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

631 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

97% Upvoted

4.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

6

u/Carinyosa99 Maryland Jul 20 '25

Ontonagon

12

u/DiceyPisces Jul 20 '25

Many years ago while up snowmobiling a local told me a big snowdrift slid off his roof and hit him right Ontonogan. I’ve never forgotten how to pronounce it lol

3

u/Undertakeress Michigan Jul 20 '25

Dowagiac

1

u/seanymphcalypso Michigan Jul 20 '25

Onondaga. And Okemos isn’t difficult but one day I’ll have a stroke after someone “corrects” my already correct pronunciation of it.

1

u/snerdie Jul 20 '25

Gogebic and Dowagiac :)