If you’ve seen Knoxville’s Rep. Tim Burchett on CNN recently, you may have heard the network’s on-air folks pronounce his last name “burr-CHET.”

And if you’re an East Tennessean, you’re probably scratching your head. “Have I been pronouncing his last name wrong all these years?”

Rest assured, the problem is with CNN, not you.

Knox News had to make the slightly embarrassing call to Burchett’s chief of staff, Michael Grider, to ask whether the common-around-here pronunciation of “burr-chit” is indeed correct. It is, of course.

“He’s been dealing with that his whole life,” Grider said, and offered this handy advice: Say the congressman’s last name by combining the first word of “birch tree” with the word “it.”

CNN’s gaffes are a reminder that well-known political figures are just like us … though Burchett would argue he isn’t well-known or a political figure.

Despite a growing reputation for bucking the wishes of his Republican colleagues, Burchett’s known on the Hill for his agreeable personality. That might be why he doesn’t correct broadcasters who mispronounce his name.

Grider told Knox News Burchett has bigger hills to climb, and he takes a pragmatic view of how he’s referred to on national TV.

“As long as it’s spelled right (on the screen),” he said.

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tim Burchett: How to pronounce the Tennessee congressman’s name