# Preferred pronunciation of Cannes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018 "2005-02-26T15:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [February 26, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/1 "2005-02-26T15:54:21Z")
What is the preferred pronunciation of Cannes? [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) offers ‘kann’, ‘kanns’, and ‘kahn’. (I’ve altered those a bit, since I don’t know how to make the special characters.) I prefer ‘kann’; but what do the locals call their city? ---
**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:** [February 26, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/2 "2005-02-26T16:30:46Z")
In the month or so I spent on the Riviera (I speak pretty good French, though far from native or fluent), I heard something very like “Kahn” from locals. ---
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/3 "2005-02-26T16:55:01Z")
“Kahn” ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/4 "2005-02-26T17:48:01Z")
Kahn. Loathe when US reports say “Kahn”, but then refer to Par-s instead of ‘pa-ree’…the inconsistency annoys me. If it is Kahn, then it is Pa-ree. ---
**Author:** ![mkl12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@mkl12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkl12)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/5 "2005-02-26T18:11:32Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Kahn. > > Loathe when US reports say “Kahn”, but then refer to Par-s instead of ‘pa-ree’…the inconsistency annoys me. > > If it is Kahn, then it is Pa-ree. You could argue that ‘Par-s’ is the English name of the French city ‘pa-ree’, just like Rome and Munich have English names that differ from their local names, and that it’s just a coincidence\* that the French and English names are written with the same characters. Cannes, on the other hand, isn’t well known enough internationally, or hasn’t been for well known for enough time, to have developed it’s own English name. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/6 "2005-02-26T19:09:12Z")
> [@mkl12](#): > > You could argue that ‘Par-s’ is the English name of the French city ‘pa-ree’, just like Rome and Munich have English names that differ from their local names, and that it’s just a coincidence\* that the French and English names are written with the same characters. > > Cannes, on the other hand, isn’t well known enough internationally, or hasn’t been for well known for enough time, to have developed it’s own English name. I think well-to-do English have been visiting Nice and Cannes for a long, long time. ---
**Author:** ![mkl12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@mkl12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkl12)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/7 "2005-02-26T20:20:49Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > I think well-to-do English have been visiting Nice and Cannes for a long, long time. I don’t mean that no English people knew Cannes existed. Just that it isn’t well known enough to have its own English name. Many very large cities do, most smaller cities don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/8 "2005-02-26T20:49:54Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > I think well-to-do English have been visiting Nice and Cannes for a long, long time. Yeah, but it just doesn’t have the importance of Florence (Firenze) or Naples (Napoli). How do Americans normally pronounce the name of the film festival? I’ve always rather wondered since I read about it more than I talk about it. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/9 "2005-02-26T21:15:54Z")
Upon reading this question, my first thought was of William Shatner shouting **KHAN!!!** at the top of his lungs in _Star Trek II_. ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/10 "2005-02-26T22:33:53Z")
[Khaan!!](http://www.khaaan.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Asteroide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@Asteroide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asteroide)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/11 "2005-02-26T23:02:56Z")
It’s pronounced [can] by French speakers, more “tin can” than Genghis Khan, but you attack the “c” a little harder and the “a” is shorter. Some people hit the “n” a little harder too - almost an extra syllable. Not to be confused with _conne_ (twat) ! ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/12 "2005-02-26T23:17:57Z")
> [@Asteroide](#): > > It’s pronounced [can] by French speakers, more “tin can” than Genghis Khan, but you attack the “c” a little harder and the “a” is shorter. Some people hit the “n” a little harder too - almost an extra syllable. > > Not to be confused with _conne_ (twat) ! So are you saying that if you tell a French person that you are going to the’kahn’ film festival, they will think you’re going to the twat film festival. How do the French pronounce “conne” anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Asteroide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@Asteroide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asteroide)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/13 "2005-02-26T23:54:10Z")
> [@ageless6](#): > > So are you saying that if you tell a French person that you are going to the’kahn’ film festival, they will think you’re going to the twat film festival. > How do the French pronounce “conne” anyway? _conne_ is kind of halfway between “khan” and “cone”, in some parts of the south (west of Cannes) it’s closer to “kong”. Gotta say though, that an earlier discussion proved the impossibility of explaining phonetics in writing. Just make sure you mention the Palme d’Or, the trophy at the porno festival is called the _Hot d’Or_. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/14 "2005-02-27T06:06:02Z")
Waitaminnit – you guys are telling me that a French film festival killed James T. Kirk’s son? I ain’t buyin’ it. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lodoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@Jeff\_Lodoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lodoen)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/15 "2005-02-27T12:42:11Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > Waitaminnit – you guys are telling me that a French film festival killed James T. Kirk’s son? I ain’t buyin’ it. No, neither Cannes nor Khan killed David Marcus. It was Emmet “Doc” Brown. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/16 "2005-02-27T13:31:59Z")
Over here, we usually say CAN. As the French do. The A is short. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preferred-pronunciation-of-cannes/292018/17 "2005-02-27T14:00:08Z")
CAN, or CAN-nuh if you’re trying to be very French and pronounce the double “n”. KAHN would work if the town was in Germany, not France!