# Place name pronunciations **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 7, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159 "2007-12-07T15:22:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/1 "2007-12-07T15:22:13Z")
Working in a call center, you find that place names are very common (since many cities are named after the same person or persons) but their pronunciations vary from one area to the next. I have noticed the following: [ul] [li]Lafayette – this seems to be the worst – pronounced lah-FAY-ut or Lah-fet in TN and the North, but LAH-fee-eht in LA and the West[/li][li]Lebanon – here in the South, it’s LEH-buh-nun, everywhere else, it’s leh-bah-NON[/li][li]One of my faves, Gallatin – pronounced GAL-uh-tin in the South, but gah-LAT-in in the West and North[/li][li]Cairo – pretty much everywhere it’s KY-roh, but leave it to Southerners to say KAY-row[/li][/ul] Mundane? Check. Pointless? Check. Shared? Check. Have a lovely day 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/2 "2007-12-07T15:37:07Z")
We’ve got some unexpected ones here too. We have Lebanon, which is LEB-uh-nun. (Lebanon, PA, my parents pronounce Leb-nun.) Berlin is BER-lin. Guild is giled (hard gee) And of course Worcester is Wooster ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/3 "2007-12-07T15:39:59Z")
Outside of Frederick, MD is the town of Ijamsville. Pronouced I-yams-ville by some, I-jams-ville, by everyone else ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/4 "2007-12-07T15:46:03Z")
Newark, Delaware–pronounced “new-arc.” And also Saco, ME pronounced SOCK-o vs Waco, TX ie WAY-co ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/5 "2007-12-07T15:50:09Z")
**Nunda** in upstate New York. Pronounced “NUN-day”. (It’s a transliterated Indian name, using a scheme no one else followed). I always wonder if they have a Nunda Hyundai, which no one who hadn’t heard either pronounced would guess it right. They also have **Chili** in NY, pronounced “CHY-lie” Out in Utah, **Spanish Fork** is pronounced “Spanish Fark” ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/6 "2007-12-07T15:54:01Z")
Not far from here is a town called Monticello. Pronounced with the ‘c’ as ‘s’ instead of ‘ch’. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/7 "2007-12-07T15:56:57Z")
Quincy is “kwin-see” unless it’s in Massachusetts. Then it’s KWIN-zee." ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/8 "2007-12-07T15:57:46Z")
Oh yes, I forget, my all-time favourite (because the people majorly suck ass – the ones that call here, anyway) is Monsey, NY. Pronounced MUN-see. And of course, Bah HahBah, ME. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/9 "2007-12-07T16:03:30Z")
Charlotte, Michigan is pronounced locally as shar-LOT Pompeii, Michigan is pronounced locally as pom-pee-eye. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/10 "2007-12-07T16:08:55Z")
Norfolk – NAW-fuck Lancaster (NY) – lan-KAS-ter Lancaster (PA) – LANK-eh-ster ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/11 "2007-12-07T16:14:05Z")
**Medford** Massachusetts is pronounced by the locals as if the letter “D” never existed. “Meh’fuh” **Haverhill** , MA is “HAY-ver’ill” **Peabody** MA is pronounced as if it has no vowels, and you’re just sounding the consonants – “PEE-b’dee” I understand that the Connecticutians, who have a New London, pronounce the name of the river it’s on, **Thames** , as if the “th” is soft and the “A” is long, like “themes” with a long A in it. But I’ve never heard this one myself. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/12 "2007-12-07T16:15:27Z")
ChiefScott’s post reminds me of the radio station where I worked in the '70s, in Haldimand-Norfolk county, Ontario. There, Norfolk is pronouced as spelled. Well, they ordered a jingle package from a company in Texas. When it came back, there were several jingles they could never put on the air, because the singers pronounced it Nor-fuck. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/13 "2007-12-07T16:20:50Z")
Nathitoches, LA: Pronouned NAK-uh-dush Miami, OK: Pronounced Mye-A (as in “cat”)-muh Some of the pronunciations of street names in New Orleans are a bit idiosyncratic, such as CAL-ee-ope for “Calliope.” My favorite pronunciation was see-el-ten for “Clio.” Took me a while to figure out the rationalization for that one (C-L-10). I don’t know how widespread it is, though. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/14 "2007-12-07T16:26:58Z")
[QUOTE=Litoris] [li]Cairo – pretty much everywhere it’s KY-roh, but leave it to Southerners to say KAY-row[/li][/QUOTE] I’ve read that Cairo, Illinois, is pronounced that way for real, KAY-row. Is that true? Lima, Peru, is LEE-ma, but Lima, Ohio, is LYE-ma, because of the beans grown in the area. At least one movie failed to do research when a character said she was from LEE-ma, Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/15 "2007-12-07T16:32:31Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] I’ve read that Cairo, Illinois, is pronounced that way for real, KAY-row. Is that true? [/QUOTE] Yep, it’s true. Some more: Concord, NH - pronounced con-kerd Versailles, KY - pronounced ver-sails ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/16 "2007-12-07T16:39:30Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] **Haverhill** , MA is “HAY-ver’ill” [/QUOTE] Ayuh, Hayvrill, NH, too. I’m leaving out accent-based ones like Orfud for Orford, etc. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/17 "2007-12-07T16:44:11Z")
Dubois, PA: pronounced DOO-boyce. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/18 "2007-12-07T16:55:14Z")
And let’s not forget Milan (MYE-lin) Indiana, home of the real-life Hoosiers, pronounced very differently from the city in Italy. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/19 "2007-12-07T17:01:03Z")
I remember bursting a fellow American’s bubble one time. He’d seen reference to Leicester in England and thought it terribly romantic until I pointed out it was pronounced “Lester.” Dunno how he thought it was pronounced, but he was not happy with the news. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159/20 "2007-12-07T17:03:43Z")
HEW-stun, TX. HOUSE-ton St., New York, NY. Nobody outside the state can seem to pronounce Tecumseh, MI. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-name-pronunciations/429159.md?page=2)