SoTier Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 (edited) Some place names have unusual spellings or are foreign words, so people naturally struggle with saying them. OTOH, there lots of fairly straight forwardly spelled names that just have unique local/regional pronunciations. Yesterday the Weather Channel asked viewers to send them the names places that aren't pronounced locally the way most people would think they would be said. They got lots of replies, so I thought it would be interesting to do our own list of places that aren't pronounced locally the way most people would expect them to be. Here are some of my candidates: For New York, I nominate the strangest pronunciation for any place name in the US, IMO: Coxsackie, NY which is pronounced "COOK-sock-ee". Also in New York's Hudson Valley is the town and hamlet of Coeymans, which is pronounced "KWEE-mans". If you speak Dutch, you probably didn't need the phonetic spelling. In WNY, the little hamlet of Napoli, is pronounced "Na-POL-eye" and Charlotte, a town in Chautauqua County, is pronounce "Shar-LOT". Real Pennsyltuckians know that Kinzua as in Kinzua Dam and Kinzua Valley is pronounced "KIN-zoo". In Nebraska, the little town of Beatrice is pronounced "Bee-AH-triss". Norfolk, NB, the birthplace of the late great Johnny Carson, is pronounced "NOR-fork". Anybody got any other interesting ones? Edited March 4, 2022 by SoTier 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T&C Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Ybor city, inside Tampa. Pronounced "ebore". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Bexar County in Texas is pronounced, "bear." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Tarentum Pennsylvania (NE of Pittsburgh) sounds like Trenum, if you speak to a local from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Kiln, Mississippi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlimShady'sSpaceForce Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 (edited) P’budy — Peabody Mass Bill-ricka — Billerica Mass Wooster — Worcester Mass Bah-ston …. LaRay — Luray Virginia buh-CAN-on — Buchanan VA - byoo·ka·nuhn Edited March 4, 2022 by SlimShady'sSpaceForce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Worcester, MA. When did it become Wooster, OH... Tchoupitoulas street (NOLA)... ACTUALLY... Isn't there a word for this? The ability to ferret out any outsiders in a local culture? 3 hours ago, Gugny said: Kiln, Mississippi Anything in the God forsaken Midwest too. Don't even ask how they say: Bourbonnais Cairo San Jose Illinois. You'll dig your ears out with red-hot pokers! 😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That's No Moon Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Hockessin, DE HO-kessin Newark, DE new-ARK Versailles, PA ver-SAILS Pequea Valley, PA PECK-way Wilkes-Barre, PA BARE-ee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoTier Posted March 5, 2022 Author Share Posted March 5, 2022 4 hours ago, Gugny said: Kiln, Mississippi Is the "n" silent or pronounced? 19 minutes ago, That's No Moon said: Hockessin, DE HO-kessin Newark, DE new-ARK Versailles, PA ver-SAILS Pequea Valley, PA PECK-way Wilkes-Barre, PA BARE-ee I think Americans in general call places named "Versailles" as ver-SAILS unless they're located in France. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 John Ruggiero’s house. I worked with him for years. They spell it Ruggiero but pronounce it Ruggerio. When I pointed out he mispronounces his own last name, he just shrugged. 🤷♂️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinceThe70s Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 24 minutes ago, That's No Moon said: Hockessin, DE HO-kessin Newark, DE new-ARK Versailles, PA ver-SAILS Pequea Valley, PA PECK-way Wilkes-Barre, PA BARE-ee Newark, DE is the one I thought of. Any thread on city pronunciations is incomplete without Mianus, CT. I honestly don't know the correct pronunciation - but I know how I pronounce it every time I pass through (pun intended). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlimShady'sSpaceForce Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 1 hour ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Worcester, MA. When did it become Wooster, OH... 🌚 landing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Spokane WA Spoe-can Puyallup WA Pew ale up Chili NY Chi lai Cheektowaga NY No change there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That's No Moon Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 4 hours ago, SoTier said: Is the "n" silent or pronounced? I think Americans in general call places named "Versailles" as ver-SAILS unless they're located in France. Probably, maybe not in Louisiana or Maine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 (edited) On that note... Marseilles, Illinois is pronounced: "Mar-Sails." I guess that's NOT so bad and too overly hicky... Why does Des Moines get pronounced proper and then Des Plaines get botched? For fear of sounding like Herve Villachaize? "De Planes! De Planes!" 😏 Same with Versailles, Illinois... Ver-Sails. Edited March 5, 2022 by ExiledInIllinois 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 (edited) Nevada, TX. Palestine, TX. Van Alstyne, TX. Edited March 5, 2022 by \GoBillsInDallas/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 (edited) 11 hours ago, SinceThe70s said: Newark, DE is the one I thought of. Any thread on city pronunciations is incomplete without Mianus, CT. I honestly don't know the correct pronunciation - but I know how I pronounce it every time I pass through (pun intended). There was a plane crash in Mianus bridge(on 95). Howard Stern when he was in NYC called ticket office and asked how much a one way ticket from la guardia to my anus cost lol Edited March 5, 2022 by Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Quint Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Down here in SC: Eutawville is how it's spelled. Pronounced Utah-ville. Tell me that's not the product of some illiterate redneck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlimShady'sSpaceForce Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 6 hours ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said: Nevada, TX. Palestine, TX. Van Alstyne, TX. Pssst. How are they pronounced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 8 hours ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said: Nevada, TX. Palestine, TX. Van Alstyne, TX. 2 hours ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said: Pssst. How are they pronounced? Nuh-VADE-uh PAL-ess-teen Van ALL-steen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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