# Famous names you mispronounced for the longest time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973 "2016-03-05T02:34:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/61 "2016-03-07T02:17:05Z")
Louis Armstrong pronounced his own name as “lewis.” ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/62 "2016-03-07T02:42:10Z")
> [@Moris](#): > > Bob Moog, the inventor of the synthesizer. > > I thought his last name is “moooog”, but it actually rhymes with “vogue”. That’s what I’ve heard all my life, but then relatively recently I read that his family is inconsistent about which pronunciation they use. Re. Schwarzenegger: _Egge_ means a harrow, and _eggen_ is the verb to harrow, so an _Egger_ would be very similar to a ploughman. Oak would be _Eiche_. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/63 "2016-03-07T02:51:48Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > indeed, exactly my point 😃 Sorry for missing the joke then. I guess I figured if you were making a point of spelling his name the way it’s pronounced, you would have spelled it something like Geeyome. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/64 "2016-03-07T03:04:45Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Interesting; I didn’t know that. Thanks for the info. Are there any other words featuring that vowel sound that I might have heard, so that I could get an idea of what it sounds like? It’s the standard [e] vowel—the close-mid front unrounded vowel—[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-mid\_front\_unrounded\_vowel—in](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-mid_front_unrounded_vowel%E2%80%94in) most Indo-European languages: French: /e/ /fe/ fée ‘fairy’ /ɛ/ /fɛ/ fait ‘does’ German: /e/ /den/ den ‘(to) the’ /ɛ/ /dɛn/ denn ‘then’ Italian: /e/ /mela/ mela ‘apple’ /ɛ/ /tɛsta/ testa ‘head’ Spanish: /e/ /peso/ peso Native English speakers usually pronounce these words as “fay” /feɪ/, “Dane” /deɪn/ “mayla” /meɪlə/, and “payso” /peɪsoʊ/, but it’s not the correct vowel. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/65 "2016-03-07T07:30:41Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Louis Armstrong pronounced his own name as “lewis.” I remember very well when he was alive. And his name was ALWAYS pronounced “Louie.” Except of course in mock-formality, like in “Hello, Dolly!” ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/66 "2016-03-07T13:24:28Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’m _still_ probably pronouncing Steve Buscemi’s name wrong. Don’t feel bad about it. Even Steve Buscemi pronounces Steve Buscemi’s name wrong: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Buscemi pronounces his name as “Bu-_sem_my”, but the Italian pronunciation is “Bu-_shem_my”. He once said about the pronunciation of his name: “I had to go to Sicily to find out I pronounce my name wrong.” ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/67 "2016-03-07T13:37:57Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > As a child I thought the hemlock-drinking Greek philosopher was SO-crates. I mean, that’s what it _looked_ like, and I never heard anyone saying the name. You mean Bill and Ted were _wrong_? Whoah, totally bogus! ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/68 "2016-03-07T13:53:44Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > It’s the standard [e] vowel—the close-mid front unrounded vowel—[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-mid\_front\_unrounded\_vowel—in](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-mid_front_unrounded_vowel%E2%80%94in) most Indo-European languages: > > French: > > /e/ /fe/ fée ‘fairy’ > /ɛ/ /fɛ/ fait ‘does’ > > German: > > /e/ /den/ den ‘(to) the’ > /ɛ/ /dɛn/ denn ‘then’ > > Italian: > > /e/ /mela/ mela ‘apple’ > /ɛ/ /tɛsta/ testa ‘head’ > > Spanish: > > /e/ /peso/ peso > > Native English speakers usually pronounce these words as “fay” /feɪ/, “Dane” /deɪn/ “mayla” /meɪlə/, and “payso” /peɪsoʊ/, but it’s not the correct vowel. Thanks (and to **JKellyMap** as well). This may turn out to be one of those distinctions that I’m just not able to hear, but I’ll try to listen for it next time I hear someone speaking another language. I actually studied German in high school, but if that vowel sound was ever taught to us, I’m afraid I’ve forgotten it! :smack: I wish I could find some footage of Lugosi saying his own name, but so far I haven’t. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/69 "2016-03-07T15:12:15Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Native English speakers usually pronounce these words as “fay” /feɪ/, “Dane” /deɪn/ “mayla” /meɪlə/, and “payso” /peɪsoʊ/, but it’s not the correct vowel. Well, it’s not that far off. It’s the right vowel but diphtongized. Drop the “y” sound at the end and you’ve got it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/70 "2016-03-07T16:02:10Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Just about every Spanish or Italian word containing the letter “e” has this mid-vowel sound. English speakers sometimes substitute with the “ay” (as in “say”) sound, and occasionally with the “eh” sound, but neither is really correct. You’ll be understood by an Italian or Spanish speaker, but they’ll notice your foreign accent. > > The correct sound is just about between “ay” and “eh”, in terms of mouth position. I’m not sure I agree. I say that, when you’re speaking English, you should use English phonemes. And, in English, /e/ and /ej/ are the same phoneme. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/71 "2016-03-07T17:15:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m not sure I agree. I say that, when you’re speaking English, you should use English phonemes. And, in English, /e/ and /ej/ are the same phoneme. Oh, I agree with you. I was just responding to a question about the Hungarian/Spanish/Italian “e” (well expounded upon by Acsenray). By “correct,” in this case I meant when one is speaking in Spanish or Italian. I say “Baylah Fleck” and “Baylah Bartok” – I’d sound pretentious otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/72 "2016-03-07T17:18:57Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m not sure I agree. I say that, when you’re speaking English, you should use English phonemes. And, in English, /e/ and /ej/ are the same phoneme. I think you can go fish on this one. “Bella” and “Bayla” are equally correct when speaking English. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/73 "2016-03-07T17:35:19Z")
When I was a kid I pronounced Siobhan Fahey (from Bananarama)'s name in my head as “See-oh-buh-hawn”. Phonics, y’all. How do they get “Shivonn” from that?! I also read Siouxsie (Siouxsie & The Banshees) as “See-ouks-see” (pronouncing the x) in my head - wasn’t until a VJ on MuchMusic said her name that I learned it’s pronounced “Suzy”. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/74 "2016-03-07T17:51:36Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > When I was a kid I pronounced Siobhan Fahey (from Bananarama)'s name in my head as “See-oh-buh-hawn”. Phonics, y’all. How do they get “Shivonn” from that?! Forget it, SJ, it’s Gaelic town. 🙂 Who else would get tee-shook from Taioseach? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/75 "2016-03-07T17:57:20Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I also read Siouxsie (Siouxsie & The Banshees) as “See-ouks-see” (pronouncing the x) in my head - wasn’t until a VJ on MuchMusic said her name that I learned it’s pronounced “Suzy”. Do you also call the Native Americans “See-ouks”? ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/76 "2016-03-07T18:36:11Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Louis Armstrong pronounced his own name as “lewis.” > [@panache45](#): > > I remember very well when he was alive. And his name was ALWAYS pronounced “Louie.” Except of course in mock-formality, like in “Hello, Dolly!” By everybody except him. He pronounced it “Lewis.” Most of his friends and acquaintances addressed him as “Pops,” so it didn’t come up. The story goes that a record company exec in the studio during the “Hello Dolly” session repeatedly addressed Armstrong as “Louie.” Armstrong didn’t correct him, but went into the booth and made a point of singing, “This is Lewissssssssss, Dolly.” ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/77 "2016-03-07T18:54:01Z")
In a recent interview with sisters Kate and Rooney Mara, the interviewer asked them the correct pronunciation of their last name. The both shrugged and said something to the effect of “sometimes I say it one way and sometimes the other” 😕 Huh? I mean people pronounce my name in one of four different ways and I’ll answer to any of them and won’t get offended at the wrong one, but there is still a proper (or rather intended) way to say it, as mandated by my parents. I thought that was a strange answer. Also, for some reason when I say Rooney’s full name in my head the first syllable rhymes with “car”, while Kate’s name always gets pronounced to rhyme “Sahara”. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/78 "2016-03-07T19:47:35Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > When I was a kid I pronounced Siobhan Fahey (from Bananarama)'s name in my head as “See-oh-buh-hawn”. Phonics, y’all. How do they get “Shivonn” from that?! A stab at it: S is sh before i or e I is short as in “bit” O doesn’t do much to pronunciation, but is “symmetric” to the Á, and lets you know how to pronounce BH BH it is important to note that h is not a letter so much as a marker that the previous letter’s sound is altered, and the surrounding vowels tell you exactly how. In older scripts, it was a dot symbol instead, but much like how “Ye Olde” is really “The Old,” an existing character was used to replace it for some reason. V is usually considered a variation of b, and in some languages are indistinguishable (e.g. Japanese television \> terebishon \> terebi). Depending on the vowels, it can be a “V”-like or “W” sound (I think the latter is more accurate among native speakers!?) Á is long, aahh N is n > [@](#): > > I also read Siouxsie (Siouxsie & The Banshees) as “See-ouks-see” (pronouncing the x) in my head - wasn’t until a VJ on MuchMusic said her name that I learned it’s pronounced “Suzy”. Her real name is Susan so most can manage that. ---
**Author:** ![Abner\_Ravenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Abner\_Ravenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abner_Ravenwood)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/79 "2016-03-07T20:13:55Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > In a recent interview with sisters Kate and Rooney Mara, the interviewer asked them the correct pronunciation of their last name. The both shrugged and said something to the effect of “sometimes I say it one way and sometimes the other” 😕 Huh? I mean people pronounce my name in one of four different ways and I’ll answer to any of them and won’t get offended at the wrong one, but there is still a proper (or rather intended) way to say it, as mandated by my parents. I thought that was a strange answer. Also, for some reason when I say Rooney’s full name in my head the first syllable rhymes with “car”, while Kate’s name always gets pronounced to rhyme “Sahara”. My last name is pronounced at least three different ways within the family, and about fifty different ways outside the family. My dad and his brother pronounce it differently from the “correct” way, while me and my siblings and my uncle’s kids pronounce it differently from them. I once thought about starting to pronounce it the correct way, but why bother now. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973/80 "2016-03-07T20:27:52Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Don’t feel bad about it. Even Steve Buscemi pronounces Steve Buscemi’s name wrong: Yeah, that’s what threw me–when he started being quoted in interviews as saying ‘it’s Bu-_CEM_-i.’ (Maybe he’s just been screwing with us.) > [@Cardigan](#): > > You mean Bill and Ted were _wrong_? Whoah, totally bogus! I’ve never seen any of the Bill and Ted franchise, but if my childhood misconception matches their utterances, I am truly honored. (Or something.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-names-you-mispronounced-for-the-longest-time/747973.md?page=5)