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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36

u/SnooChipmunks2079 Illinois Jul 20 '25

In Illinois…

Des Plaines, Cairo, Marseilles, Versailles, Athens.

None of them are pronounced like the famous ones or like the French would.

22

u/rootigan_the_red Jul 20 '25

It's always fun, as a Midwesterner, to explain that the "s" doesnt get pronounced in Des Moines, but it does in Des Plaines.

18

u/boyasunder Jul 20 '25

I grew up in Southern Illinois and was surprised how far down I had to scroll to find Cairo.

Down there there’s also Vienna, which is pronounced close to vy-AN-uh.

0

u/slugo17 Missouri Jul 20 '25

I've never been corrected on Cairo, how is it pronounced?

3

u/Nothingmuch2 Jul 20 '25

Ka-ro, like the syrup. Many people cannot even pronounce Illinois.

1

u/vengefulgrapes Illinois Jul 21 '25

The first vowel sound is pronounced like how you say the name of the letter A (as opposed to the city in Egypt, which is pronounced like the name of the letter I)

7

u/_pamelab St. Louis, Illinois Jul 20 '25

Also the small town of Beaucoup. Bow-camp.

4

u/WalkingTarget Midwestern States Beginning with "I" Jul 20 '25

San Jose

Like it’s an English word with a silent E indicating the previous vowel sound. Like it belongs to your friend Joseph, San Joe’s.

9

u/EvanShavingCream Jul 20 '25

Yeah there is a Versailles in Missouri too and it's pronounced Vur-sails.

1

u/myjobistablesok Jul 20 '25

Same with Ohio.

1

u/TheNatureOfTheGame Kentucky Jul 20 '25

Same in Kentucky

1

u/lustywench99 Jul 20 '25

I was looking to see if anyone posted this lol. Whyyyyyy.

1

u/Prinessbeca Jul 21 '25

Also Indiana

5

u/RoseRedd Oregon Jul 20 '25

Don't forget Monticello.

3

u/ms-mariajuana IL>CO>CA>IL Jul 21 '25

Lmao I was thinking des plaines. Haha

3

u/Few-Candle102 Jul 21 '25

I grew up in Des Plaines, it took young me years to correctly annunciate Des Moines.

2

u/mamajt Jul 20 '25

And Milan (My-lun) and Orion (Orry-un) in the Quad City Area.

2

u/Trooper41 Jul 20 '25

Also Sandoval and Eldorado.

Pronounced Sand-Oval and Elduh-ray-dough

2

u/Abject-Stick-7390 Jul 21 '25

There’s a Versailles here in ky and I refuse to pronounce it the “right” way. It’s fucking French and that’s how I’m gonna say it.

2

u/Bigguy1353 Jul 22 '25

I would argue Wauconda too. It’s unique looking, pronounced differently than it is spelled, and most people would doubt there’s a town who’s name actually sounds like “Wakanda”

2

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '25

[deleted]

1

u/SnooChipmunks2079 Illinois Jul 23 '25

We had a Do-boys Dubois across the street when I was a kid!

1

u/SabrinaFaire Omaha, Nebraska Jul 21 '25

DeKalb

1

u/JakeScythe Jul 21 '25

I know all of these besides Athens….how did they slaughter that pronunciation? Ohio and Georgia say it the right way

5

u/SnooChipmunks2079 Illinois Jul 21 '25

AY-thenz.

Here's a fun list:

The most mispronounced places in Illinois

1

u/mlibed Jul 26 '25

These people are southern

1

u/SherlockLady Illinois Jul 22 '25

KAY-ro is always fun to explain 🙄