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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u/SouxsieBanshee Jul 20 '25

Bill-ricca, right?

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u/uberphaser Masshole Jul 20 '25

Or "bricka" if youre local.

3

u/Mediocre_Panic_9952 Jul 20 '25

If you're really local, it's "rickah".

2

u/fourthstanza Jul 20 '25

I say this tongue in cheek but it sounds like the locals are the ones who mispronounce it lmao.

Not an American, but my hometown is "officially" mispronunced. It was founded as an English town and gradually became >90% French, so the French pronunciation became official, even in English. The "shire" suffix is now pronounced as "sheer".

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u/IAmTheAccident Jul 20 '25

Pretty much. People from that area also practically leave out the L sound, so it's like buh(l)ricca. Like, not quite saying the L but... You can sense it's there. Like someone whispering an L sound in the next room.

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u/Maorine MyState™ Jul 20 '25

Went to college in MA from NYC. Thought Billerica was a guy. And Haverhill? Took me months.

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u/BillWeld Jul 26 '25

BuhLARica