Originally appeared on E! Online.
A person’s own name is the sweetest sound in their native language, but turns out these stars rarely hear theirs.
While some celebs like Emma Stone and Warren Beatty purposefully go by slightly changed names professionally, other stars have assimilated to the wrong pronunciation so seamlessly, you might not even know it’s incorrect.
“My name is not actually pronounced Denzel,” Denzel Washington clarified during a September appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “My name is pronounced Denzel.”
However, the mispronunciation is something “The Equalizer” star actually encourages, since it began with his mother Lennis Washington, who used the unique pronunciation to distinguish between him and his father, Denzel Washington Sr.
“My mother would say, ‘Denzel?’ and we’d both show up,” he recalled. “So she said, ‘From now on, you’re Denzel.’ That’s how we got it pronounced Denzel.”
Similarly, Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce use an incorrect version of their last name — “Kel-see”—stemming from their dad Ed Kelce. After all, the precise surname is actually “Kels.”
READ: Denzel Washington reveals you’ve been saying his name wrong throughout his career
“At work, that was my work name,” Ed told his sons during a 2023 episode of “New Heights.” “Everybody at work did that so I just said, ‘Fine, screw this, I’m gonna do that.’”
When it comes to how his NFL star sons go about pronouncing the family title, though, Ed couldn’t care less. As he put it, “Do whatever you want, that’s what I did.”
Of course, other stars are not so keen about fans saying their names incorrectly. In fact, Paul Mescal would like to officially cut ties from the agave spirit that fans think his last name’s homophone.
“People get confused on how to pronounce my name because of the drink mezcal,” the Normal People actor explained to The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. “Everybody does it, except I pronounce it mess-cull.”
As he put it, “If I launched a tequila line, I’d call it Mescal’s Mezcal.”
Meanwhile, other stars like Zendaya put out full-blown tutorials to ensure their name gets its stress on the proper syllables.
“In case you are wondering it’s Zendaya,” Zendaya said in a video for Allure in 2016. “Z-E-N Zen, D-A-Y, Day, UH, A.”
For every star whose name you might be getting wrong, keep reading…
Kirsten Dunst (Pronounced: Keer-Sten)
The “Spider-Man” actress told Town & Country in August 2025 that people usually call her “kerr-sten” or “criss-ten.”
However, the correct way to say her name is “keer-sten.”
“I don’t blame people,” she said. “You just give up.”
Denzel Washington (Pronounced: Den-Zel)
While “The Equalizer” star admitted it was his mother Lennis Washington who evoked the change due to he and his father having the same name, he confirmed fans have been saying his name wrong in 2025.
“My name is not actually pronounced Denzel,” he told Jimmy Kimmel during an appearance on his eponymous late night show at the time, before going on to pronounce his name with emphasis on the first syllable. “My name is pronounced Denzel.”
Travis Kelce (Pronounced: Kels)
Travis and brother Jason Kelce debated on their “New Heights” podcast whether to go by “Kel-see” or “Kels,” with Travis deciding to do the latter.
Paul Mescal (Pronounced: Mess-Cull)
No, not like the liquor. The “Normal People” alum admitted to The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that he may need to start his own beverage company with how often his name in mispronounced.
“People get confused with how to pronounce my name because of the drink Mezcal,” he said. “Everybody does it. I pronounce it ‘Mescal’ and I wonder if I launched a tequila line I would have to, I would call it ‘Mescal’s Mezcal.’ I’m on the fence.”
Taylor Lautner (Pronounced: Lout-Ner)
Speaking with E! News in February 2022, Lautner revealed the first syllable of his last name rhymes with “out” instead of being pronounced as “lot.”
Ayo Edebiri (Pronounced: Eye-Oh Eh-deb-bri)
Edebiri has never complained about people getting her name wrong, but she has said that it’s her “pet peeve” when people mispronounce anyone’s name, so make sure you pronounce hers like she’s introduced it herself, such as at the Emmys in 2022.
Tana Mongeau (Pronounced: Mo-Jo)
Alex Warren called out Mongeau for the unusual pronunciation of her last name during a 2022 episode of the “Locked In” podcast, to which she said, “Take it up with the French, I didn’t create it.”
Emily Ratajkowski (Pronounced: Rat-Ah-Kof-Sky or Rat-Ah-Cow-Skee)
After much speculation surrounding her moniker, the model set the record straight in a TikTok shared by Tory Burch, where she provided “the Polish way” to say it. She has also introduced herself by pronouncing her last name “Rat-Ah-Cow-Skee.”
Tove Lo (Pronounced: Toov-a-loo)
While the “Habits” singer has embraced the more common pronunciation of her name, “TUV-LOW,” she clarified that’s not actually correct in 2022.
“The Swedish way is ‘Toovaloo,'” she explained in a TikTok at the time. “But I will still answer to ‘TUV-LOW.'”
Raven-Symoné (Pronounced: See-mon-ye)
While Raven-Symoné’s character could see the future on “That’s So Raven,” fans likely didn’t see this coming. The actress revealed in a January 2023 TikTok that her name has been mispronounced for years and is actually pronounced See-mon-ye.
Brendan Fraser (Pronounced: Fray-zer)
After Adam Sandler accidentally mispronounced the Oscar winner’s last name during a December 2022 interview for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, the “George of the Jungle” star swung in with a trick that can help fans remember how to say the moniker correctly: Fraser rhymes with razor.
Haim (Pronounced: Hi-Um)
Yes, the sister duo Este Haim, Alana Haim and Danielle Haim have also had to share the proper pronunciation back in 2013 — and you might still be getting it wrong. The four-letter word is actually two syllables — Hi-Um.
But hey, no sweat if you have — even Alana has messed it up.
“That was one, you’re wrong,” Danielle told her in a 2013 tutorial video.
To which Alana jokingly replied, “I’m not a sister, just so everyone knows. I’m an actress.”
Zendaya (Pronounced: Zen-DAY-uh)
While not as common later in her career, the “Challengers” actress has had to explain how to properly pronounce her singular moniker.
“I think a lot of people see my name and think it’s more fancy than it is,” Zendaya explained in a video posted to her website in 2016. “They think Zendaya like papaya. It’s just day.”
Adele (Pronounced: Uh-Dale)
During a Q&A in October 2022, the powerhouse singer praised a fan for “perfectly” pronouncing her name as “uh-dale” when asking a question.
Lindsay Lohan (Pronounced: Lo-Wen)
For her introductory video shared to TikTok in February 2022, Lindsay Lohan inadvertently set the record straight on how to correctly pronounce her last name, which is “Lo-wen.”
Alicia Silverstone (Pronounced: Uh-Lee-See-Uh)
The “Clueless” actress set the record straight on how to pronounce her name on TikTok. Alicia said she’s not bothered if fans don’t get it right, noting, “But my sweet mama didn’t like it … so for her … get it right! Ali-SEE-yuh.”
Kesha (Pronounced: Keh-Sha)
“My name is Kesha. Keh-sha,” the singer said on TikTok. “Not Keisha. Not Ketchup. Kesha.”
Justin Theroux (Pronounced: Tha-Roo)
The “Leftovers” actor’s uncle revealed in an interview with Apple TV+ that we’ve all been pronouncing “Theroux” incorrectly, including Theroux himself!
“The main character is played by Justin Theroux, my nephew,” Paul Theroux explained of the actor starring in his novel’s television adaptation. The novelist later poked fun at his nephew, saying, “Sometimes he calls himself Justin tha-row [laughs]. It’s a French name, it’s Theroux.”
Ariana Grande (Pronounced: Gran-Dee)
The pop star dropped jaws in 2018 after she explained the correct way to say her last name. When speaking about her engagement to Pete Davidson at the time, Grande discussed whether or not she’d take his last name in an interview with Beats 1’s Ebro Darden. That’s when she blurted out the “gran-dee” pronunciation when describing her own last name.
Chrissy Teigen (Pronounced: Tie-Ghen)
The “Cravings” cookbook author blew everyone’s mind when she shared the real way to say her last name. During an appearance on “Live With Kelly and Ryan” in 2018, the model admitted it was her “fault” for the mispronunciation. “It’s been 25 years, I’m tired of correcting people,” she expressed.
Gal Gadot (Pronounced: Guh-Dote)
The lasso of truth! The “Wonder Woman” actress chatted with Jimmy Kimmel about the pronunciation (guh-dote) and the meaning of her last name, which is “Riverbank” in Hebrew. “The Gadot used to be Greenstein,” she confessed of her original last name, but her parents “felt” it had more oomph.
Jake Gyllenhaal (Pronounced: Yee-Len-Hey-Lo)
Prepare to be mind blown. During an appearance on “Conan” in 2012, the actor shared the “only two places that that is pronounced correctly, my last name, is in Sweden and in Ikea.”
Ralph Fiennes (Pronounced: Ray-F Fines)
The star has openly discussed just how frequently people screw up his name. However, in 2011, he told The Hollywood Reporter he’d never change it because he was named after his step-grandfather, who pronounced it in the same way.
Sade Adu (Pronounced Shar-Day)
According to the legendary singer’s IMDb page, her stage name is pronounced shar-day.
Steve Buscemi (Pronounced: Boo-Sem-Ee)
In 2014, the “Fargo” alum confirmed his last name is pronounced boo-sem-ee during a panel for “Running Late with Scott Rogowsky.” However, he said he doesn’t “correct people” if they say boo-shh-em-me because “it’s not wrong.”
Charlize Theron (Pronounced: There-In)
In 2014, the Oscar winner told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” that her last name is always botched. “They screw it up,” she quipped. “I almost want to make an audiotape on how to pronounce my name.”
Anya Taylor Joy (Pronounced: Anne-Ya)
Check(mate) your pronounciation of the “Queen’s Gambit” star, who says her name like anne-ya — and not awn-ya.
Amanda Seyfried (Pronounced: Sigh-Frid)
The “Mean Girls” alum has us all feeling like Karen because she revealed in 2012 during an interview with Hollywood Streams that the correct pronunciation of her last name is sigh-frid. Although, she admitted that her “sister says it differently” than she does.
