Entertainment

This Is Why You Always Misspell Keira's Name

Is it "i" before "e" except after "c"? Or is it "e" before "i" if you're an Oscar-nominated actress? Anyone else still get confused about that grammar rule? Yeah, me too, and I'm a writer. This got my brain all in a tizzy, because, apparently, Keira Knightley's name is misspelled. In an interview with Elle UK, The Imitation Game actress revealed that her mom actually spelled her first name wrong, and Knightley's dad was not happy about it.

She said,

I was meant to be named "Kiera", after a Russian ice skater who was on the TV one day. My dad fancied her and nicked her name for me. But it was my mum who went to register my birth, and she accidentally spelled "ei" instead of "ie" because my mum’s crap at spelling. Apparently, when she came back he said: “WHAT THE F--K? You’ve spelt her name wrong!" What were they going to do, though? Once it’s on the piece of paper, it’s on the piece of paper. And that’s me. A spelling error.

So, now we can blame Knightley's mom for why we always misspell her daughter's name. I don't know about you, but sometimes I have to think if it's "ei" or "ie". Hopefully, this revelation will help me to spell her name correctly from here on out.

Also, I'd like Knightley to know that I'm pretty sure most of us do not see her as any kind of "error," especially in the acting world. Now, she can also thank her mom for misspelling her name, because just imagine how many babies have been and will continue to be named "Keira" thanks to Keira Knightley.