CALL ME UNPRONOUNCEABLE

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AS someone who has heard his relatively simple six-letter last name pronounced about 47 different ways, I always try to make sure I get other people’s names right. But there are a bunch of celebrities whose names I’ve mangled over the years (I thought it was Charlize “thur-RONE,” for example.)

It’s still somewhat common for actors and singers to take easier-to-pronounce (and often less-Jewy) stage names. (Would Jon Stewart be as popular if he were still Jonathan Leibowitz? Probably, actually — he makes it no secret he’s Jewish, and a lot of people think his last name is Daily anyway. But you get my point.)

So I give these folks below a lot of credit for sticking with these names (most of which I’ve mispronounced — or just completely avoided saying out loud):

ACTORS

←Mary Lynn Rajskub: Surly “Chloe” on “24.” You know, the only person at CTU with a personality. It’s “rice-cub,” by the way (which is a lot easier than saying “surly Chloe” ten times fast.)

Chiwetel Ejiofor: Great actor who played a terrific bad guy in “Serenity.” HEAR his name pronounced here

Ryan Phillippe: I thought it was “fill-EEP.” Doesn’t that sound classier anyway?

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje: “Mr. Eko” on “Lost.” The hyphen is actually a rest stop.

Saoirse Ronan: Some say it’s “SEER-shuh,” others say it’s “SER-shuh.” Pick one and stick with it, or I’ll just keep calling you “sow-eerse.”

Don Cheadle: Am I the only one who wants to say “CHEE-ad-ull?”

Shia LeBeouf: I wouldn’t have even bothered learning this one, but it looks like this guy isn’t going away any time soon.

MUSICIANS

John Mayer: As in McCheese, not Oscar. (Geez, am I hungry or what?)

Sufjan Stevens: That’s “SOOF-yahn” to you.

Ciara: It’s “Sierra.” Her last name is pronounced ”  .”

→Sade:  I remember everyone pronouncing her name “shar-day” back in the shar-day. Apparently, even her record company printed “pronounced shar-day” after her name on the labels of her first releases in the ’80s. But it’s “sha-day,” as in “Sha” Na Na. Hey — now there’s a great idea for a collaboration!

(BONUS: As long as I’m embarrassing myself, I used to think grunge band Mudhoney‘s name was pronounced “mud-hoe-knee.” Sad, huh?)

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