You’ve seen her everywhere. She was the breakout star of Kids in the mid-90s, the indie darling of Boys Don’t Cry, and more recently, the powerhouse matriarch in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. She is the ultimate "It Girl." But here’s the thing: despite her being a household name for three decades, a huge chunk of the population is still butchering the name Chloe Sevigny.
Seriously. It happens on red carpets, in YouTube comments, and definitely during casual brunch conversations about 90s fashion icons.
Is it French? Is it "Seven-yay"? Does the umlaut (those two little dots) over the "e" actually change how you say it? If you’ve been mumbling the last name or just calling her "Chloe S" to avoid embarrassment, don’t worry. It’s actually simpler than it looks, but the spelling is a bit of a trap.
The Short Answer: It’s Easier Than You Think
If you want the quick version to save yourself from a social blunder, here it is.
The correct way to say it is: KLOH-ee SEV-un-ee.
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Basically, the last name rhymes with "heavenly," just without the "L" sound. Some people try to make it sound more sophisticated or European by saying "Seven-YAY," but that is just flat-out wrong. Even though the name has French-Canadian roots, Chloe herself and her family use the Americanized version.
Think of it as three distinct beats for the surname:
- SEV (like the start of seven)
- un (a very soft, neutral sound)
- ee (like the letter E)
Why the Spelling of Chloe Sevigny Trips Us Up
The confusion usually starts with that last name. Sevigny looks like it should have a "gn" sound—the kind you find in words like lasagna or champagne. In French, "gn" usually creates a "nyah" sound. If you were in Quebec or France, you might hear something closer to "Se-veen-ye."
But Chloe is a New Englander, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and raised in Darien, Connecticut. Her father, Harold David Sevigny, was of French-Canadian heritage, but the family pronunciation became "SEV-un-ee" over time.
Then there’s the first name. Most people know how to say Chloe, but the way she writes it—Chloë—adds another layer of mystery. Those two dots are called a diaeresis.
The Mystery of the Two Dots
Here is a fun bit of trivia: the diaeresis isn’t actually on her birth certificate.
Chloe admitted in an interview with The Cut back in 2009 that she started adding the dots herself as a kid. She had a book called Chloë and Maude, and she thought the umlaut looked cool. She called it "a little flair."
Linguistically, the diaeresis is meant to tell you that the second vowel is pronounced as a separate syllable. Without it, you might (theoretically) try to rhyme "Chloe" with "shoe." The dots just remind you to say "KLOH-ee." But for her, it’s mostly just a style choice that stuck.
Common Mispronunciations to Avoid
Honestly, the "Seven-YAY" mistake is the most frequent offender. People hear a name that sounds vaguely French and their brain automatically goes into "croissant" mode. They want to drop the ending consonant or add an "ay" sound.
Don't do that.
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- Wrong: SEV-ig-nee (Don't pronounce the 'g' like a hard 'g')
- Wrong: sev-EEN-yay (Too much French flair)
- Wrong: CLOW-ee (It's not like "clow" in clown)
If you listen to her being introduced on talk shows—like her many appearances on The Late Show or in Vogue’s "Life in Looks" series—the hosts almost always get it right now. It’s KLOH-ee SEV-un-ee.
Why Getting Her Name Right Matters in 2026
You might think, "Who cares? It's just a name." But names are part of a brand, especially for someone who has maintained a career as long as she has. She’s moved from being a 19-year-old model to an Oscar-nominated actress and a respected director.
She's currently having a massive "renaissance" moment. Her performance as Kitty Menendez in the 2024 Netflix series Monsters brought her back to the forefront of the cultural conversation. When you're discussing her Emmy-worthy performance, you don't want the "how do you say that again?" hurdle to kill the momentum of your point.
A Quick Cheat Sheet for Memory
If you still can't get it to stick in your brain, try these mental triggers:
- First Name: Think "Glow-E" but with a "K."
- Last Name: Think "Seven-E." Like the number seven followed by the letter E.
It’s almost exactly like saying "Seventy" if you swapped the "T" for an "N."
Actionable Steps for Your Next Conversation
If you’re a fan of independent cinema or high fashion, you’re going to be talking about her. Here’s how to handle it like a pro.
First, say it with confidence. Most people mispronounce things because they are hesitant. If you say "SEV-un-ee" clearly, people will follow your lead.
Second, if you’re in a group and someone else says "Seven-yay," you don't have to be a jerk about it. You can just say, "Yeah, Chloe Sevigny (pronounced correctly) was so good in that." People usually pick up the correction without needing a lecture.
Finally, if you want to see the name in its "natural habitat," go watch some of her early interviews from the Kids era. Even back then, when she was just a teenager from Connecticut, she was being introduced as SEV-un-ee.
Pro Tip: If you're ever in doubt about a celebrity name, look for their "Life in Looks" or "73 Questions" video on YouTube. They almost always state their own name or are introduced by the producer in the first thirty seconds. For Chloe, it’s the easiest way to hear the rhythm of the syllables.
So, the next time you're recommending American Psycho or discussing her latest fashion collaboration, you can drop the name Chloe Sevigny without that tiny moment of panic. Just keep it simple, keep it Americanized, and remember: it's basically just "Seven" with an "E" at the end.