Have You Been Pronouncing ‘Marriott’ Wrong This Whole Time? Resolving the ‘Marry-It’ vs. ‘Marry-Ott’ Debate

Even lifelong travelers might not know this ubiquitous hotel’s real name.

On Friday, April 4, Today’s consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen appeared on a segment and mentioned that she learned she had been pronouncing Marriott wrong.

Nguyen, 46, shared the hotel chain’s name was meant to be said as “Marry-It” not “Marry-Ott.”

PEOPLE has confirmed that Nguyen’s version is correct. The brand name Marriott should rhyme with the word “chariot.”

This contradicts Google’s automated pronunciation tool, but not a Marriott family member, Debbie Marriott Harrison, who cleared things up in a video for The Points Guy in 2022.

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Retired Philadelphia Eagles player and Marriott Bonvoy “fanbassador” Jason Kelce also learned the correct pronunciation back in January as revealed in an Instagram video with Zac Clark.

It’s not uncommon for the mispronunciation of names to become the norm. Even well-known celebrities have faced many people saying their titles incorrectly.

Back in 2018, Chrissy Teigen revealed that her surname was pronounced “Tie-gen” despite many calling her “Teegen.”

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“It’s Tie-gen,” she told former E! host Giuliana Rancic at the 2018 Emmy Awards.

She revealed she wanted to state the correction after Ariana Grande revealed her name was pronounced “Grand-ee” not “Grand-eh.”

“That’s way bigger,” Teigen, now 39, said at the time. “Mine is the least of anyone’s worries.”

Teigen added that she wasn’t concerned with people saying her name wrong, stating that “Tee-gen” was fine.

“Sorry dad!” she joked.

In 2023, Raven-Symoné revealed that fans had been mispronouncing her name for years.

It’s “See-mon-ye Like Yay,” the actress said in a TikTok video despite people saying it as “Raven Sim-moan.”

However, TikTok users were quick to point out that Raven-Symoné would also pronounce her name as “Raven Sim-moan” in the past.

“The whole time ‘I’m Raven Simone and you’re watching Disney channel’ you could have said it right cause how they gon’ make you say your own name wrong,” one person commented.

Taylor Lautner also set the record straight about his name in 2023 when he reminded fans again on The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby that his name was pronounced “Lowt-ner,” not “Lawt-ner.”