You've Been Saying Raven-Symoné Wrong

The industry standard “si-moan” should, in fact, be pronounced “see-moan-ay.” At least we got the moan right…

But fans were confused by Symoné’s initial TikTok. Did we all just imagine the “I’m Raven-Symoné and you’re watching Disney Channel” promos? Could we chalk it up to a Mickey-Mouse-eared Mandela effect?

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In a follow-up TikTok, Symoné explained the confusion and let us all off the hook. “Yo, people out here real mad that I never said, ‘Hey, my name is Raven-Symoné, and you’re watching Disney Channel,’” she said, using her name’s real pronunciation (See-moan-ay). “No, I didn’t do that because at a very young age, I was told to tell everyone my name was Raven-Symone.”

Symoné had been encouraged to keep the correct pronunciation to herself, saying it “just never left [her] body,” except among French-speaking fans who knew how to say it correctly.

But fear not, the incorrect pronunciation is “just fine” to use, according to Symoné. “I don’t trip over it, I don’t correct people, but the correct spelling of my name is pronounced Raven-Symoné.”

While some Disney Channel loyalists will likely carry on the legacy of Si-moan, or opt for the fictitious Raven Baxter, many fans were quick to make the switch, noting the overbearing nature of the entertainment industry on young actors.

Symoné has spoken in the past about the way she suppressed her identity in her early career, telling Insider about the “mental grow up” she went through to take ownership of her own life and career as an entertainer.

"Up until my late twenties, there were people telling me how I should look — it was just easier to be told what to do,” she told Insider in October 2022. “But now that I'm feeling empowered by the new generation of just being yourself on camera, and my own self really marinating in my own juices and understanding who I am and who I feel comfortable being, I'm able to present how I feel as Raven-Symoné, the entertainer."

We don’t know how she pronounced it in that interview, but from here on out, it’s That’s so Raven-See-Moan-Ay to you!

Photo courtesy of Virisa Yong/BFA