Saoirse Ronan Explains How to Pronounce Her Name

Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan take the WIRED Autocomplete Interview and answer the internet's most searched questions about themselves.
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[@_aiko020]

Margot saying "...what was the difference...." was all of us

[@koksu5692]

We say seer-sha, Americans tend to say sur-sha

[@_aiko020]

@@koksu5692 ahhh! Thanks for clarifying!

[@mydogeatspuke]

@@koksu5692 she didn't once say seer-sha though. She repeatedly said sur-sha. And it's her name so she probably knows how to say it doesn't she?

[@mydogeatspuke]

@@koksu5692 there really isn't though.

[@koksu5692]

@@mydogeatspuke also look at the movement of her mouth when pronouncing ‘seer-sha’ she is clearly enunciating the ‘seer’ as opposed to the monotone movement for ‘sur-sha’ if you can see it

[@AndyGilleand]

She is definitely tired of people asking this in every freaking interview she ever has

[@ludoludo80]

She was the one making a big fuss out of it and now it’s a Tedious, repetitive task 😂😂😂

[@Samuel-bg7xo]

She made it her trademark, talking about it all the time in interviews

[@AndyGilleand]

@@Samuel-bg7xo the interviewers brought it up

[@Samuel-bg7xo]

@@AndyGilleand she would have a publicist who agrees with the interviewer what can be asked, the SNL song was annoying. America is a diverse nation, a non Anglo name can't be that surprising and there is a large Irish diaspora in the States

[@denimchicken104]

It’s her fault for having such a silly spelled name lol

[@ceilinh6004]

The look in her eyes when Margot Robbie couldn't hear the difference. 😂

[@deli5194]

can you???

[@abcddef2112]

She is aussie.

[@mjmulenga3]

What difference? 😅

[@Fredsinator]

@@mjmulenga3 the smallest miniscule different that it's not worth even saying there's one

[@pous3r]

​​@@Fredsinatorhey're so clearly different, one is "seersha" and one is "sersha"

[@josephhiggins]

To be fair, I am Irish and I can't distinguish the first two Saoirse pronunciations...

[@kevoiscreepy]

Same 😂

[@jaimeduncan6167]

I am not a native English speaker and for me it's clear. It's funny because many times the native English speakers are showing a difference and I don't get it.

[@Verahm.]

Seh-er-sha vs. Ser-Sha maybe?

[@rainbowkittycat627]

@@Verahm. Close. It’s siərsha vs sursha.

[@pennypay1]

The difference is there, but it's subtle, and I wouldn't have noticed it if Saoirse hadn't been discussing its pronunciation. The first syllable is slightly drawn out in the 'Irish' way.

[@yourfunsister]

Sounded exactly the same. Even my Northern Irish husband said it sounded exactly the same to him. Lol

[@TigersandBearsOhMy]

That's because she mispronounces it. The letters "aoi" make the long e sound. It's actually pronounced "seer sha." That's why the name Aoife is pronounced "ee fah" and not "ir fah." There's only one way.

[@spamgarbage6999]

She is saying seer

[@JuanjoPP]

The last vocal is 'e' not 'a'. That's the only difference I could hear tbh

[@ngocminhpham5665]

So even she can't pronounce her own name 😂😂

[@ChevyboyCaprice_]

​@@TigersandBearsOhMyyeah, the more i kept listenenin, the more i heard "seersha" than "sirsha". Now I know ❤

[@Himesua]

Had to listen to it about 5 times before I heard the difference. It's SO subtle, but there's no doubt she knows how her own name should sound.

[@samanthagarcia1398]

what was the difference?

[@weirdperson0100]

When she said it (the correct way), it was a long e. Meanwhile, other people ("American version") used a shorter e (Read the first few comments)

[@Bored12380]

My names dearbhla. Try to pronounce that

[@ididntknowtheyhadwifiinhell]

you literally misspelled her name in the title

[@farrel_ra]

LMAO

[@no_longer_]

well sao-rise is like star rise bcause sao is star in vietnamese hihi

[@farrel_ra]

@@no_longer_ cool

[@TheH0ff]

That's the Irish spelling 😏

[@CannotThinkOfAHandleRn]

I feel her pain. My name is Snehasmita Chakraborty and I am in France. Imagine the pronunciation. I can literally see their brains melt when I do the syllables.

[@Sarah-gm6oq]

Os seus pais estavam com raiva de você quando te deram esse nome?

[@sazaaaam]

it's so easy for me as an indian, curious, do you go by sneha? i feel like smita would be easier for them to catch on

[@clarajays]

Ouch ça doit faire mal ! Je compatis

[@FrostekFerenczy]

It could be worse - at least it's not Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz. Do you know him? He was born in Chrząszczyżewoszyce, powiat Łękołody. 🙂

[@heroclix0rz]

"Australian and New Zealand accents are extremely different. They're like 'weh's the cah?' and we're like 'weh's the cah?'"

[@hexistenz]

I mean, they are pretty different. But try and transcribe that difference using only our 26-letter alphabet, now thAt’s difficult 😮

[@EdanSolViamar]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TuesdayFeld]

I see your Flight of the Conchords reference :D

[@MarkConway73]

NZ English is Australian English with swapped vowels. Soap=Soup, Six=Sex, Sucks=Six.

[@Falconlibrary]

If I ever meet her, I'll just call her Ms. Ronan, problem solved.

[@vim-arie]

Watch people mistakenly say Ms. Rona like the pandemic 🤣

[@AnotherAnonymousMan]

This is like the phonetic difference between "sheets" and "she eats". It's subtle but there absolutely IS a difference.

[@elvisprucelee]

uhm yeah, it's called a pause

[@smith549371]

No its not. She said it the same

[@chaseburton3611]

This is a great way to explain the difference. When you speak like you normally would the pause is soooo quick and subtle yet its heard and makes a difference. English just doesn't have a vowel sound that sounds this way so we don't hear it easily when she tries to explain the difference

[@saoirsew7215]

@@smith549371no my name is saoirse and it’s either seer-sha or ser-sha there’s definitely a difference

[@NerdyMystic09]

​@@smith549371 no she didn't, but the difference was in the correct pronunciation, she used the Irish vowel sound. In the incorrect one, she used the English vowel sound. There's a slight vowel sound difference that pretty much comes naturally depending on what language your used to.

[@rainbowkittycat627]

For those wondering what the difference is, (she kinda articulates it poorly) it’s a different in vowels in the “saoir” part of her name. Here’s the ipa for anyone that’s curious: sɪərʃə, sɜːrʃə (the first one is what she describes as the Irish way, the second one is the “american” way). Basically, what that means is the proper way to say the name is a combination of two vowels, a short i as in kIt or hIstoric, and a reduced shwa as in commA or bAzzar. So it’s siərsha. Whereas, the American pronunciation is like “ur” in nURse or blURRy, or sursha. So there’s the difference for y’all, siərsha vs sursha. Hope this helps!! Edit: actually she says something closer to sɛrʃə but sɪərʃə is how it’s written on the Wikipedia page, so 🤷

[@vicbiaaaa]

Wow thanks so much for this 💞

[@catazanoni1455]

​@@Stossburg ikr

[@AlishaM13]

​@@Stossburg ikr

[@Dryzark]

@@Stossburg ikr

[@aditisingh7717]

It really does help... Thank you

[@hothotheat3000]

I can hear the difference. The correct way is a soft say-er-sha, not ser-sha.

[@frostyblade8842]

it's more 'sear' sha than 'ser' sha but you can use Ser sha too. You're welcome non Irish people

[@HouseMDaddict]

I thought she ended it with "eh" and not "uh" as well. As in sear-sheh and not sear-shuh

[@frostyblade8842]

@HouseMDaddict You're right, I missed that, since I knew there was a difference at the end but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was

[@JaneDoe-ci3gj]

I'm so proud that I actually heard the difference, Sweden here. I will rememeber that explanation though, great!👍

[@frostyblade8842]

@JaneDoe-ci3gj Oh wow congrats, very well caught. I doubt I could do that with a Swedish accent so that's very impressive

[@Eskapismus]

Video title: "Saorise" 🤡

[@Siile_]

Hahaha

[@alexthejew420]

bruh i read the title and pronounced, “sa-owrise” LMAO

[@manalcali153]

Sao-rise sunrise

[@prishittt.1234]

Sauron

[@realjasonvorhees]

I'm going to call her Suarez 😈

[@JohnDoe-cd6ro]

"Leviosa not leviosa."

[@puertoricochillvibes]

The best way I’ve ever heard her explain is to say it like the word ‘ inertia’

[@Dave-lr2wo]

And that's literally what she is saying is wrong, since she would pronounce inertia differently than the word itself. ih-NEAR-shuh (right) ih-NUHR-shuh (wrong It ain't difficult. Really.

[@jamesbuchananbarnesss]

but I wanted to know how to Saoirse Ronan ☹️

[@eccaetchings5587]

The difference is ‘seer-sha’ Vs ‘ser-sha’. It’s very subtle.

[@LouisKing995]

in her accent it’s non existent 😂 In another Irish persons accent it might be easier to hear.

[@tyreebrownart]

I hear it when you phonetically spelt it 🎉

[@MateoLeibowitz-]

And the r is pronounced in the back of mouth rather than the front

[@tauraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

I served a woman today named Saoirse and I said "is that an Irish name? Just like that actress?" And she said "yeah, but you can just call me May" Hahaha

[@carlosalvarez1124]

Jaja, una crack 😂

[@marksusskind1260]

Sao Rise, sao Set. Swiftly flow the days.

[@bravebeard6225]

It is YOU

[@hayliecassidy711]

SCREAMINF

[@mandyjess2108]

Sao rise, Sao set, you wake up then you undress, it always is the same ❤

[@III-zy5jf]

She's trolling us, isn't she.

[@O_Lee69]

Shirley she is.

[@romkahehe]

@@O_Lee69 - You surely can't be serious. - I am serious. And don't call me Surely.

[@hexistenz]

@@romkahehe yep, I got that reference 😅 And that feels good 😊 Ànd reminds me of how old I am 😂

[@helloworld-sl2lw]

Actual pronunciation: Sersha Americans say: Sursha, Sarsha

[@jorgerivera5003]

Me, who learned english as second language: 💀

[@efrainmaldonado-ep7jx]

Been watching her since her first movie n counting. Beautiful woman

[@mick-ericboettge8683]

The difference is in the last syllable, "-eh" vs "-ah"

[@pigs18]

Sair-sha vs Ser-sha. The latter syllable is non-stressed so it makes a schwa sound no matter the accent.

[@mick-ericboettge8683]

That reply raises so many questions I don't even know where to start lmao

[@allendracabal0819]

No. It's in the first syllable. The vowel sound is slightly different.

[@CT1010101]

I thought it was the stress on the first syllable vs no stress.

[@clairefuzipeg1983]

That's how I hear it

[@Doors-and-Crosscheck]

She is just so beautiful ❤😮

[@sorchaniccuilinn8587]

As a Sorcha I feel your pain Saoirse. People often mispronounce my name as yours.

[@pedrooliveira3486]

Subtle phonetic differences. I can hear sîrsha (correct - how Irish people say ) sôrsha & sârsha (easier for Americans and English people to say)

[@annaspitz6449]

Saoirse is a mood!!

[@terrycorkum3472]

Most beautiful woman ever.

[@jasminelblack2047]

Americans: Ser-sha Irish: Sair-sha

[@hueypautonoman]

It seems subtle when she says it, but I have an Irish friend with that name, and when she says it, you can clearly hear Sair-sha. She even once said this actress doesn't say it right. lol

[@Sandyyyyyyyyyy]

Thanks, I could hear it but it's a really tiny difference.

[@VapesForBabies]

When it looped I genuinely thought it was a new question

[@TVGGAMEZCO]

Both naturally beautiful

[@cestlaguy]

I love her

[@pontixx]

MARGOT ROBBIE OMFG

[@allendracabal0819]

Saoirse sells seashells, for sure.

[@allendracabal0819]

And Margot makes marmalade, make no mistake.

[@beef4899]

i replayed it like 100 times and saoirse sounds like saosha and sasha sounds like sersha

[@jackbennett2269]

It’s like she’s rolling an “R” 1/1000th of the way

[@Neptxne-qq8cc]

"how to saoirse ronan" killed me

[@AccordingToWillow]

the rhotic and end vowels are slightly higher/more fronted in the irish version

[@fellopiantube7607]

you misspelled her name in the title

[@nimue325]

It would be helpful if she would say what part we Americans are getting wrong. Like, the sounds of an American and an Irish accent are different and we literally don’t even hear the same sounds after a certain age so we don’t really know what to listen for. So many interviewers have said the two pronunciations sound the same and I agree but I would like to be pronouncing her name correctly but don’t know where to begin to fix the problem, just, “You’re doing it wrong.” I’ve listened to videos over and over and cannot figure it out. 😢

[@karyon1007]

Only if she cares how people pronounce her name. Like, some people want their names pronounced in a very specific way and will take the time to explain it. Others, just, don't want to put the energy into it, and that's fine. Every British person I've ever met pronounces my name the British way (I'm American), and I literally don't care. My name is pronounced care-uh, but they always say car-uh. (It's not just an accent thing because they do have an air/err sound in their accent.) Simon Cowell did it to Kara DioGuardi for two full seasons of American Idol, and she just let it happen. Of course, it does complicate matters that some Americans named Kara/Cara pronounce their name the "British" way.😆

[@NellFace]

I listened a few times. I *think* it's the first vowel that is different: "seer" vs "sur", but I think different Americans would have different pronunciations too. Consider how some people pronounce Siri!

[@takeonme7477]

@@NellFace yes, it's exactly that - she has explained that in another interview. Irish say "seer-sha", while Americans say "sur-sha".

[@Jintasan]

It is the difference between pronouncing it as sur-sha vs. sea-ur-sha

[@STFUYLPAB]

There are a few differences I can hear, one is the emphasis on the back end of the first syllable, which is a thing in Irish accents. There's also the second syllable, which has a very short cut off end with a sort of catch in the throat, where the American pronunciation has a flatter, more drawn out ahhh. Instead of the word being two syllables of equal length and emphasis, the Irish pronunciation sounds like it's 2/3rds "Saoeur" and 1/3rd "scheh".

[@lauricejaymanoos6716]

it's seer-sha vs sur-sha for those who didn't get it

[@JACpotatos]

She never says "seer-sha"

[@koksu5692]

@@JACpotatos it’s true (source am Irish)

[@sorrynotsorry8224]

I remember in an interview (I think Jimmy Kimmel) she said that even she forgets how to pronounce her name at times.

[@neville2308]

“Okay” Lmao he was annoyed/mad. It does sound the same.

[@danielm7737]

I love Saoirse

[@israelguerrero8253]

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL EYES!!

[@JackBarlowStudios]

WEIRD WEIRD COMMENT!

[@banniebands]

bless Margot

[@boubakermouloud1638]

I like your profile and intelligently... your pronunciation is good 👍❤❤

[@DoctorCyan]

I think she’s saying “Ser-ish-ah” instead of “Ser-shah”, but so quick and subtle I’m not even sure if I’m right

[@Tanstaafl_74]

Almost, but not quite. What she's saying doesn't really have an equivalent in English. Something to do with Irish pronunciation, but I don't know any of the correct terms.

[@Nightingale34]

Those are nice eyes and I love what she's wearing.

[@youyou9405]

Niiiiikolaj

[@rikabernar]

That's extremely beautiful name

[@BazookaDoe]

in my mind, one is more like "say-air-sha" smashed together and the other is like surshuh. lol

[@metEvie]

Yeah, zero explanation given, very helpful…

[@metalswifty23]

She explained it by demonstrating. If you can't hear the difference, then you probably never will. Either way, the way she pronounces it is more akin to "sear-sha" than "ser-sha" like people seem to think. Evidently, she doesn't have a problem with the pronunciation, hence the lack of a proper explanation, but she still demonstrated it.

[@metEvie]

The thing is people speaking different languages and accents are more likely to notice certain sounds and nuances than others, as demonstrated by the discussions in the comments here mentioning a number of ways to pronounce the name. You're better off just to digging up the IPA spelling and hoping it matches.

[@rainbowkittycat627]

@@metEvie speaking of digging up the ipa, I found it! Here’s the explanation I came up with: For those wondering what the difference is, (she kinda articulates it poorly) it’s a different in vowels in the “saoir” part of her name. Here’s the ipa for anyone that’s curious: sɪərʃə, sɜːrʃə (the first one is what she describes as the Irish way, the second one is the “american” way). Basically, what that means is the proper way to say the name is a combination of two vowels, a short i as in kIt or hIstoric, and a reduced shwa as in commA or bAzzar. So it’s siərsha. Whereas, the American pronunciation is like “ur” in nURse or blURRy, or sursha. So there’s the difference for y’all, siərsha vs sursha. Hope this helps!!

[@Athenari]

I think :treads lightly: it's less heaviness on the SH that makes it my or correct

[@Athenari]

Obvs Sashar is wrong.

[@SD-ym1rt]

Freedom baby!!!!

[@joaliber13]

What a lovely name ❤

[@Spagbolisnotme]

The difference is the way irish people pronounce it is more of a “seer-sha” while Americans pronounce it as “sur-sha”

[@Rizzliestrizzler]

Yeah, my cousin is called Saoirse and she always has to correct people on it, since she and the rest of my family say seer-sha

[@purdysanchez]

Sersha is trolling us.

[@jamiejohnson4235]

Is it not just the emphasis on the syllables? She's emphasizing SER-sha instead of ser-SHA.

[@angela-ul2dk]

i’m convinced she’s playing a huge prank on everyone

[@mjfilho33]

I pronnounce "Sá-Oír-Zi" 🤣

[@ScaredHelmet]

I'm in love

[@MrWongle]

Listened to this a few times and can't hear the difference

[@en3788]

It's so funny cuz I been living in Ireland for the past 7 years and I could actually hear the difference now 😭😭😂😂

[@fearless6734]

Agree with margo

[@Candytuft-CookingPan]

She pronounces it differently, it's kind of obvious it's properly pronounced "S-air-sha" while it's more commonly pronounces "S-er-sha"

[@affafbaloch]

if this question is ever asked again I'm gonna slap whoever asked it off the seat!!!!

[@Myperfectshell]

I listened 3 times - I couldn’t tell the difference and I swear I’m good at this stuff

[@allengaleana]

I'm so badly in love of her. I know that I'll never gonna meet Sasha in my life, but it feels warming when I think of her and fall deeply into those amazing blue eyes.

[@velliebellie]

She tried it 😂

[@noahfinch5856]

Sersha, there you. Logical.

[@jonathantrauner3742]

The last one how to Saoirse Ronan 😂

[@farahkdu7076]

If I'm right, it's like -shuh, not -shah

[@XteenGorgeous]

I see this actress's name pronunciation in so many of her interviews and I STILL find myself forgetting it. This time I hope it sticks!!! I feel terrible inside eveytime 😭

[@belaytriks]

Such pretty name

[@SD-ym1rt]

FRREEEEDDOOMMM!!!

[@white-wind4167]

The only possible difference I'm imagining that I can hear, is the R sound. The Irish version one being slightly more emphasized and rolled like the Irish do.

[@LubLey]

The “Lovely Bones” main cast😍

[@peacemom5711]

Sasha it is.

[@pspssp47]

i think the difference is in the irish pronunciation is she elongates the aoir/“err” part and shortens the se/“sha” part, like she doesn’t quite open it up to an “-ah” but keeps it as a short “e”, so like “sairshe” vs “sersha”

[@hillaryoana]

Its the end, irish one sounds like "sye" american "sha"

[@neonether]

The difference is that she's using an irish accent when she says it properly and using an american english accent the second time. If you don't regularly hear the two accents all the time, then your ear won't catch it unless you listen to it 100 times, maybe not even then.

[@beniteztheconman]

100% EXACTLY the same

[@SkidMcmarxx]

That was the exact same

[@riro7170]

my dumbass has been saying "Say-orss" until now 😂

[@coolbreeze2.0-mortemadfasc13]

When she talks, you hear the source of the American southern accent.

[@halatiny6537]

THEY MISSPELT IT IN THE TITLE HELP ME

[@rogerzambranomusic]

She’s always so bitter about it instead of being kind and teaching people.

[@vanessamalloy7183]

Literally just say it with an irish accent lol

[@BillDavies-ej6ye]

And we also have Robbie say 'Rinan' for Ronan.

[@dangerdave18]

She’s the one.

[@BlackDiamond2718]

One of those names that makes me think the meaning of life is easier to solve. 😂😂. I love it.

[@agentredbone1667]

Heard that name on Willow

[@GabeWilliams]

I think she’s saying it’s “sayersha” instead of “sersha” but I could be wrong

[@odessah]

sounds like more of a subtle emphasis on the “ee” sound in the correct pronunciation like “seeyur-sha” whereas the american/english pronunciation is more just “sur-sha”

[@bluaaahhhh]

If I'm not wrong Irish say it with a lil bit of an E tint to it and american it has an O pronunciation

[@anotheryoutube4635]

So offended when she doubles down on them sounding the same.