Getting Names Right: Why Pronunciation Matters in Schools

Schools have talked about name mispronunciation for years, and it’s still happening in classrooms every day. It can look like a small slip like when a teacher pauses at the roll call, guesses, gets it wrong, and moves on. For the student on the receiving end, it often lands very differently.

A name carries family, culture, and identity, and hearing it said correctly is one of the first ways a student feels recognized. When it is mispronounced in front of classmates, especially on the first day and especially more than once, a student may feel they don’t quite belong. Many stay silent or offer a shortened version of their name, and what felt like a passing moment to the teacher can stay with the student for years.

What the research says

A 2025 study looked at university students whose names were mispronounced, misspelt or mis-ordered by staff. Most of the 22 students interviewed said these moments bothered them, and many used words like frustrating, annoying and irritating. For them, a name was tied to identity and cultural heritage, so getting it wrong felt disrespectful.

A separate 2022 University of Iowa thesis found that people remember incidents of name mispronunciation with striking clarity. Many respondents said the experience hurt their relationship with their teacher and with school itself. Some even said it changed how they related to their own name as part of their identity.

Taken together, these findings suggest the impact goes beyond a passing moment of awkwardness. A name is often the first thing a teacher learns about a student. Take it as seriously as everything else in preparing for new students, and they will feel more welcome and know that they belong where they are. Overlook it, and students may feel the opposite without ever saying so.

Why mispronunciation keeps happening

The truth is, most educators don’t mispronounce names on purpose. More often than not it comes down to a few common situations:

  • Uncertainty. Many teachers worry about getting a name wrong, so they avoid asking at all.
  • Students staying quiet. Students frequently don’t correct the mistake, either because they don’t want to cause a fuss or because they’ve had years of practice letting it slide.
  • No easy way to check. Rosters and email lists show spelling but not pronunciation, so people guess.

This creates an unfortunate loop in which everyone means well, and students still end up feeling unseen.

Making pronunciation part of the culture

Students shouldn’t feel this way in a place where they’re meant to feel comfortable learning and growing. Schools can change this, and one of the simplest ways is to make sharing name pronunciations part of campus culture, for students, teachers and staff alike.

When it becomes normal to say “here’s how to say my name”, other shifts follow suit. Students no longer carry the burden of correcting people awkwardly in the moment, and teachers get a clear, low-pressure way to get it right on day one. And because it applies to everyone on campus, no one is singled out for having a name that others find unfamiliar.

Here’s how it can look like in practice:

On the first day of class

Teachers can start the year by inviting everyone to share how their name is said, including the teacher. A student might say their name out loud, write it phonetically on a card, or share a short recording. Everyone does it, so nobody is put on the spot, and the teacher hears each name before there’s a chance to guess.

In the tools people already use

Pronunciation can live where names already appear. Adding it to email signatures, class profiles and online learning platforms means anyone who needs to say a name can check first. A teacher sending a note home or a staff member calling a family can get it right without having to ask.

At school events and meetings

Staff meetings, orientations, assemblies, and graduation ceremonies are all places where names are read aloud. Collecting pronunciations ahead of time means the person reading them can practice, and each student or family member hears their name said properly in front of everyone.

However, as good as it sounds in theory, teachers and staff have long to-do lists already. Adding one more task can feel like too much, which is another reason why mispronunciation keeps happening. Nobody maliciously decides that names don’t matter. Sometimes they genuinely just get pushed down the list when everything else feels more urgent.

Make it easy with SayMyName

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be complicated. SayMyName is here to make this simple for everyone involved. It takes less than 2 minutes to set up your card, and then you can share it across your campus. Add it to:

  • Your email signature
  • Your class profile
  • Your first-day introductions
  • Anywhere else people might need to say your name

A small habit, done consistently, can change how welcome people feel. Getting a name right is a small act of respect that goes a long way. Students deserve to hear their names said correctly, and so do you!

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