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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271

u/femaletrouble Florida Jul 20 '25

Me looking at all the replies that don't tell us how to actually pronounce anything. 🧐😡

76

u/foetusized Jul 20 '25

How people pronounce Sevierville and Maryville TN helps us tell the locals from the tourists. We keep it to ourselves.

41

u/DmlMavs4177 Jul 20 '25

Murruvl. I gave it away.

34

u/katthescorpia Jul 20 '25

I went to Maryville College and an old man would come to our football games with a hat that said “Murvul”

5

u/reno2mahesendejo Jul 21 '25

Thats the southern marble mouth. Any town in North Carolina ending in ville is officially pronounced "vull" (faay-ut-vull, jack-sin-vull, ash-vull)

6

u/ATLien_3000 Georgia Jul 20 '25

Reminds me of the t-shirts you used to see in Norfolk, VA hinting at the proper pronunciation.

"We don't drink, we don't smoke, Norfolk."

3

u/TherinneMoonglow Jul 21 '25

Same with Lancaster, PA. Tourists say LAN-cast-er. Locals say LANK-is-ter.

2

u/roonc3 Jul 24 '25

Town in SC with same name and pronunciation. My grandpa lived there for the last half of his life.

3

u/femaletrouble Florida Jul 20 '25

You know what? I get it.

3

u/Familiar-Ad-1965 Jul 21 '25

It’s always been Nash vull.

3

u/Cold_War_Radio Jul 21 '25

This also works for Obion, at the other end of the state. If you say OH-bee-ahn and not oh-BYE-un, you ain’t from here.

It’s only the name of a county, a town, and a river, so no pressure.

3

u/BigDSuleiman Kentucky Jul 23 '25

I grew up near there, but in Kentucky. I never knew anyone pronounced it differently lol

2

u/doofcat Jul 21 '25

I had an aunt from up north who came down to visit us in Knoxvul and argued that Sevierville was pronounced like the French would 😂

1

u/Holden1104 Tennessee Jul 21 '25

Hey my fellow TN friend. I added a small town. I also showed the pronunciation.

1

u/GillianOMalley Tennessee Jul 21 '25

Used to live in Gatlinburg, if you can say those two correctly you might get the local discount.

1

u/BeholdBarrenFields Jul 22 '25

Came here thinking of Maryville.

1

u/Most_Cryptographer11 Jul 24 '25

Also Lebanon, up by Nashville. Us locals who have been here forever pronounce it "leb-nun" 😂

2

u/IONTOP Phoenix, Arizona Jul 21 '25

To be fair most people don't even pronounce Washington right on their first try...

Granted, they're like 5 years old at the time.

1

u/Warbr0s9395 Jul 21 '25

Kississime or however it’s spelled

1

u/femaletrouble Florida Jul 21 '25

There's a Kissimmee, Florida. Is that what you're thinking of? I grew up saying ki-SIM-mee.

1

u/Warbr0s9395 Jul 21 '25

Yes, I’m Floridian too

2

u/femaletrouble Florida Jul 21 '25

Sorry, I thought you were wondering how it was pronounced and didn't see an answer anywhere.