8 Celebrity Names You Have Been Pronouncing Wrong!

Pronouncing names is always a difficult feat. It is always embarrassing for both parties if a name is mispronounced. And although they are well-known, Hollywood celebrities aren’t off the hook either. Everyone remembers the 2014 Academy Awards fiasco where John Travolta mispronounced Idina Menzel’s name in front of millions. Some celebrities have given up on teaching people the correct pronunciation of their names while others have been trying to teach fans the right way to say their name for years. To make sure you are informed on the right way to say your favorite celebrities’ names, here are the celebs whose names you have probably been pronouncing wrong!

1. Taylor Lautner

Earlier this year, on “The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby", Taylor Lautner explained that everyone has been pronouncing his name incorrectly. He states that it is “[his] fault” that everyone has been pronouncing his name incorrectly because he has never corrected anyone on the pronunciation of his last name. While many pronounce his last name as “LAUGHT-ner”, the true pronunciation is “LOUT-ner”.

2. Zendaya

Many people try to make Zendaya’s name fancier than it really is. She went on the record to clear the air on the true pronunciation of her name with The Huffington Post in 2017. She has corrected people multiple times on the real way to say her name, so it didn’t and shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone anymore, yet people still struggle. She makes it very clear that it is not “Zen-DIE-ah”, it’s “Zen-DAY-ah”.

3. Ariana Grande

No one will probably be switching to the correct pronunciation of Ariana Grande’s last name anytime soon, because even the star herself really doesn’t pronounce it the way it is supposed to be pronounced. According to her podcast interview with Beats Radio 1 in 2018, Ariana claimed that her grandfather told her the proper way to say their last name was with an emphasis on the "de" at the end. However, her brother Frankie Grande suggested going with the Italian pronunciation, which is "day". The real way to say Grande is not the like the Starbucks drink order “Grahn-day”, but “Gran-dee”.

4. Gal Gadot

Gal Gadot’s name is difficult for many people to say. There is plenty of variation with how fans and even co-stars pronounce her name. However, that is because it's an Israeli name. She has attempted to clarify the right way to say her first and last name; however, she isn’t too hung up on attempting to correct people. Instead of “G-all Ga-DOT” or "Ga-DOH", it’s more so “Gal Ga-dote”.

5. Rihanna

Most people should know the proper way to say Rihanna’s name by now; however, for those of you who don’t, she’s discussed it more than once. Eight years ago, she did an interview with Home with Jim Parsons and Steve Martin. Her name is Barbadian, she explained, which is why people often struggle to pronounce it correctly. Parsons and Martin even laughed along at their struggle to pronounce her name. So, stop pronouncing it like “Ree-AHN-ah” and start saying it like “Ree-ANNE-ah.”

6. Niall Horan

Unless you are James Corden, you probably say Niall Horan’s last name correctly. On “The Late Late Show”, James sat down with Niall for an interview where Niall called James out for pronouncing his name, personally and publicly, incorrectly. If you say his last name like James Corden does, you’re probably just not stressing the right syllable. For an easy fix, it's not “HOR-an”, it's “HORE–an”. Just stress the first syllable slightly longer than usual.

7. Lindsay Lohan

This one is tricky. To be honest, it’s probably not you that’s pronouncing "Lohan" incorrectly, it’s definitely Lindsay. In most of her interviews and videos, when introducing herself, Lindsay Lohan often completely leaves out the "h" in her last name. However, in her interview with Jimmy Fallon for "The Tonight Show”, they discussed the proper pronunciation of her name. Apparently, the way she says her name is very different from the way her family and the rest of the world does. According to her pronunciation, it’s not “LOH-han” but more like “Lowan”.

8. Denzel Washington

In an interview with “The Graham Norton Show” in 2017, 2-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington was asked if the way we pronounce his name is correct. He quickly explained that we have been pronouncing his name incorrectly all this time but that there’s a reason -- He and his father share a name, and to leave behind confusion, his mother began to call him the name that most fans usually say. To be clear, though, it’s not "Den-ZELL" but "DEN-zill".