Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling confirms theory about Hermione’s name

J.K. Rowling has finally confirmed something we’ve long suspected about Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has finally confirmed a fan theory about Hermione Granger.

IF YOU were anything like me, you were using a very – er – creative pronunciation of “Hermione” while reading the first three-and-a-half Harry Potter books.

Then something changed. In the fourth instalment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a whole passage was dedicated to pointing out that foreign student Viktor Krum was pronouncing Hermione Granger’s name wrong, saying “Her-my-own”, instead of the correct “Her-my-oh-knee.”

Actual footage of all of us discovering how to say ‘Hermione’ correctly. Credit: AP Photo/Warner Bros., Murray Close

It really changed the game. The first movie hadn’t even been released yet (it would come a year later, in 2001) so before that very pointed excerpt, most of us had never had a reference point on how to say Hermione’s name.

So, did the author — fed-up with all of us — do it on purpose?

One Twitter user put it to J.K. Rowling this week, writing: “Theory: J.K. Rowling included that passage on how to pronounce Hermione’s name in Goblet of Fire just to school all of us who were saying HER-MY-OWN like Viktor Krum.”

The British author retweeted the fan’s comment, confirming: “Theory correct.”

Theory: @jk_rowling included that passage on how to pronounce Hermione's name in Goblet of Fire just to school all of us who were saying HER-MY-OWN like Viktor Krum.

— Atulaa (@atulaak) September 17, 2018

There was a strong reaction from fans on Twitter, with some even ‘fessing up to their own weird and wonderful past ‘Hermione’ pronunciations.

For the longest time, I used to say her-mai-knee 😂

— Priyanka Balaji (@pbalaj1) September 17, 2018

I thought it was her-me-oh-nee until I read that bit...

— Rob Lavender (@law_ender) September 18, 2018

I used to call Hermione “Herm-a-jean” because there was another character in the book I read right before that with a hard-for-10y-me-to-pronounce name called Irmagean and I was lazy.

— Nathaniel Stephens (@NathanDoesWords) September 18, 2018

Hands up if this was you, too.

I'm embarrassed it took three and a half books to learn that pronunciation. Like many others, I had never seen the name Hermione before in my life. Definitely pronounced it HER-ME-OWN in my head for far too long (until @jk_rowling gave it to us). https://t.co/xHoALYa6VQ

— Wizarding News™ from HPANA ✨ (@HPANA) September 18, 2018

Lol I always had a hard time pronouncing it too so I was really happy when she taught Viktor how to say it. Hermione really is a lovely name. https://t.co/s0FstQlp61

— Stackhouse_Kesh_Reacts (@KeshReacts) September 18, 2018

I'd already read books 1-3 when we started The Philosopher's Stone as a class reader. Imagine my surprise when our English teacher kept pronouncing Hermione's name "wrong"🙈 https://t.co/QeQJtBl9UI

— Robyn 🐼 (@StardustLass) September 18, 2018

The most prominent memory I have of my parents reading Harry Potter to me before bed is my dad going ‘Well that’s a stupid name, from now own I’m going to call her... Jane’ and then me getting annoyed (obviously) because it’s Hermione, not ‘Jane’! 😂

— 𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑜𝓉𝓉𝑒 (@KloCharlotte) September 18, 2018

Hermione teaching Viktor how to say her name was one of the biggest reveals in the book

— Heather Sypher (@heathersypher) September 17, 2018

My 7 year old brain read it as Her-Me-Own!! It wasn’t until I watched a Oprah interview that I understood I was saying it wrong all along.

— Nicole Dodson (@NKDsoooCoolyaya) September 18, 2018