This was published 8 years ago

The 22 places you're probably pronouncing incorrectly

By David Whitley

January 28, 2016 — 9.00am

There are some destinations that tourists always pronounce incorrectly.Credit: iStock

For novice linguists, the world is full of nasty traps, where a mispronunciation of a basic household item can end up sounding like a vile insult. But you don't even have to dip into foreign languages to get things embarrassingly wrong – and that applies to perhaps more city and country names than you might expect. This little lot, for example, are often bungled…

Reims, France

The hub of the Champagne region is frankly nightmarish for English speakers to say. Aim for something approaching the sound a snorer makes when they're snoring so loud they wake themselves up.

Niger

Wrong: "Ny-jer"Right: "Neezh-air"

The African country is a former French colony, so it gets the French approach – not "Nigel" with a different letter at the end.

Samoa

Wrong: "Sa-MO-a"Right: "SARM-oa"

Most outsiders tend to put the emphasis on the second syllable. But listen to the locals say it, and there's an elongated first a. Pronounce the 'Sam' like you would 'harm', then quickly rattle off the 'oa' with less emphasis, and you're about right.

See: Secret's out on this Pacific paradise

Kiribati

Wrong: "Kirry-barty"Right: "Ki-ri-bass"

The biggest South Pacific curveball, however, comes with Kiribati. Which, defying pretty much all logic, treats the "ti" at the end as an "s" sound.

Louisville, Kentucky

Wrong: "Loo-iss-vill"Right: "Loo-ee-vul"

If you're in Kentucky, the state's largest city takes the French pronunciation on the first syllable – as in King Louis XIV – but the American on the second. So it becomes an awkward hybrid.

St Louis, Missouri

Wrong: "Saint Loo-ee"Right: "Saint Loo-iss"

After Louisville, you'd expect the same rules to apply, but no. St Louis is Louis as in Lewis Hamilton rather than the French kings. Consistency be damned.

Qatar

Wrong: "Cat-arr" Right: "Cutter", albeit with slightly more emphasis on the first syllable

No, it's not like the gunky stuff you get when you've got a bad cold.

Dominica

Wrong: "Dom-IN-i-ca"Right: "Dom-in-EE-ca"

The Caribbean island follows Spanish pronunciation rules – so the stress is on the second-to-last syllable.

Córdoba, Spain/Argentina

Wrong: "Cor-DOH-ba"Right: "COR-duh-buh"

That second-to-last syllable rule? Well, it goes out of the window when accents are involved. The Spanish language uses accents to indicate which syllable gets the emphasis when the normal rule is broken.

Bangkok, Thailand

Wrong: "Bang-cock"Right: "Bang-gawhk"

For a start, the Thais don't even know their capital as Bangkok – it's Krung Thep. But even when using the better known name, the pronunciation is different – a quick "bang", then a drawn-out "gawhk" sound with the ending tailing off into nothing like the pathetic caw of a seriously injured seagull.

See: The 20 must-see higlights of Bangkok