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Who is your favorite movie star? Which NBA basketball player do you think is the best?
Who are some of your favorite bands and singers? Regardless of who you would pick as your favorite
for any of these questions, your answer would no doubt be the name of a famous celebrity
who makes millions of dollars each year and constantly has to fight off the paparazzi.
One thing people all over the world love to do, not just Americans, is to talk about celebrities.
Whether it’s a reality TV star like Kim Kardashian, a world-class soccer star like
Lionel Messi, or a popular actor like Channing Tatum, we are fascinated with celebrities
because they lead lives full of fast cars, movie premieres, fine clothes, fancy restaurants
and lots of cash! What’s not to like? If you want to check out a list of the world’s
most popular and influential celebrities, check out Forbes Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrity
List.
In today’s lesson we will look at some of the most famous celebrities in the world and
you will learn how to pronounce their names properly in American English! No point in
idolizing them if we get their names wrong. Since we only have time to cover a few celebrities
today, be sure to tell us who your favorite celebrities are in the comment section below!
Pronouncing Celebrity Names
Below are three main categories, each with several celebrities who are among the most
well known in their field. Take a minute to learn the pronunciation of each name and learn
a little known fact about each one!
Famous Musicians
Taylor Swift ->‘Tay+lore Swihft’ | One of the easier celebrity names to pronounce,
Taylor Swift is already spelled out phonetically! | Swift rhymes ‘lift’
Beyoncé -> ‘Bee+on+say’ | The wife of famous rapper Jay-Z, Beyonce is known for
her singing, dancing and acting role in the movie Austin Powers Goldmember. Be sure to
remember the accented é at the end of Beyoncé makes an ‘A’ sound
Madonna -> ‘Mud+on+aa’ | Madonna gets away with having just one name because of
how famous of a singer she is. Start by saying the word ‘mud’, then finish the last two
syllables with ‘on’ and ‘a’
Dr. Dre -> ‘Dock+terr Dray’ | For those of you who are fans of rap music, knowing
how to pronounce Dr. Dre’s name is essential! Pronounce ‘Dr.’ correctly by saying the
word ‘dock’ and then pronouncing the second ‘o’ as if it were an ‘e’. | Dre rhymes
with ‘hay’.
Sports Superstars
David Beckham -> ‘Day+viid Bek+am’ | Though past his prime, David Beckham is the world’s
most recognizable soccer (futbol) player. The first syllable of his last name rhymes
with ‘deck’, and for the second syllable simply say ‘am’.
Tiger Woods -> ‘Tie+grr Woods’ | With the first name of a ferocious apex predator,
Tiger Woods has dominated the golfing world for the past decade and a half. Pronounce
‘tiger’ just like you would for the animal and say the word ‘wood’ with an S for
his last name
Lebron James -> ‘Le+brawn Jay+ms’ | With one of the trickier celebrity first names
to pronounce in American English, Lebron James is also one of the most difficult basketball
players to guard in the world. The proper American English pronunciation requires you
to say ‘le’ as if you were speaking French, then say the word ‘brawn’. James is one
of the more common last names in American English.
Tom Brady -> ‘Tawm Bray+dee’ | Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL
and a famous celebrity because of his football skills, endorsement deals, and being married
to model Giselle Bunchan. His first name ‘Tom’ shouldn’t give you too much trouble. The
key to pronouncing his last name is to
Fabulous Actors & Comedians
Tom Hanks -> ‘Tawm Hay+nx | Tom Hanks is one of the most famous actors in movie history,
with huge successes like Apollo 13 and Big. Pronounce his last name ‘Hanks’ properly
by making sure the ‘ks’ makes an ‘x’ sound.
Julia Roberts -> ‘Joo+lee+a Raw+berts’ | Julia Roberts often makes over $15 million
for each movie she stars in. ‘Julia’ has the ‘J’ sound we’ve covered before and
the first syllable of ‘Roberts’ should be pronounced like the word ‘raw’.
Louis C.K -> ‘Lew+ee See+Kay’ | Louis C.K. is quickly becoming one of the funniest
and most famous comedians in the world, though his name can be tricky! Pronounce ‘Louis’
as if you were saying the nickname ‘Lou’ with an added ‘E’ at the end. His two
initials are then pronounced exactly as the letters typically are ‘C’ and ‘K’.
Hopefully you have a better handle on pronouncing some of your favorite celebrity names! If
you have any questions and are interested in learning more about famous American celebrities,
leave me a comment below. See you next time!