Originally appeared on E! Online<\/a><\/p>\n A person\u2019s own name is the sweetest sound in their native language, but turns out these stars rarely hear theirs. <\/span><\/p>\n While some celebs like <\/span>Emma Stone<\/strong><\/a> and <\/span>Warren Beatty <\/strong>purposefully go by <\/span>slightly<\/span><\/em> changed names professionally, other stars have assimilated to the wrong pronunciation so seamlessly, you might not even know it\u2019s incorrect. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>My name is not actually pronounced Den<\/span>zel<\/span><\/em>,\u201d <\/span>Denzel Washington<\/strong> clarified during a September appearance on<\/span> Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/span><\/em><\/a> \u201cMy name is pronounced <\/span>Den<\/span><\/em>zel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n However, the mispronunciation is something <\/span>The Equalizer<\/span><\/em> star actually encourages, since it began with his mother <\/span>Lennis Washington<\/strong>, who used the unique pronunciation to distinguish between him and his father, <\/span>Denzel Washington Sr.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMy mother would say, \u2018<\/span>Den<\/span><\/em>zel?\u2019 and we\u2019d both show up,\u201d he recalled. \u201cSo she said, \u2018From now on, you\u2019re Den<\/span>zel<\/span><\/em>.\u2019 That\u2019s how we got it pronounced Den<\/span>zel<\/span><\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, <\/span>Jason Kelce<\/strong> and <\/span>Travis Kelce<\/strong><\/a> use an incorrect version of their last name\u2014 \u201cKel-see\u201d\u2014stemming from their dad <\/span>Ed Kelce<\/strong>. <\/span>After all, the p<\/span>recise surname is actually \u201cKels.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n More from E! Online<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAt work, that was my work name,\u201d Ed told his sons during <\/span>a 2023 episode of <\/span>New Heights<\/span><\/em><\/a>. \u201cEverybody at work did that so I just said, \u2018Fine, screw this, I\u2019m gonna do that.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to how his NFL star sons go about pronouncing the family title, though, Ed couldn\u2019t care less. As he put it, \u201c<\/span>Do whatever you want, that\u2019s what I did.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, other stars are not so keen about fans saying their names incorrectly. In fact, <\/span>Paul Mescal<\/strong> would like to officially cut ties from the agave spirit that fans think his last name\u2019s homophone. <\/span><\/p>\n Andrew H. Walker\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cPeople get confused on how to pronounce my name because of the drink mezcal,\u201d the <\/span>Normal People <\/span><\/em>actor explained to <\/span>The Hollywood Reporter<\/span><\/em><\/a> in 2023. \u201cEverybody does it, except I pronounce it <\/span>mess-cull<\/span><\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As he put it, \u201cIf I launched a tequila line, I\u2019d call it Mescal\u2019s Mezcal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, other stars like<\/span> Zendaya<\/a><\/strong> put out full-blown tutorials to ensure their name gets its stress on the proper syllables. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn case you are wondering it\u2019s Zen<\/span>day<\/span><\/em>a,\u201d Zendaya said in <\/span>a video for <\/span>Allure<\/span><\/em><\/a> in 2016. \u201cZ-E-N <\/span>Zen<\/span><\/em>, D-A-Y, <\/span>Day<\/span><\/em>, UH, <\/span>A<\/span><\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For every star whose name you might be getting wrong, keep reading\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Kirsten Dunst (Pronounced: Keer-Sten)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Spider-Man<\/em> actress told Town & Country<\/em> in August 2025 that people usually call her “kerr-sten” or “criss-ten.”<\/p>\n However, the correct way to say her name is “keer-sten.” <\/p>\n “I don’t blame people,” she said. “You just give up.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Denzel Washington (Pronounced: Den<\/em>-Zel)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>