# How many US cities share a common (but mispronounced) name with a world city? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2003, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796 "2003-06-05T11:58:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/61 "2003-06-06T03:22:18Z")
Mr. Butrscotch just reminded me of one in his home state, Montevideo, Minnesota, pronounced Monte-VID-eo. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/62 "2003-06-06T10:27:01Z")
We have a Milan in Michigan pronounced MY-LUN. Of course Hell Michigan is prounced the same way as its more famous predecessor. Of subject, but near my in-laws in West Virginia there’s a town called Hurricane but it’s pronounced HUR-RI-KIN. ---
**Author:** ![catnoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@catnoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catnoe)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/63 "2003-06-06T11:10:58Z")
**Aberdeen** : Maryland, North Carolina **Aetna** : Kanasas **Agra** : Kansas, Oklahoma **Cadiz** : Ohio **Manchester** : New Hampshire **Nazareth** : Pennsylvania, Texas **Bethlehem** : Pennsylvania **Friedberg** : North Carolina (now a community but a town in the 18th and 19th century) **Wachovia/Wachau** : North Carolina (later changed to Salem, now half of Winston-Salem) **Italy** : Texas **Naples** : Florida ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/64 "2003-06-06T11:20:51Z")
But are they pronounced any differently than the foreign versions, **catnoe**? Naples is unlikely to be, because the Italian city is Napoli. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/65 "2003-06-06T11:43:57Z")
Well, if you ask a Pennsylvanian how to pronounce Bethlehem, s/he will tell you it’s BETH-le-hem, regardless of whether you mean the one in PA or the one from the Baby Jesus story. But if you listen closely, you’ll find the locals squeeze the name of the one in Pennsy down to two syllables, which they’d never do for the one they talk about in church. So… Incidentally, I grew up south of BETH-lem in LANG-ku-stir, which is (as far as my ear can tell) closer to the way folks from the North of England pronounce Lancaster than the LAN-cass-tir of most other American cities with that name. Still not identical, though. Nearby you’ll find Hamburg and Hannover, both pronounced with a distinctly un-German sort of “a” in the first syllable. And nearby ber-LIN kept the accent on the second syllable, but again, the vowels changed. I don’t know whether that counts as a “mispronunciation” or not. ---
**Author:** ![severin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@severin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/severin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/66 "2003-06-06T12:13:28Z")
You’ll find a copy of every major world city in the states. And often they even become more famous than the original, e.g. New York, New Orleans, Harlem… French & Dutch names are always mispronounced/‘pronounced english’: New Orleans [or-lay-yaw], Waterloo [water-low]. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/67 "2003-06-06T14:03:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fat Bald Guy \* > \*\*WUS-ter \*\* Wow, they got it right. I’m impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/68 "2003-06-06T14:07:36Z")
Nope. That’s not correct. It’s **wus-TA**! An ‘r’ ? At the end of a word ? In Massachusetts ? No way. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/69 "2003-06-06T14:17:30Z")
Actually, a lot of local New Orleaneans pronounce it surprisingly close to the French, multi-syllabically. But they then say the S, which ruins it. The one thing guaranteed to brand you a non-local is to say New Or-LEENS; the accent is NEVER put on the last syllable of the city name – although that’s the most popular pronunciation of the parish by the same name, go figure! I dated a guy who went to Wus-ta Polytech. I still remember lo these many years later harassing his roommate from Boston when he asked, “Where should we pahk the cah?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/70 "2003-06-06T14:34:18Z")
Italy, Texas is pronounced “Italy”. Same way the country’s pronounced. Corinth, Texas is pronounced “CAR-inth” Palestine, Texas is pronounced “palace-TEEN” Edinburgh, Texas is pronounced “EE-den-burg”. Folks in Dublin, Texas got it right. There’s even a lot of Irish-themed signage around town. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/71 "2003-06-06T14:46:16Z")
There is a town in SC by that name, pronounced “LANK-us-ter.” I’ve heard other towns with the name pronounced it “LAN-CAS-ter.” ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/72 "2003-06-06T15:56:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by catnoe \* > \*\ ***Aberdeen** : Maryland, North Carolina > \*\* I’ve lived in MD for three years, and Aberdeen always seems to be pronounced the same as the Scottish version. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/73 "2003-06-06T16:39:02Z")
Besides **Bremen** (BREE-men), Georgia has: **Macon** (Named after the city in France, but pronounced like bacon.) **Cairo** (KAY-ro). **Vienna** (vy-EENA). **Albany** (all-BINNY). **Canton** (pronounced like the city in Ohio, but not like the one in China, after which it was named.) **LaFayette** (la-FAY-ett) (though not named after a city, obviously) is another fun mispronounced Georgia town. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/74 "2003-06-06T16:41:12Z")
**Birmingham** , Alabama puts more emphasis on the HAM than the English original, does it not? ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/75 "2003-06-06T16:48:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spoke- \* > \*\ ***Birmingham** , Alabama puts more emphasis on the HAM than the English original, does it not? \*\* Yes. Over here the last syllable just trails off – the H isn’t pronounced at all and the A is hardly pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/76 "2003-06-06T16:52:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spoke- \* > **Birmingham** , Alabama puts more emphasis on the HAM than the English original, does it not? Yep, the English pronunciation is **Bir** ming’m. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/77 "2003-06-06T18:58:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bobkitty \* > **Of course it was right next to “BUCK-anan”- I have no hopes for their ability to correctly pronounce German towns if they can’t get presidents’ names right.** Oddly enough, the region of Scotland called Buchan is pronounced “Buck-an”. I think there could be a linke there. Maybe all the folks named “Buchanan” who pronounce it “BYOO-kan-an” are doing the different pronunciation? ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/78 "2003-06-06T19:08:39Z")
Around where I grew up, there is another MY-Lin (IL, this time) and even an Orion (Or-eee-un). I’m surprised they didn’t pronounce it Rock Izzzland. ---
**Author:** ![catnoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@catnoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catnoe)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/79 "2003-06-07T05:37:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*But are they pronounced any differently than the foreign versions, **catnoe**? Naples is unlikely to be, because the Italian city is Napoli. \*\* oops, I miss that part of the OP. I don’t know if there is a Capri any where but I know most people mispronounce it. The island is pronounced **CAP** pre. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796/80 "2003-06-07T06:00:02Z")
There is a Palestine Texas, pronounced PAL steen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-us-cities-share-a-common-but-mispronounced-name-with-a-world-city/179796.md?page=5)