# preferred/acceptable pronunciations of "Los Angeles" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2009, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408 "2009-09-09T11:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/1 "2009-09-09T11:55:20Z")
I’ve heard “Lows Angle Ease,” I’ve heard “Loss Anjlis,” I’ve heard maybe a half-dozen popular pronunications. Can we list them in some sort of order and rationale? Which is the most general pronunciation? Which is the one preferred within the city itself, or within California? Which is the one used by purist Native-Spanish speakers? Which one is used by U.S. based speakers of Spanish as a second language? Which is the official pronunication? Which is a convention that is no longer much followed? Which one do you use? Which one do you use when you’re trying extra-hard to be correct? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/2 "2009-09-09T12:25:57Z")
In Spanish I say, amazingly, Los Ángeles. But I don’t expect most foreigners to be able to pronounce that g, as it’s a Spanish j (sounds like the ch in Scottish “loch”). My last bunch of American coworkers said LoZANyels. I think that may be what you spelled Loss Anjlis. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/3 "2009-09-09T12:57:30Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > I’ve heard “Lows Angle Ease,”…? The would be the [former mayor] [Sam Yorty](http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jun/06/news/mn-57087) pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/4 "2009-09-09T13:53:35Z")
I’ve always pronounced it “Loss ANN-j^-l^ss” (pretend this: ^ is a schwa). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Philosopher)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/5 "2009-09-09T14:03:34Z")
I always pronounced it “Loss AN-jilez”, emphasises on the first syllable of Angeles, which I think is about the same as what **HeyHomie** just wrote. While I realized that’s different from how it’s supposed to be pronounced in Spanish, and although I’ve only visited LA as a tourist, I thought that was how it was universally pronounced amongst English speakers - I’d never heard of “Lows Angle Ease” before for instance. What are the other pronunciations? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/6 "2009-09-09T14:08:47Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I’ve always pronounced it “Loss ANN-j^-l^ss” (pretend this: ^ is a schwa). Same here. From my experience, that seems to be the most common pronunciation. As for variants, the one I run into the most is “-leez” for the “-l^ss” syllable above. I can’t recall ever running into the hard “g” pronunciation (“angle ease” in your example), but I have run into the “AHN-heh-less” (or similar) numerous times. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/7 "2009-09-09T14:11:20Z")
I listen to a lot of historic radio tapes, and back in the 30’s and 40’s “Lows Angle Ease” was much more commonly used. It seems to have been supplanted almost entirely by “Loss ANN-j^-l^ss” sometime around 1950. Maybe it was the influx of non-native Californians, or maybe it was Jack Webb, who usually pronounced it “Loss ANN-j^-l^ss” on _Dragnet._ ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/8 "2009-09-09T14:24:05Z")
Some of the news announcers use a variation where Los is pronounced “Lows” and they use the “-eez” ending. But I discount that as announcer stylization - tv & radio announcers are encouraged to use stylized emphasis for call-letters etc. for “branding” purposes. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/9 "2009-09-09T14:40:38Z")
I’ve always just said El Ay. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/10 "2009-09-09T15:46:31Z")
Here’s what wiki sez _“Los Angeles (pronounced /lɒs ˈændʒələs/ los-AN-jə-ləs; Spanish: [los ˈaŋxeles],”_ ---
**Author:** ![E72521](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@E72521](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E72521)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/11 "2009-09-10T07:00:01Z")
My grandparents always used Lows Angle Ease. My parents and the rest of us use Loss Anjilis, but they still say San Peedro and Santee Ana. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/12 "2009-09-10T08:56:07Z")
I listen to a lot of old time radio (OTR) and it is very common to pronounce Los Angeles with a hard “g” sound. It wasn’t till the late 40s when the radio announcers switched from Los ANGLE eez to Los An-jell-us 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/13 "2009-09-10T11:57:06Z")
The only time I’ve ever heard it ending with /-i:z/ was when Arlo Guthrie rhymed it for a song in _Woodstock_– _Coming into /lɒs ændʒəˈli:z/ Bringing in a couple of keys_ Don’t touch my bags if you please Mr. customs man\* \*1960s slang for kilograms of marijuana. Does this ever date me. You kids lay off of my grass ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/14 "2009-09-10T12:32:50Z")
Spanish: |los 'anxeles| [lohss AHN heh lehss] ETA: I got this wrong, it’s |los ˈaŋxeles| as said above Generic Yank: |lɒs ˈændʒələs| [loss ANN jə ləs] (the standard pronunciation on Wikipedia’s LA page), or, “Ellay” 😛 British: |lɒs ˈændʒəliz| [loss ANN jə leez], I think ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/15 "2009-09-10T14:25:25Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Bringing in a couple of keys\* > > \*1960s slang for kilograms of marijuana. Does this ever date me. You kids lay off of my grass They still say “keys” for kilos, but it’s usually applied to coke or heroin. Marijuana is usually sold by the ounce/pound these days (unless you buy a single gram, maybe). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/16 "2009-09-10T14:27:43Z")
Loss ANN jell ess. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/17 "2009-09-10T14:40:02Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > They still say “keys” for kilos, but it’s usually applied to coke or heroin. Marijuana is usually sold by the ounce/pound these days (unless you buy a single gram, maybe). Damn. In grade school we were told that _everything_ was headed toward metrics. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/18 "2009-09-10T14:41:28Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I listen to a lot of historic radio tapes, and back in the 30’s and 40’s “Lows Angle Ease” was much more commonly used. It seems to have been supplanted almost entirely by “Loss ANN-j^-l^ss” sometime around 1950. Maybe it was the influx of non-native Californians, or maybe it was Jack Webb, who usually pronounced it “Loss ANN-j^-l^ss” on _Dragnet._ > [@Markxxx](#): > > I listen to a lot of old time radio (OTR) and it is very common to pronounce Los Angeles with a hard “g” sound. > > It wasn’t till the late 40s when the radio announcers switched from Los ANGLE eez to Los An-jell-us:) **Markxxx** and I are agreed that sometime after World War II the pronunciation of Ellay changed from having a Spanish back-of-the-throat character to an American no-throat-at-all style. What about other California places? Is San Diego rapidly becoming san-DY-go? Has the desert changed from Mo-hahv-ee to MO-jave? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-acceptable-pronunciations-of-los-angeles/509408/19 "2009-09-10T14:50:03Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Spanish: |los 'anxeles| [lohss AHN heh lehss] ETA: I got this wrong, it’s |los ˈaŋxeles| as said above No, you got it right. Nava is from Spain, where they pronounce the sound spelled (in Spanish) as “j” or (between vowels) “g” with a much more guttural harshness than how it’s pronounced in Latin America, where it’s essentially equivalent to the English “h” sound. You can hear this by asking a Latin American Spanish speaker to imitate Spain Spanish. They will change the sound spelled “c” or “z” from an “s” to a “th”, they will change the sound spelled “s” to a funny kind of slushy whistle, and, as I said, they will change the “j” sound to the German or Scottish “ch” sound. Plus, they’ll thrown in the word “tio” to mean “dude” or “guy”, whereas in Latin America it just means “uncle”.