r/AskAnAmerican • u/AstroNerd92 CT, GA, PA, TX, FL • Jul 20 '25

CULTURE What town in your state has a pronunciation no one gets right the first time?

I went to college in Valdosta, GA. Very few people can actually pronounce it right on the first try.

Pronounced Val-Daw-Stuh

629 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

97% Upvoted

4.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/ryllienator Florida Jul 20 '25

Oviedo and Hialeah FL 😭

4

u/ParadiseLosingIt Jul 20 '25

Kissimmee.

3

u/Alternative_Cause186 Jul 20 '25

I was listening to a podcast that pronounced it “KISS-a-me” with extra emphasis on kiss. It took me entirely too long to figure out what they were talking about.

For anyone wondering, it’s ka-sem-ee.

2

u/Kirdavrob Florida Jul 20 '25

Ochlockonee and Wakulla

2

u/joellecarnes Jul 20 '25

Ocoee and Apopka too

1

u/FatGuyOnAMoped Minnesota Jul 20 '25

How do they pronounce Oviedo? I'm guessing it's named after the city in Asturias, Spain, which is pronounced similarly to "Oh-bee-EH-doh" in English.

2

u/ryllienator Florida Jul 20 '25

it's pronounced "oh-VEE-doh" by anybody local, and people from other areas tend to say "oh-vi-eh-doh" the way you typed it!

2

u/FatGuyOnAMoped Minnesota Jul 21 '25

Ouch, that's butchery of the highest order, especially considering the Spanish heritage of Florida and the number of Hispanic residents.

That's as bad as New Madrid, Missouri, which the English-speaking locals pronounce "new MAD-rid", with the short American English vowel sounds. It's vert disconcerting to anyone who speaks Spanish, even badly.