There's the way you pronounce your fave celeb's name in your head and then there's the way it's actually pronounced. And based on how many syllables the name has, or which consonants are next to each other, you might not even know your fave celeb's actual name because you're botching it so badly. Yet, you don't exactly interact with said celeb on the regs, so you probably don't even know.
Here are all the most commonly mispronounced celeb names — and how you really say them, so you can annoy all your friends by correcting them.
1. Andre Swilley
How you say it: Ahn-dray Swi-lay
How it's actually pronounced: Ahn-dray Swil-lee
Andre pronounces his name around the 2:13 mark in the above video.
2. Kouvr Annon
How you say it: Coo-ver A-non
How it's actually pronounced: Ko-ver Anne-on
Now that you know how to correctly say Kouvr's first and last name (it's around the 4:01 mark in the above video), try pronouncing her middle name. Even her boyfriend, Alex Warren, had a hard time doing it.
3. Kio Cyr
How you say it: Kee-O Sir
How it's actually pronounced: Kee-O Seer
Kio pronounces his name around the 0:14 mark in the above video. In an interview with Famous Birthdays, Kio shared he has two middle names. After he said them, he said, "Good luck spelling that."
4. Abby Rao
How you say it: Ab-be Row
How it's actually pronounced: Ab-be Ray-O
5. Rihanna
How you say it: Ri-ha-na
How it's actually pronounced: Ri-anne-uh
British Vogue posted a video of Rihanna discussing her fashion line, Fenty. And while the clothes are fabulous, the Internet was more hung up on the way the singer pronounces her name.
That's right, you've probably been pronouncing this icon's name wrong for years. Granted, Ri isn't such a stickler for the correct pronunciation like some other celebs, but we really should know better. She did inform us of the correct way to say it years ago!
6. Chrissy Teigen
How you say it: Kris-eee Tee-gen
How it's actually pronounced: Kris-eee Tie-gen
7. Ariana Grande
How you say it: R-ee-ana Grahn-day
How it's actually pronounced: R-ee-ana Gran-dee
8. Jacob Tremblay
How you say it: Jay-cobb Trim-blay
How it's actually pronounced: Jay-cobb Trahm-blay
9. Avan Jogia
How you say it: A-vahn Joe-gee-a
How it's actually pronounced: Aaah-van Joe-gee-a
10. Anneliese van der Pol
How you say it: An-a-leese van-der-Pole
How it's actually pronounced: Ahn-a-lee-sa van-der-Pole
11. Niall Horan
How you say it: Neal Hore-anne
How it's actually pronounced: Nye-ull Hore-in
12. Louis Tomlinson
How you say it: Lew-iss Tom-lin-sun
How it's actually pronounced: Lew-ey Tom-lin-sun
13. Zendaya
How you say it: Zen-die-a
How it's actually pronounced: Zen-day-a (aka, how it's spelled.)
14. Cara Delevingne
How you say it: Care-a Del-a-vine
How it's actually pronounced: Car-a Del-a-veen
15. Austin Mahone
How you say it: Aww-stin Ma-hone-ey
How it's actually pronounced: Aww-stin Ma-hone
16. Rowan Blanchard
How you say it: R-oww-an Blan-chard
How it's actually pronounced: Row-in Blan-cherd
17. Amanda Seyfried
How you say it: Amanda See-freed or Amanda Say-fry-d
How it's actually pronounced: Amanda Sigh-frid
18. Alessia Cara
How you say it: Ah-lee-sha Car-a
How it's actually pronounced: A-less-ee-uh Car-a
19. Quvenzhané Wallis
How you say it: Kwah-von-zane or Ka-ven-za-knee Wall-iss
How it's actually pronounced: Kwah-van-ja-nay Wall-iss
20. Chloe Lukasiak
How you say it: Klo-ee... from Dance Moms.
How it's actually pronounced: Klo-ee Loo-kay-zee-ak
When I'm not holed up in my room going on a completely unproductive Netflix binge or Tumblr stalking Timothée Chalomet, I'm searching for awesome celeb news stories that Seventeen readers will love!
Stacey Grant is a senior editor at Seventeen who runs the brand's Snapchat Discover channel. She also covers entertainment topics specializing in nostalgia, such as classic '90s and '00s Disney Channel and Nickelodeon content.
Carolyn Twersky is an associate editor for Seventeen covering celebrities, entertainment, politics, trends, and health. On her off time, she's probably watching Ru Paul's Drag Race, traversing NYC for the best donuts, or, most likely, enjoying time in her favorite place in the world: her bed.
