but it’s definitely a lot more complicated than that.

Liev Schrieber (Pronounced: Lee-Ev)

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Schreiber is best known for his role on Ray Donovan and as Victor Creed in X-Men Origins. What you may not know is how to pronounce Schreiber’s first name. According to an interview with the actor in Architectual Digest, Liev is pronounced lee-ev—not like the word leave. We are just as shocked as you are.

Mia Wasikowska (Pronounced: Vah-Shih-Kov-Skuh)

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Wasikowska is best known for her role as Alice in Alice in Wonderland. Her last name is Polish so the Ws in her name are pronounced as Vs. The Australian actress pronounced her last name as vah-shih-kov-skuh in an interview with W magazine.