Names/places you pronounce wrong

[BlueStarryHat]

I'm from Philly, where every word goes through the accent wringer.

I'd say the most mispronounced word for me and everyone else around these parts is the name of the river- it's the Schuykill River, which everyone, even our news anchors, pronounces "Skookle." How is really pronounced? Uh...

 

[AurumPunzel]

That's like Versailles, MO. It's pronounced Ver-SAILS even though the namesake is Versailles palace in France.

If we go a certain way to the Lake of the Ozarks we'll stop through Versailles, MO (usually stopping at that Walmart for groceries) I don't remember if the GPS pronounces it correctly or not.

I've noticed a lot of placenames in the Midwest and other parts of the former New France colonies in the US of French origin varies massively in pronunciation, and that they don't always correspond with the approximate way the French pronounce it. For example, there's two possible pronunciations of Louis: the French way is used in Louisville, KY, but St Louis, MO, uses the anglicised Lewis pronunciation. Ironically, Des Plaines is in a state that has a silent S at the end (Illinois), yet the city is pronounced phonetically and not in the French way, which makes it even more confusing for those who are too familiar with French names and the proper way of pronouncing them.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I’ve never heard catherine pronounced with an een. I’ve only heard cathrin

Me either, although Jacqueline Kennedy pronounced her name with the last syllable as “leen”, not “lynn”. To match her French last name, Bouvier, I would guess. Sounds classier that way.

Of course she named her daughter Caroline, last syllable “line”, not like Carolyn. Strangely though, Caroline was presumably named after Jackie’s sister, so not sure how she pronounced it, however she always went by her middle name, Lee.

And thinking again of the Irish pronunciations, in Ireland the name Caitlin sounds more like Kathleen (not exactly, but close), instead of the Anglicized Kate-lyn, that’s so common in the US.

 

[penn19]

Geoff is Jeff, shortened from Geoffrey, the correct way to spell that name. Corrine is cor-in, I’ve never heard it pronounced cor-een.

I have a friend from Canada (not sure if that makes a difference) and she pronounces it Cor-reen

 

[mjkacmom]

I have a friend from Canada (not sure if that makes a difference) and she pronounces it Cor-reen

I think that is the French pronunciation.

 

[mjkacmom]

Me either, although Jacqueline Kennedy pronounced her name with the last syllable as “leen”, not “lynn”. To match her French last name, Bouvier, I would guess. Sounds classier that way.

Of course she named her daughter Caroline, last syllable “line”, not like Carolyn. Strangely though, Caroline was presumably named after Jackie’s sister, so not sure how she pronounced it, however she always went by her middle name, Lee.

And thinking again of the Irish pronunciations, in Ireland the name Caitlin sounds more like Kathleen (not exactly, but close), instead of the Anglicized Kate-lyn, that’s so common in the US.

I think of Caroline and carolyn as different names.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I can handle most cities named after Indians. Grew up in Waukesha, which was near Menomonee Falls, also close to Oconomowoc. i used to work in Manitowoc.

New Orleans trips me up every time. I know now that it is pronounced more like Naulins, one word. But my brain keeps thinking It is 2 separate words., so I screw this up every time.

Only tourists say N'awlins.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I mispronounce the chicken fast food place Popeye's. I say it with the accent on the pop eye's. But most say pipe eye's.

Where? Never heard anyone say it like that.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I think of Caroline and carolyn as different names.

Me too, but I once met a Caroline who pronounced it as Carolyn. Also know a Karolina of Ukrainian descent who pronounces it Karo-leena, clearly a foreign variation.

 

[AppleDumpling]

When I first heard of Hauppauge years ago during the 1990s as a manufacturer of PC TV tuner cards, I kept pronouncing it as 'haw-pawdge', until I later learned that they're based in Long Island, NY, and that they pronounce the -ge with a hard G

Easiest way to describe its correct pronunciation: hop hog

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I live in Virginia. We have some funny ones here too.

Taliaferro pronounced Tolliver (rhymes with Oliver).

Buena Vista pronounced Boona Vista. The California girl in me hates this pronunciation!

 

[Eeyore daily]

Geoff too. Is it Jeff or Jawff? For the first time I know someone who pronounces it Jeff. When to primary school with a kid who pronounced it Jawff.

I had some idiot at my job training me to call it Gee-off. Worst hours of my life when he kept repeating it like that.

 

[Eeyore daily]

When I was little I called Chesapeake Bay cheesecake by accident.

There's a town in Arkansas called Monticello but it's not pronounced like the house or instrument but mont-i-cee-yo. Drives me nuts.

 

[Travel60]

There is a Beaufort in NC and one in SC. One is Byew-fort the other Bo-fort. I can't keep it straight.

 

[AurumPunzel]

When I was little I called Chesapeake Bay cheesecake by accident.

There's a town in Arkansas called Monticello but it's not pronounced like the house or instrument but mont-i-cee-yo. Drives me nuts.

I used to call it 'cheesecake' too!

There is a Beaufort in NC and one in SC. One is Byew-fort the other Bo-fort. I can't keep it straight.

In the UK, we have Beaulieu pronounced as 'Bewley', and various villages with Beauchamp in their name pronounced as 'beach-um', rather than the French 'bow-shom'. There's also Belvoir in Leicestershire, which, also, despite French origins, is pronounced 'beaver' rather than the French 'Belle-vwa', yet there's a real estate agency also called Belvoir that's pronounced the French way.

 

[skeeter31]

Easiest way to describe its correct pronunciation: hop hog

Yup. I worked there for 12 years lol.

Another one here in Tampa. Lutz, Florida. I thought it was Lut-z, like the Saints kicker. But it’s actually Loot-z.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Here in Southern California, my northern California upbringing cringes when they report a story from the bay area and talk about "San Rafael" (Rawf-eye-ell). Up there we call it "Ruh-fell".

 

[DisneyHardin]

There is a Beaufort in NC and one in SC. One is Byew-fort the other Bo-fort. I can't keep it straight.

Bo-fort is the one is SC.

 

[bcla]

For the longest time, Worcester. The other thing was that I had no idea how to pronounce the word "paradigm" until someone corrected me. I thought it was 3 syllables.

 

[design_mom]

When I first traveled to meet my husband's extended family in St. Louis. They had a great time saying "How do you think you pronounce this one?!" I missed almost all of them (Gravois, River de Peres, Carondolet, etc.)

In Central Ohio, our two main rivers tend to trip up visitors. The Olentangy (Oh-len-TAN-jee, but people like to pronounce the end like "tangy," the flavor.) and the Scioto (SIGH-oh-tuh). We also have Bellefontaine which confuses people. Here it's pronounced like "bell fountain" but people want to say "bell-la-fon-tane."