--- title: Have We Been Pronouncing Rihanna's Name Wrong All Along? description: Fans may have been mis-pronouncing Rihanna's name for years. Here's how she says it. canonical: https://time.com/5597167/rihanna-name-pronounce/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-31T14:42:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:59:03.635Z og:title: Have We Been Mispronouncing Rihanna's Name This Whole Time? og:description: 'Ooh na na, What's Her Name?' og:url: https://time.com/5597167/rihanna-name-pronounce/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Have We Been Mispronouncing Rihanna's Name This Whole Time? twitter:description: 'Ooh na na, What's Her Name?' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 'Ooh na na, What's Her Name?' Has the Public Been Mispronouncing Rihanna's Name This Whole Time? by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker May 31, 2019 2:42 PM UTC by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker May 31, 2019 2:42 PM UTC If you were stunned to learned that [Rihanna](http://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217602/rihanna/) managed to [low-key move to London](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiCprqh%5FcXiAhXLJt8KHWonDVEQFjAAegQIAhAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5593516%2Frihanna-london-reactions%2F&usg=AOvVaw2DcQrg%5Fx3CUbFo-JbYt945) without tipping off any fans to the transatlantic move, brace yourself for this next shock. It turns out that after all these years, people may have been mispronouncing the singer-turned-Fenty entrepreneur’s name. Rihanna appeared in a video for British _Vogue_ and introduced herself not as “Ree-ah-na”, which is how most people pronounce the “Umbrella” singer’s name, and instead pronounced it as “Ree-anna.” > [](https://twitter.com/BritishVogue/status/1131449577498923008) For fans who have been following [RiRi](http://time.com/5403636/rihanna-barbados-ambassador/) since “Pon de Replay” hit the Billboard charts back in 2005, learning they have been mispronouncing her name for over a decade has come as a bit of a shock. Perhaps that is why she chose the track, “What’s My Name” > [](https://twitter.com/boopyape/status/1133869448761417729) > [](https://twitter.com/hollyarchibald/status/1134400089861054470) > [](https://twitter.com/Rxpectations/status/1134097538062213120) > [](https://twitter.com/%5F%5Fchaela%5F%5F/status/1134216049883340802) > [](https://twitter.com/got%5Fandy/status/1134180511306457091) > [](https://twitter.com/risha%5F0917/status/1134182232963330048) > [](https://twitter.com/beyonceminaj2/status/1134063508537118720) It shouldn’t have come as such a surprise, though. Back in 2012, Rihanna tried to set the record straight about the correct pronunciation of her name in [a red carpet interview](https://youtu.be/hJP6q7XzLrQ) and she tried to teach the world again in 2015 in a video that has re-[surfaced on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/1FE5MUhM2F/). Maybe her song “[What’s My Name](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0CGsw6h60k)” was not just a jam, but also a plea for fans to learn how to say her name correctly. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5597167/rihanna-name-pronounce/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5597167/rihanna-name-pronounce/"},"headline":"'Ooh na na, What's Her Name?' Has the Public Been Mispronouncing Rihanna's Name This Whole Time?","datePublished":"2019-05-31T14:42:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:59:03.635Z","description":"Fans may have been mis-pronouncing Rihanna's name for years. 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