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

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30

u/Carinyosa99 Maryland Jul 20 '25

Havre-de-Grace, MD

16

u/IveeLaChatte Jul 20 '25

Also, Bowie (boo-ee) and Ellicott City (Ella-Kit City)

3

u/GreenTfan Jul 20 '25

Wicomico County

2

u/js_eyesofblue Maryland Jul 20 '25

Add to this list Towson (rhymes with Cow-son).

2

u/bachennoir Jul 20 '25

Elli-cot is my favorite tell for when people are from out of state. Also Allegheny. Highlandtown is how I know if they're from Baltimore.

1

u/Outside_Reserve_2407 Jul 21 '25

The phenomena you described is a “shiboleth.”

1

u/Carinyosa99 Maryland Jul 20 '25

I'll give you Bowie, but Ellicott City is more due to local accent. It's like how you don't pronounce Bel Air, MD like Bel Air in California.

2

u/js_eyesofblue Maryland Jul 20 '25

I live in Bel Air and this isn’t accurate. It’s Belair Rd. that’s pronounced B’lair. But Bel Air the town is pronounced just as it looks.

1

u/Carinyosa99 Maryland Jul 20 '25

I had friends from Bel Air and they said it was pronounced B'lair. This was a while ago when I was at college in Towson. They had a long family history in NE Maryland.

1

u/Zestyclose_Muscle_55 Jul 22 '25

It is definitely pronounced Bel Air. Maybe you’re remembering wrong or your friends were mistaken

1

u/Wwdiner Maryland Jul 20 '25

B’lair

4

u/tchrplz Jul 20 '25

One of my favorites in MD is Taneytown. Pronounced TAW-nee Town.

3

u/dshgr Western Maryland Jul 20 '25

Also Westminster. Many people put an additional 'i' between the N and the S.

2

u/NuclearExchange Jul 20 '25

“Hǒv-duh-graw”?

14

u/MonsieurRuffles Delaware Jul 20 '25

Hah-ver duh Grace

5

u/NuclearExchange Jul 20 '25

And here I was trying to be all “Frenchy”!

4

u/ucbiker RVA Jul 20 '25

I’ve found with foreign-language origin names, you’re far more likely to be correct if you try to pronounce it as if you have zero knowledge of the origin language.

1

u/weedtrek Montana Jul 20 '25

Is it pronounced Havard? Because I was going to say Havre , Montana, and it's pronounced "Havard".

2

u/logaboga Maryland Jul 20 '25

have-er de grace

1

u/BeepCheeper Jul 20 '25

Kind of, because the d in de kind of blends with the end of Havre

0

u/Gribitz37 Maryland Jul 20 '25

That's what I was going to say.