# Navigation apps that can pronounce things correctly

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigation-apps-that-can-pronounce-things-correctly/730696>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 11, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigation-apps-that-can-pronounce-things-correctly/730696 "2015-09-11T19:04:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigation-apps-that-can-pronounce-things-correctly/730696/1 "2015-09-11T19:04:23Z")

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I am a field technician and often have to drive all over New England. I usually use Google Maps on my phone and it seems to have trouble pronouncing certain places. I don’t ever want to hear about " War Chester" or “Top Sham” or “Banger” ever again. Is there anything I can do about this? Also, I would rather if it didn’t say every single name for a road . A road I end up on a lot, Western Ave in Augusta is mentioned as “Western Avenue, US Rt. 202, Maine Rt. 11, Maine Rt. 9, Maine Rt. 17”

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigation-apps-that-can-pronounce-things-correctly/730696/2 "2015-09-11T19:39:01Z")

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If you use Waze you can download voices that only give directions, some voices don’t use the street names (just generic terms left/right etc.). Also you can help out other motorist by pointing out travel hazards both on the road and hiding in the bushes with a radar gun and a ticket book.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigation-apps-that-can-pronounce-things-correctly/730696/3 "2015-09-11T20:22:17Z")

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I live in the Pacific Northwest. No app will ever pronounce Puyallup, Des Moines, or Cle Ellum properly. Most natives can’t either. I go for the app that pronounces them with the best comedic effect. The Motion-X app on my iPhone has a particularly amusing British voice that mangles many things (Milwaukee becomes Mill-owkee, etc.).

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigation-apps-that-can-pronounce-things-correctly/730696/4 "2015-09-11T22:37:04Z")

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Setting the nav to only give turns and not speak road names is about all you can do. I haven’t found one yet that knows every regional pronunciation like Concord, NC being pronounced as “Kahn Cord” but Concord, CA is pronounced as “Conquered.” 50-50 shot that it will get it wrong.

Our Garmin has no problem with “Empire” but there’s also a road out here called Empire Pointe. Garmin suddenly goes all Frenchy and tells you to turn onto “Ahmpeer Pwant.” 😕