Over 700 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Nostalgic Actors' Names We've Been Mispronouncing - And How To Say Them
Voting Rules
Vote up the famous names you're guilty of saying wrong.
If you've ever wondered how to say actor names, you might have just guessed the pronunciation based on how the celebrity names are spelled. Yet many actors have come forward to point out the names we're saying wrong.
As you read how to pronounce some of these famous names, you might find that some of the mispronunciations are a surprise!
Latest additions: Brendan Fraser, Macaulay Culkin, Anna Chlumsky
Jake Gyllenhaal's last name has been mispronounced in so many ways. It looks like it could be pronounced “JIL-un-hall” or “JEE-len-hall,” but according to an interview with Conan O'Brien, those guesses aren't even close.
The Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain actor said it's a Swedish name that's pronounced YEEL-en-hi-luh. In the interview, he joked that Sweden and IKEA are the only places that pronounce it right.
Amanda Seyfried said in an interview that a lot of people get her last name wrong.
The Mean Girls and Mama Mia! actor explained that “SAY-fried” and “SIG-freed” are the worst mispronunciations she's heard. She said even her sister says it wrong by pronouncing it “SIGH-freed” when the correct way to say it is SIGH-fred.
In 2009, Rachel Weisz said everyone in America had been pronouncing her last name wrong for years, but she just kept being polite. Most people say “WICE” when it should really be VICE.
After years of letting people pronounce it wrong, the actor from The Mummy and The Constant Gardener said she was finally going to start correcting fans.
Almost everyone recognizes this actor's last name as “boo-SHEH-me,” but that's not how he pronounces it.
In an interview, Steve Buscemi said he grew up pronouncing his last name boo-SEH-me.However, the actor from Reservoir Dogs and Fargo added that he doesn't care how people pronounce his name because in Italy, where his family is from, it would be “boo-SHAY-me,” making both of the other pronunciations wrong.
Law & Order Mariska Hargitay's Hungarian first name is often mispronounced “muh-RIS-kuh,” so it might come as a shock when TV hosts and colleagues say it differently.
The correct pronunciation is muh-RISH-kuh. The “ish” is often forgotten because it's not in the spelling.
When most people see the name Ralph, they pronounce it “RALF.” However, the first name of Schindler's List and Harry Potteractor Ralph Fiennes is pronounced RAYF.
In the UK, Ralph is usually pronounced “RAYF,” and Fiennes believes he's named after his step-grandfather, who was called “RAYF.” Fiennes has always pronounced his name that way to honor his family, although he admits he regrets it at times.
