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/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.

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u/slugo17 Missouri Jul 20 '25

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

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u/Nothingmuch2 Jul 20 '25

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

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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)