Brits Try To Pronounce American Towns

[@NathanMN]

Fun fact: one of the zip codes for Schenectady, New York, is 12345.

[@TheInkPitOx]

Pandora wont accept that as a zipcode anymore.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

Yea that's the General Electric building, they snatched that number up when post codes first became a thing so people could mail them easily. Of course now they end up getting kids Santa letters (I am not kidding, my dad works there and every Christmas the mail workers take time out of their day to respond to these letters)

[@emPtysp4ce]

Wow, that's the combination on my luggage

[@HayTatsuko]

@@emPtysp4ce

[@nolagirl2458]

@@AdamSmith-gs2dv That's really sweet

[@rjgraddy11]

I definitely was hoping they’d get some Native American towns/cities. There’s so many I can’t even pretend to pronounce 😂

[@fread51]

Nacogdoches

[@pengu82]

Michilimackinac, ypsilanti, charlevoix

[@asunflower7993]

I know it's so funny when people first try to pronounce Puyallup it's great🤣

[@AmyHollinger1]

Cuyahoga, winnipesaukee!

[@Magdalenasfears]

@@pengu82 being a michigander and Anishinaabe I feel like our cities are easy. They're said like they spelt. Except charlevoix. I believe that's French (the x is usually a sign of a French word up here lol)

[@karendinkel9040]

“It’s like someone mashed the keyboard.” Welsh: hold my tea

[@eauhomme]

How do you pronounce llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?

[@karendinkel9040]

Just like it’s spelled: *chaos and guttural ch’s*

[@edwardmiessner6502]

@@eauhomme Just like they do over there: "chumley"

[@homestuckaddict]

Lmaoooooo

[@homestuckaddict]

Seriously is “o ddifrif” lol

[@PBurns-ng3gw]

"Zzyzx" sounds like the name of a heartburn medication.

[@deniseatkinson8691]

Stop taking Zzyxx if you experience swelling, difficulty breathing, paralysis or death.

[@blainewilliams394]

@@deniseatkinson8691 *people dancing in the background

[@Nick-lx4fo]

Xyzal

[@realjames8487]

@@Nick-lx4fo lol that's an allergy med

[@nathanpanusky2531]

Don't take Zzyzx if you have a family history of asthma or other pre-existing heart conditions.

[@Seapatico]

Within thirty seconds, one woman says "shneck daddy" and a dude guesses "snake titty". This is brilliant.

[@dirtymike3329]

Lmao then she says it sounds dirty… no kidding you made up your own word

[@DuhitsBujuh]

It's funny he first pronounced Pflugerville with the P, because that's a joke sometimes here in Austin. Especially when they have their Pflugerville Pfireworks Pfestival at the Pflugerville Pfield (I wish I was joking)

[@denisenilsson1366]

Was Pflugerville named after Mr Pflug?

[@picklerick4241]

This comment is underrated

[@cathywoodward4457]

@@denisenilsson1366 Mr. Pfluger, yes.

[@weirdselki555]

69 likes don't ruin it lol

[@janiemiddlebrooks8993]

I have an Uncle that moved to Pflugerville last year. I really feel the need to pick at him about the Pfestival. Lol

[@Jenniefordummies]

How is nobody talking about Glenelg being a pallendrome?!

[@fygfjkkhfgfghkhd6095]

My name is a palendrome. Ava

[@jimmycrackcorn2516]

"A man, a plan, a canal: Panama." People are talking about THAT.

[@grandy2875]

most people get hung up trying to pronounce it, they don't notice. I knew this one because we have a Glenelg in South Australia...

[@FionaEm]

@@grandy2875 My whole Aussie life I've been pronouncing the g at the end of Adelaide's Glenelg. Have I been wrong? 😱

[@grandy2875]

@@FionaEm nah, I don't think you've been wrong, pretty much every South Aussie I've ever met has said the "G" at the end... for further confirmation, I s'pose we could always ask Kochie, he is, after all, the authority on all things S.A....(said with tongue firmly planted in cheek)... :))

[@ritsuxsohma]

A lot of the city names in America are derived from Native Americans.

[@JarisGoesAheadPretty1995]

ThatsJazzy And the states.

[@simonpowell2559]

As I understand there simply is just no translation. Chapaquidik comes to mind.

[@laurenmiller4824]

Yes. I’m from Oklahoma. Since we were “Indian territory” before becoming a state many of city names come from Native American words. While it’s really fascinating it also is saddening to think on the history and what happened here. I went to college in Tahlequah the Cherokee Nation/Capital. You can take courses in Cherokee there. :)

[@ritsuxsohma]

Cerulean Lion That’s so cool and interesting that you can still learn Cherokee! I live in Virginia/DC area and there’s definitely names of areas like Roanoke and Rappahannock.

[@suzannewebb7913]

A lot of city / towns in USA are from uk

[@FinnishAmericanOnePieceFan]

“I feel like Lafayette is a place you’d want to go to a bed and breakfast” *Laughs in Louisiana*

[@jaycee330]

Brits: "Glenelg" where did the "g" go? Me: "Worcester".

[@michaelburke4975]

Wista

[@megan_alnico]

@@michaelburke4975 I'd say it's more Wuhstah if your a native. Wuster if you're from Connecticut or some other New England town with a rotic accent.

[@sachemofboston3649]

@@megan_alnico Most people I know from Worcester pronounce it "wistah"

[@megan_alnico]

@@sachemofboston3649 With an 'i' sound.. interesting! I haven't talked to my Massachusetts friends in a while. I should check back in..

[@xbubblehead]

They added the last g just to make it a palindrome.

[@pandafloof3887]

“What’s the point of having the G if you aren’t going to use it?” That’s how I feel about most of the English language. It’s infuriating.

[@arlaur]

It could be worse. There are even more silent g's in Italian.

[@PUAlum]

When i tried to hire a private tour for a family gathering based out of Edinburgh, they told me they'd give me a cost estimate IF i could pronounce where we were staying: Kilconquhar. i bet many Brits would miss that one too! (The tour operators were hilarious and we had a great day-trip through Scotland).

[@spinynorman887]

You mean like how "comb" rhymes with "gnome" but not with "womb"?

[@cuongpham6218]

The thing is the English spelling is kinda fossilized while the spoken language evolves with time. So long story short, almost all of the silent letters in English words used to be pronounced, but as the language evolves, they were made silent. For example the "gh" in light was pronounced as /c/ and thus light was pronounced as /lict/ just like Licht in German. The same goes for the letter "k" in all words containing the "kn" combination (again comparison between knee in English and Knie /kni/ in German).

[@teresaledoux2120]

Like the extra" fe" in giraffe, lol

[@malenalanglie2195]

Disappointed they didn’t pick one of the MANY towns in Washington that is named after Native tribes...

[@increaseyourstats]

I love it when people first try to pronounce Puyallup.

[@denisenilsson1366]

@@increaseyourstats It's used in the game "SPOT THE TOURIST!" So is Sequim.

[@Internationale7]

As a British person who lived in Washington State, I am smug over my ability to pronounce the place names there

[@asunflower7993]

@@increaseyourstats Yeah I know it's hilarious🤣

[@pjabrony8280]

We've got plenty of those on Long Island, too: Ronkonkoma, Nissequogue, Amaganssett.

[@sambreaux5723]

As someone from Lafayette, LA...we do not say it that way...we say “Lah-fee-yet” or “Laugh-ee-yet”. Pretty sure it’s the same in Indiana. Only “Lah-fah-yet” in French, usually. :)

[@Ash.MR.]

It is! I'm from the one in Indiana.

[@SolidSiren]

Depends how hard your accent is, really. Im in Kentucky. We have a school here, Lafayette H.S. We call it Lah-fah-yet.

[@craigwheller]

I thought those of us who have lived there, say "Lay-flat"

[@BlaineStewart123]

THANK YOU!!!

[@cjmarsh504]

That's right

[@xmortimorxmortimorx]

when talking about zzyzx california the girl said "you know thats kind of a hot name for a place not gonna lie" well she's right, literally. the town is in the mojave dessert and is one of the hottest places on earth. during the summer time has reached temperatures of 130 degrees (54.4 celsius) one of the hottest air temperatures ever recorded anywhere on the earth.

[@eleanorlyndon865]

As someone who hates the heat, I think I wouldn't go there. Ever....

[@awkwardturtle77]

I've been there, and it is

[@julianacantu3402]

"wheres the g gone?" bold words coming from a place that spells 'lester' as liecester

[@overlordnat]

‘Leicester’ actually!

[@th3radlad_727]

We put e at the end of so many words and the e ends up becoming silent so I end up feeling like them

[@thomasbonse]

@@th3radlad_727 It's very French to do that.

[@ohhiitsjustme3445]

Exactly!! Anytime I watch Jamie Vardy play, I just shake my head that Brits say “Lester”! Makes zero sense to me

[@TheReesterBunny]

It's actually pronounced "Seattle".

[@DennisQLy-qx2em]

To be fair, we Americans don’t even know how to pronounce most of these names.

[@tombstonerforever9374]

I like Americans.

[@TheSnowdogsShorts]

Tombstoner Forever, I like Americans so much that I married one. :)

[@SunRayzzz]

Speak for yourself. I knew most of them

[@wekqv4237]

Alana Higgins 😭 which one they’re a lot?

[@alistairt7544]

What? I knew all except for Glenelg and Zzyzx. Tucson, Des Moines, Louisville, Boise are all pretty well-known domestically

[@MrMickshan]

I love hearing the people from whom we got Worcestershire ask, "Why is that letter there if you're not going to say it?"

[@carolyng5133]

😆 it’s all good fun

[@kdrapertrucker]

People who created the language with words like phone.

[@TheInkPitOx]

Wustuhshuh

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Woostuhsheer, Woostuhsheeuh (like idea) or Woostuhshuh

[@johng6080]

Bri’ish

[@Moro_Wins]

Only out-of-towners call it "Boizee." We pronounce the 'S' here!

[@maddywheeler791]

Exactly!

[@GreatLakesSurfer]

That's what I thought. Out of towner here but know someone from Boise with an 's' sound.

[@Socasmx]

Where was Pocatello? That would be more interesting.

[@Socasmx]

@Joel S that's pleasing

[@kmmara41]

JUST explain this to my daughter; and you proved my point! Boy C, right?

[@thealyssac27]

I'm also surprised they didn't give them Poughkeepsie. 😆

[@delmarvagent2]

What about Bala Cynwyd, PA?

[@adamgh0]

From the people who brought you "Worcestershire."

[@itneverends7]

Worcester, MA

[@crowbar9566]

And Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Aberystwyth

[@tial2915]

😂

[@ce1834]

New England is full of those types of names :)

[@itneverends7]

@@crowbar9566 there's also a Gloucester, MA and a Leicester, MA

[@anykoop]

British people pronouncing American city names... Americans: How the hell do you say that name???

[@josie3221]

I lot of these were fairly obscure cities.

[@abbycross90210]

I'd say only a couple were obscure.

[@alainahornberger4591]

I dunno, I pretty much already knew all of those.

[@HerbalMoon17]

Brit: Zzyzx. American Me: Gezondheid? 😂

[@kimberlyhicks3644]

My favorite is Snakedaddy, New York. I need to visit that place. LOL 😆😜🤪🤗🤗🤗

[@laurenmiller4824]

I’m American and when I saw “Zzyzx” I thought, that can’t be real. Lol. 😅 guess it was real, but when you hear the pronunciation it sounds kind of cool.

[@dougbowers1256]

Zzyzyx is barely a place. It’s a freeway off ramp in the desert between LA & Las Vegas. Reportedly the population of Zzyzyx is 1.

[@jimsteele9261]

I kept seeing the magic word from the old "colossal cave" computer game... XYZZY

[@jeouxamor]

Well I’m English and I saw the ‘Americans try to pronounce British town names’ and didn’t get most of it right 😭😂

[@duanevp]

@@dougbowers1256 Yeah, anyone who's driven the 15 more than once between LA and Vegas knows the Zzyzyx road exit outside Baker, CA. It's not a town, though, and never was. It's just a place name, and a totally made-up one at that: From Wikipedia: "Curtis Howe Springer made up the name Zzyzx and gave it to the area in 1944, claiming it to be the last word in the English language."

[@nataliejaramillo3832]

Lol I’m from Vegas so definitely one thing I actually knew 😂

[@BrentWatkins-creative-services]

Sorry Buzzfeed, but any Kentuckian knows Louisville is pronounced "Loo-vill."

[@kaldogorath]

Many Kentuckians are disagreeing with what you said here in the comments

[@BrentWatkins-creative-services]

@@kaldogorath I read those comments and I think the "u" is open to interpretation. Sometimes you can hear it. Sometimes you can't (especially with the old-timers). But nevermind I lived there for 10 years and grew up in Western Kentucky.

[@Bombo505]

I always pronounced it as Louie ville. Am I wrong?

[@LordHarv]

Ville is pronounced vul Source: born and raised in Loouhvul

[@eaglefighter1295]

@@Bombo505 Yes. Like Zach said we prounounce it Loouuhvul

[@LordKalkin]

Got a giggle from this watching it from Pflugerville, Tx. For the person who wondered, yes, it's quite pretty, being right up against Austin. Lots of trees.

[@Fizzlesmirk]

As a Louisvillian, while “Loo-ih-vill” as they said it in the “correct” pronunciation is technically acceptable, anyone from here will tell you, it’s Loo-vull or Loo-uh-vull!!

[@kmmara41]

Until you move to Colorado and they call a little suburb Lew-issville. Who’s in charge here?

[@abbycross90210]

My kin are from KY and I came here looking for this comment.

[@mandeemallonee]

As a fellow citizen of the Commonwealth, I came looking for this. The "vul" is imperative!

[@vespista1971]

From Cincinnati, and I know that the fastest way to tell someone, (Americans included), is not from the general area is to hear them pronounce it Lou-ee-ville... The more “uh” sound you put in that word, (2nd *and* 3rd syllable), the better! I’ve even heard some of my KY relatives with a very strong accent pronounce it in a way that sounds almost like “Lullvull.”

[@SomeFreakingCactus]

It's like Ne-va-duh and N'-vaah-duh.

[@May-qb3vx]

Ok that Louisville one wasn’t fair. Even within Kentucky we have two pronunciations. Like I say it like I’ve got a mouth full of marshmallows but others will still say pronounce it “looey-ville”.

[@sethray8480]

Very True. I pronounce it the other way as stated in the video. I've always told people to pronounce it as if you're saying the name Louis but drop the ee sound at the name and replace it with an uh sound then end it with vul as in the first syllable of the word vulture. So, "Louhvul."

[@auntietravels5100]

Loo UH vull

[@amyhull754]

I pronounce it Loo-uh-vul as wlel.

[@johnlabus7359]

same with New Orleans. There a variety of pronunciations.

[@rdptll]

Hoosiers say "Loouhvull"

[@DagnyKight]

I can't believe they didn't attempt anything like Schuykill or Oconomowoc.

[@annedavis6090]

O con o mowak🙃

[@barbarabrown7974]

As I don't live far from Oconomowoc -- I live in Wauwatosa -- I can pronounce it just fine.

[@thesaraheffect]

Missed opportunity with Native American named cities!

[@rolandgunslinger37]

Hahahahahahahaha!!! I was thinking the same thing as a Wisconsinite myself.

[@karen175]

Schuykill!!! I’m from Philly.

[@CK_Godoth]

Tom's really good in the game😆.Like how he knew diff language where the words are possibly derived from.

[@mikcker]

Sitting here in Utah with Tooele (too-will-uh), Duchesne (doo-shane), and Mantua (man-oo-way)... lmao 🤣

[@georgiawillis5787]

I lived in Duchesne County Utah for 12 years lol

[@BIGBLOCK5022006]

Here in Michigan we have Ypsilanti, Dowagiac, Ludington, L'Anse, Sault Sainte Marie, St. Ignace, and Mackinac Island.

[@paulriddle7818]

And Ontonagan. i have a lot of cousins there.

[@annedavis6090]

laud yes.. Soo Saint Marie 🤣

[@tiffanypatton9293]

Don’t forget Germfask......

[@annedavis6090]

@@tiffanypatton9293 how do you say it? I'd guess Germ Flask🤷

[@tiffanypatton9293]

@@annedavis6090 first part is Germ second part is like flask but without the l. It’s the letters of the people who settled the town

[@alistairt7544]

I was expecting more Native American place names :/

[@Ms2cents]

You should have included towns with more Native American origin names. They will really be confused! 😂

[@GreatLakesSurfer]

Yep, I lived in Kankakee, IL for quite a while. It's from the Miami-Illinois Algonquian language. It's also about 60 miles south of Chicago, fwiw.

[@SydMountaineer]

People from the area of Louisville (south IN & OH, KY, TN) pronounce it; *Lou-uh-vull* where the emphasis is on Lou, the ‘uh’ is very short and like a short ‘a’, and a hard stop at the ‘L’ in ‘vul’.

[@melissa7233]

I got Camarillo wrong too, but to be fair I pronounced it like a Texan would. I had no idea on Glenelg or Zzyzx. If they really wanted to throw them for a loop, ask them the proper Texas pronunciation of Humble, TX, or my 2 "favorite" roads in Houston, Fuqua and Kuykendahl. I used to laugh when a non-local would have to give a traffic report.

[@opheliacloser6255]

America, I am *confusion* America *EXPLAIN*

[@joanneg2075]

I hate that I understood that reference.😂 RIP VINE

[@nicholassookdeo9441]

🤣💀 kansas and arkansas (arkensaw). Love that vine

[@michaelrutledge3750]

@@nicholassookdeo9441 In Kansas we pronounce the state of Arkansas as everyone else does, but the river, border to border within Kansas, is pronounced as the Ar-KAN-sas River.

[@melissa7233]

@@michaelrutledge3750 Whatever you do if your in Akransas don't ever say Ar-KAN-sas about anything. They get really offended. That can almost start a bar fight.

[@michaelrutledge3750]

@@melissa7233 LOL. I never go to Arkansas, so it won’t be a problem, but I suspect Kansans irritate every Arkansan who ventures near the Arkansas River in our state. I suppose they could retaliate with mispronouncing our state name, but we’re pretty chill about such things.

[@Anonymous-eu8wt]

i’m surprised there wasn’t any long island town names in this vid. it definitely would’ve been entertaining to watch someone try to pronounce Ronkonkoma and Aquebogue lmaooo

[@Newspeak.]

KZbin Ruined Me I was thinking the same thing but with some cities in Florida like thonotosassa or kissimmee.

[@connormachin151]

@@Newspeak. I would have a guess but it's not exactly something I could convey through text.

[@alistairt7544]

My aunt lives in Ronkonkoma! 😅

[@mrmessy7334]

There's a Glenelg in Scotland too, near the Isle of Skye.

[@jackbayer6716]

Probably what its named after?

[@lara_young]

Is it pronounced the same?

[@spa-town1937]

Lara Young the Scottish one has the g at the end pronounced, but with very little emphasis.

[@shaun2463]

They only chucked the G at the end to make it a palindrome

[@georgiejeffery9260]

Also one in Australia, in Adelaide

[@texasred2702]

Wasn't there some old joke about British pronunciations like "It's spelled G-R-O-S-V-E-N-O-R and pronounced 'Chumley'?"

[@RichardDCook]

Some of the strangest US names are in California because they're Native American names first written down by Spanish settlers: Tejon, Hueneme, Tuolumne, Cahuenga. In West Virginia there's Kanawha (a city, a county, and a river) which no outsider pronounces correctly. Then you have US cities named after European cities which Americans mispronounce like Versailles Kentucky (care to guess?) BTW the video is wrong, Boise is "BOY-see" for locals. Only outsiders put a "Z" in it.

[@harrymiles2652]

Tom: America, I'm gonna need you to try a bit harder with your place names, because I got it *2 seconds later* Zzyzx: Your wish is my command

[@GreatLakesSurfer]

I see what you did there. Colossal Cave Adventure?!

[@Th3Hovster]

Really thought Poughkeepsie, NY was going to be on here.

[@andrewhawkins6754]

or Wantagh

[@jackiegilpin]

Or Mamaroneck

[@blackbarnz]

Coxsackie really missed it's moment to shine. It's damn near tragic. Nanuet, Saugerties, Wawayada, Mahopac, Buchanan, Katonah, Nyack, Ramapo, Chappaqua, Ossining there's so many in the Hudson Valley.

[@andrewhawkins6754]

@@blackbarnz Where's Waywayonda? Way Way Yonda!

[@blackbarnz]

@@andrewhawkins6754 lol. Way way yonda near Middletown.

[@shaneamoody]

Recommendation: Try to pronounce cities in Oklahoma. Examples; Poteau, Chickasaw, Tahlequah, Nuyaka, Weleetka, etc. As a Native American myself, I can recognize that some of these are WILD.

[@stormnchill]

Oklahoma town names are real interesting

[@Magdalenasfears]

Native American from Michigan, we have a similar issue here lol.

[@carrotjuse]

Oklahoma doesn't have a lock on weird names. In Louisiana there's Natchitoches, Tangipahoa, Ponchatoula, Pontchartrain, and Maringouin, among others.

[@jimsteele9261]

@@Magdalenasfears Also from Michigan. There was a guy in the early days of statehood who named a lot of places.... a lot of the "Indian" names he just made up.... and came up with the meaning later. :-)

[@Magdalenasfears]

@@jimsteele9261 I'm Anishinaabe, I was going off more of our words that were used as names, not just some of the random ones that seem to catch people up, or the French ones (though those amuse me too. My ex was from California, and hearing him try to say cadiux, dequindre, or schooner cracked me up, or explaining that mackinac and mackinaw are said the same, ones just the French spelling)

[@ari_valentine]

I’m American, and even I pronounce some of these wrong. I’ve never even heard of Glenelg or Zzyzx.

[@craigdohmen2648]

Where's the 'g' gone, say people who pronounce "Leicester" as "Lester". ;)

[@edwardmiessner6502]

We pronounce it that way in Eastern Mass. as well but we drop the 'r' like in most parts of England, i.e., "Lesta". NEVER "Lyekesster" or "Lyecesster"

[@nkha23]

Hey Ed. I'm also in Mass. I made the ungodly mistake of calling Billerica Bill-erica when I first read it. Lol how do you feel when people pronounce the "H" in town names that end in "-ham"? Lol makes me cringe a little. Lol

[@Roonasaur]

"Worcestershire"

[@megablah7384]

@@Roonasaur this killed me when my ex took me there to meet their family. The Midwestern in me was just like “Wat”

[@Crandaddy81]

And Gloucester = "Gloster"

[@onjolimurphy2836]

As a Kentuckian born and raised, I am so disappointed in the “correct” pronunciation of Louisville.

[@May-qb3vx]

Literally same. Makes me cringe whenever other kentuckians say it that way.

[@alistairt7544]

Isn't it Loo-euh-ville or something like that? I heard it a while back lol

[@May-qb3vx]

Jalil Buckseehosen i say it like lul-vull

[@jessrocksyearight]

I live in Louisville i think they said it fine

[@May-qb3vx]

moonbebey This is why I say throwing Louisville in there was a trick. Even we have different pronunciations within our own state! We can’t expect others to know which one is “correct” when we don’t even know 😂

[@emily8878]

Being Brits, they should know the Beatles song lyric, "Jo Jo left his home in Tucson, Arizona for some California grass"

[@CAMacKenzie]

Too long ago. And Get Back was not one of their most famous.

[@carultch]

What does that lyrics mean? Does it mean Jojo wants to sit on the grass in California? Or is that a reference to marijuana?

[@southpuddle]

@@carultch Definitely a weed reference!

[@ericjahoda2997]

I think it's "bought some California grass".

[@Jade-fs9kh]

Not all of us like the beatles lmao

[@carowells1607]

Schenectady is a Mohawk word that means “beyond the pines”.

[@Stiglr]

"Glenelg" was just revenge on you lot for droppin' all them T's, innitt? :D

[@andressencion7270]

I finally know how to say Zzyzx after seeing the sign a million times on my way to Vegas

[@nataliejaramillo3832]

I’ve always heard it as Ziz-Iks, basically how Tom said it!

[@GreatLakesSurfer]

I moved to Vegas from Illinois (silent s!) years ago and knew about Zzyzx and past it a million times going to California. I always heard it was pronounced Ziz-iks but now I know. I've been saying it wrong all this time. Learn something new everyday.

[@Nat_the_Chicken]

Ah yes, "Vaygis"

[@ajw.robert]

Zy ziks

[@Kelly-yc6pu]

Originally, I'm from Charlevoix. A lot of our towns (in Michigan) are French and Native America.

[@raviasmara]

British creates a town's name : That's it, that's York America creates a town's name : Hmm just gonna add New into it, voila, New York 🤣🤣

[@DennisQLy-qx2em]

Ravi Asmara to be fair, it was the English who named it New York lol

[@HyperDaveUK]

It was called New Amsterdam first not New York but who cares about facts :-)

[@sneakerhead6625]

it’s cos we colonised them not cos they chose to 😂

[@kishanbhatia5241]

Brits names it New York before the USA was 1 big country it was owned by European nations who gave it a lot of the names

[@-callmecrazy-5859]

I prefer the original York ten times better

[@valerieelliott8359]

Other fun Indiana towns: Versailles = ver-sales; Vevay = veevee; Loogootee = low-go-tee; Monticello = mon-tuh-sell-o. I used to travel with my dad on summer break. We’ve done a number on every language out there.

[@ashleymills4233]

Also: Terre Haute=tare-uh-hote and LaFontaine=luh-fountain lol

[@sylentlight6771]

Oh please do one of specifically how Tennesseans pronounce our town names. It even throws off other Americans, even fellow southerners. From our shortening of names like Shelbyville sounding like Shebvul and Murfreesboro like Murfsburuh, our unique spin on common names where we pronounce a hard E in Santa Fe (instead of sounding like Santa Fay) or putting the emphasis differently in Lafayette where it's LaFAYette, to some of our more fun spelled names like Chattanooga, Hohenwald, Ocoee, Ooltewah, Culleoka, and Tullahoma. Love y'all!

[@meredithlyon3142]

Seeing the road sign for Zzyzx makes me happy every time. On Highway 15 on the way to Las Vegas.

[@arnoldrivas4590]

That’s funny because I’ve traveled on the 15 many times, but I don’t remember Zzyzx at all. Maybe it is a mythical place. 😅

[@justmare111]

@@arnoldrivas4590 I've made at least 200 trips to Vegas since 2004 and I am always glad to see Zzyzx Road. It tells me I'm close to Baker which means I'm just a little over an hour away from my favorite gambling town!

[@lisakp71]

In the middle of literal nowhere! Buy halfway to somewhere, so I agree - always happy to see that sign 🙌

[@stevemattfis]

They went easy on you guys. For example; Puyallup, Murfreesboro, Mamaroneck, Wantagh, Hauppauge, Copiague, Massapequa, Spuyten Duyvil, Leominster and Scituate

[@TheInkPitOx]

Pyuyallup (someone else here told me) Murfreezbro (thanks to Strong Bad) Mammaronnek Wantaw Hoppog? Coppiog Massapeekwa Spoytin Doyvil L'minster ****uate?

[@mapko1981]

Don't forget Sequim!

[@intrepidfox37]

I had to LOL that most of that list is in New York. The Michigan cities like Ypsilanti, Hamtramck and Sault Ste. Marie will definitely stump them.

[@TheInkPitOx]

@@intrepidfox37 Upsilanty Hamtrumck Soo San Maly

[@edwardmiessner6502]

The last two are pronounced "'Lem-min-ster" or "'Lem-min-stuh" and "'Sit-chew-it"

[@Indigoqueer]

There are several Lafayettes in the U.S a d the way they are pronounced is different sometimes due to regional accents. For instance, Lafayette, Indiana is more often pronounced "Laffy-ette" or "Lahffy-ette"

[@gj8683]

Yes, and as a Hoosier, you know better than to pronounce it a French way, ironic though that may seem to some.

[@theasandys]

I live near Pflugerville (not in Pflugerville) and I never knew it was difficult to pronounce

[@24n8]

One note: Boise is actually pronounced boy-see, not boy-zee. Ask any native and they'll emphatically tell you the same. A couple other good ones: Chili, New York (CHAI-lie) Worcester, Massachusetts (WUH-ster) Port Hueneme, California (Port Wy-NEE-mee) Tshletshy, Washington (ta-LEE-chee) Skamokawa, Washington (ska-MOCK-a-way) Steilacoom, Washington (STILL-a-cum) Boerne, Texas (Bernie) La Jolla, California (Luh HOY-uh) Kissimee, Florida (Kuh-SIM-mee) Versailles, Kentucky (ver-SAILS) Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (Soo Saint Marie) Puyallup, Washington (Pew-AL-up)

[@abbyroach205]

The fella in the grey hoodie is just adorable! I want to have a cuppa tea with him!

[@misbahailia3345]

Make sure the "cuppa" is decafe, the guy is hyper already lolz

[@bee1501]

@@misbahailia3345 decaf*

[@ajm9289]

“La is such and American pronunciation.” The French: b-but

[@marinazagrai1623]

AJ M...exactly, they just to have to whine about the only purely French name of a Count whose pronunciation is exactly French!

[@euphrasiepolly5575]

Actually no, in french the stress would be in -ette

[@Nat_the_Chicken]

@@marinazagrai1623 According to another comment thread, nobody living in any place called Lafayette in the US actually says it like that. It's always "Lah-fee-yet" or "Lah-fay-yet"

[@overlordnat]

It brings to mind the American pronunciations of ‘pasta’ and ‘taco’, definitely a Yankee vibe to it!

[@abbycross90210]

nat funny, since neither pasta nor taco are even English words.

[@Mskyeeta98]

Y'all need to do Washington's native tribe cities

[@giantsquid2]

Like "Puyallup" WA

[@Mskyeeta98]

@@giantsquid2 that ones easy 🤣 I'm talking S’Klallam or Suak-Suiattle

[@Danonymous5000]

Sequim got me after 20 years in Washington. I'd heard it before, but never seen it in writting til I read a brochure out loud once. Still living that down.

[@chainsawmike01]

Washougal, Wa born and raised!

[@georgiawillis5787]

Snoqualmie would be a good one

[@Nat_the_Chicken]

FYI: When we take town names from other languages, we MANGLE them. Don't go "oh, that's French" because there's no WAY those Americans use the French pronunciation.

[@TXKafir]

You've got to watch the double-Ls in the US southwest. In Spanish, two Ls are pronounced like a Y. So, llevar (to take) is pronounced "yea-var." Sometimes, Spanish words with those names are anglicized and sometimes they're not. California has La Jolla (lah hoya) while Texas has Amarillo (Am-are-ill-o).

[@chriskaelin8280]

They needed to come to Florida and try Kissimmee, Chokoloskee and Micanopy

[@TheInkPitOx]

Kiss-im-me Chock-o-los-key mick-can-oh-pee

[@chriskaelin8280]

@@TheInkPitOx Mick-ah-no-pee

[@briannaking7345]

Micanopy is actually my little brothers name. So yeah😂

[@ThatBlackPiano]

“I’ve got Schenectady on my foot.” 🤣😂🤣😂

[@misbahailia3345]

His humour is dry, and unusual. I'm here for it. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@andreakern7091]

Hello from Camarillo, California!!!!

[@CAMacKenzie]

Camarillo? Wha', you CRAZY?

[@steveogrady6064]

I'm a Brit and I guessed the name of your city correctly! Yay. It sounds nice!

[@CAMacKenzie]

@ No, but it's as close as a non-Spanish speaker is likely to get. They don't flap the r, and it comes more like CamerEEo.

[@TheInkPitOx]

I wasn't expecting the name to be pronounced the Spanish way. I'll have to remember if we're ever in your boondocks.

[@TheQueenofScream4]

My best friend lives in Camarillo! I’m from Ventura so I goto Camarillo a lot

[@jamesalexander5623]

Many times Locals Mispronounce their City's Name ..... Most People from Bethlehem Pennsylvania say "Bethlum" and Folks from Wilkes-Barre Pa. say "Wooks-Berry"!

[@deborahdanielson8901]

Try some Louisiana places: Tchefunte, Tchoupitoulas, Marigny, St. Amant, Caliope(nope, not that way-the New Orleans way), Freret Street, Atchafalaya, Carrollton, Theriot, Opelousas, Kaliste Saloom Road, and my favorite Natchitoches, Louisiana versus Nacogodoches, Texas.

[@Stiglr]

Indeed, I was shocked when I first heard the "correct" pronunciation of "Nack-a-dish", Louisiana. How do they pronounce that town in Texas?? Does it sound like it could be a lyric in that old Mary Poppins song (Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious)?

[@edwardmiessner6502]

@@Stiglr I suspect "Nag-a-doash"

[@699jude]

You completely missed my favourite which I found while looking at a map Slicklizzard, AL. Probably not hard to pronounce but wonderfully quirky!

[@juleefleming6606]

Here in Tennessee we have Frog Jump and Buck Snort

[@HayTatsuko]

We also have an (unofficial) town named Slapout, as in "perpetually slap out of anything you might want to buy in its general store". The actual town is Holtville, Alabama, about 25 miles northwest of Montgomery. ( www.alabamapioneers.com/slapout-holtville-american-idol/ )

[@0816M3RC]

Here in Texas we have Waxahachie.

[@mentonerodominicano]

"I believe it's actually pronounced Seattle" 🤣😂

[@grimftl]

Should have included Natchitoches, Louisiana.

[@t-shades7148]

I just said that and then scrolled and saw your comment 😂

[@lindariley7037]

And Nacogdoches, TX!

[@pikespice]

A friend of mine used to call the town "Nasty Toe Cheese", and that's just stuck with me even though I know how to pronounce it. lol

[@annedavis6090]

Isn't that pronounced Nagaditch Louisiana? and the Texas one is Nagadochis?😁

[@pikespice]

@@annedavis6090 close... it's Nakatish :) Never been to the Texas town.

[@41J0]

I live in Maryland and I definitely been pronouncing it as “GlenelG” 💀

[@Matt-hl5vm]

Same. I don’t know what they were doing. They’re clearly not from here.

[@robintst]

Some Kentucky folks with heavier accents pronounce the "ville" part in Louisville as "vull" with the inflection more in the back of the throat. So the pronunciation turns into "Loo-uh-vull." Where I live (about 50 miles from Pittsburgh, PA) we have an elementary school named Lafayette which our regional accent turns into "Lawfee-ette."

[@n0tk0sher]

Props to remembering Bugs, dude! He shoulda taken a left turn there.

[@shaun2463]

Louisville is pronounced 'Lou-ee-ville' in a lot of the country. That's like not giving them a point for saying 'New Or-leens' just because people in New Orleans pronounce it 'New Or-lans'. It's still an accepted pronunciation.

[@Devila103]

Shaun, I’m from Louisiana and most of us say “N’Orlans”. The video got “Lafayette” wrong, too. We say “Laffy-ette”.

[@user-nc3bj8rf9p]

I'm from near Louisiana so I'm not technically a local but it's definitely new or-lins/or-lans

[@ErinKHayes-un5vl]

I've only ever heard it pronounced Lou-ee-ville, I've never heard it said like the pronunciation thing they used

[@Newspeak.]

The way it’s pronounced in the video is closer to how locals would pronounce it.

[@May-qb3vx]

Jeff Walenta Depends on which locals you mean. Even us kentuckians don’t even have a standardized way of saying it. We do have our personal preferences though.

[@johndelosreyes2650]

Sometimes city names are "silly" or "hard to pronounce" because they're derived from native american language that most people are not aware about anymore.

[@nkha23]

Don't feel bad. I'm American and couldn't figure out Zzyzx. Lol also, I'm from Mass where we have a ton of British town names. It itches my skin when people pronounce the "H" in town names that end in "-ham." Lmao

[@janinafisher101]

Zzyzx actually exists. I drove from L.A to Las Vegas and saw the road sign - it's out in the desert. Always wondered how it was pronounced until I listened to an audiobook that took place partly in Zzyzx.

[@j.d.4697]

Zzyzx is the place where Polish settlers met the Incas and went "hey we love those letters too!" Actually the true the history behind this name could be straight out of The Simpsons.

[@TheInkPitOx]

Curtis Howe Springer made up the name Zzyzx and gave it to the area in 1944, claiming it to be the last word in the English language

[@MrSpock..]

@@TheInkPitOx actually there's a podcast about it, he said it so it would be the last thing under "health" in the phonebook... so he could be the last word in health. Yeah it was a brag

[@TheInkPitOx]

@@MrSpock.. I've never bothered with podcasts. I can't even believe they're still a thing.

[@MrSpock..]

@@TheInkPitOx alright, to each their own, but just thought I'd let you know where you can find out more. You could also probably find the transcript to read, if that's your thing.

[@TheInkPitOx]

@@MrSpock.. Thanks

[@averymaryheart6679]

I was waiting for them to say La Jolla California… That would’ve been funny

[@TheInkPitOx]

Incorrectly believed to mean "the jewel" in Spanish. It comes from a Native American term for "land of many holes".

[@vespista1971]

I’m in my 40’s and just learned how to pronounce that one a few years ago... I had *heard* the town mentioned on radio/TV through the years, but never realized that the word I had heard equaled that spelled-out word if I, like, read it in a newspaper or whatever. Like, I guess I thought they were 2 entirely different places 😂

[@alfiedickin8281]

Tucson Arizona has me singing Get Back by The Beatles "JoJo left his home in Tucson Arizona, for some California grass"

[@iamthewalrusx]

yesssss :D

[@annedavis6090]

get back Jo Jo

[@narglefargle]

Also, within 10 miles of me, there are the towns of Steilacoom (STILL-a-kum) and Puyallup (pew-AL-up). We've got a lot of places that aren't pronounced the way they're written.

[@carolannwomack]

Fun fact: Miami, FL and Miami, OK are pronounced 2 different ways. It is MiamEE, FL but MiamUH, Ok. Paoli Ok is also pronounced PaolUH.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

I went to college in Miami FL back in the turn of the 70s to 80s and there I met an elderly Miami native who pronounced it "Miamuh"

[@TheJTMcDaniel]

To be fair, see what the average American does with Worcestershire, the River Ouse, Leicester, or Cymru.

[@serpentmaster1323]

Unfortunately worcrcershire is a sauce, so I know that one well. Also theres a place in Massachusetts called Worcester. Although I cant be bothered to spell so what do I know

[@TheJTMcDaniel]

@@serpentmaster1323 There's a reason they spelled the one in Ohio "Wooster."

[@MrRyanKaminski]

We have a Leicester, pronounced sort of like "Lester". Small town in Massachusetts.

[@TheJTMcDaniel]

@@MrRyanKaminski Mass seems to be unique in retaining the original spelling and pronunciation of many town names.

[@mikeg8276]

In California we pronounce Worcestershire "WAR-shter-sherr." I've never heard anyone say "Wooster sauce." If someone did ask for "Wooster sauce" they'd probably get "rooster sauce," aka "cock sauce," aka sriracha.

[@OsagieGuobadia]

Britains : Learning to pronounce American's Towns Americans : Learning to pronounce British words Together : Both of these continents will learn more about America's culture.

[@bellajaid]

Americans, learning how to pronounce American Towns, lol

[@RaymondHng]

Osagie E. Guobadia Either that or your dentures fall out

[@robintst]

That's a good joke... and also tragically true.

[@ramonashearer7241]

Those are easy. Try Tecumseh or Lotawata, there are a lot of native American names.

[@rachael4512]

I agree. I'm British and even the ones I hadn't heard of were easy to guess.

[@TheSnowdogsShorts]

I knew all but two of them, and I even pronounced them correctly.

[@mariposaenperu5490]

Totally agreed! Dowagiac, Michilimackinac, Ocqueoc, Ontanogan, Cheboygan, Ypsilanti, Charlotte... Michigan alone has plenty of (mostly Native American) harder place names than those in the video!

[@amelieicantfly]

Mariposa en Peru Charlotte is a native name??

[@mariposaenperu5490]

Hi@@amelieicantfly ! No, and Charlotte and Ypsilanti are exactly the reason I put "mostly Native American" in parentheses. 👍🏻 "Charlotte" is of English origin, but the pronunciation of the Michigan town Charlotte differs from the standard pronunciation of the name as used elsewhere. ;-) Ypsilanti is of Greek origin.

[@OnTheRun167]

Louisiana guy here.. Lafayette is pronounced "laffy-YET" around here. Also, people in Kentucky pronounce Louisville as "LOU-avul"

[@theamateur9329]

It hurt to hear that pronunciation of Lafayette.. they didn’t even choose some of the harder names we have in this state. Natchitoches. Or like some bayou names for example. Bayou Lafourche. Or parishes. Ouachita. Towns

[@tgeh448]

I grew up in RI close to Worcester, MA. One of the funniest things when driving around with friends visiting from other parts of the country was asking them to read road signs with "Worcester" written on it. When I did it to my friends from England the response was always "Get your own names Yanks" 😀

[@brad4841]

Haha 9:13 "thats just the end of the alphabet ". "Seattle"

[@bristolmari]

Hello from Boise, Idaho 🙂 The computer voice "almost" got it correct. It's Boy-C... not "Boy-Z". But pretty cool my city was on here!! 💚

[@lk_c7214]

I think this could be the subject of a whole other video: people from Idaho vs other Americans debating the pronunciation lol. Same with Louisville; I’d throw in New Orleans too.

[@azelmamortlake4471]

I'm from Ohio, and I've only heard people say "Boy-Z" when referring to Boise.

[@wildmik-wk2iq]

I’m your neighbor from WA and have never heard anyone make the distinction. 😅

[@EnglishLad]

Am I a bad person if I still think "bwahs" sounds like a better pronunciation of "Boise"?

[@anodizedpanel9245]

Idahoan here. Definitely boy-c

[@lk_c7214]

This is funny. I’d like to suggest Brits vs Americans from Massachusetts/New England pronounce town names they have in common. As a native Bostonian, we have so many names that came from England but are pronounced as only a New Englander can! Example: Peabody is pronounced like “pea-buddy” and said quickly. I’d love to see their reactions to those kinds of things. 😊

[@ourgorlsfavoriteorangechic2711]

Woburn, too.

[@nkha23]

I'm from Western Mass and screwed up Billerica years ago. I called it Bill-erica and was quickly corrected by a buddy from Tewksbury that said it was Bill-ricka. Lol I giggle listening to people murder the name Chicopee. Lol then there's that Barre. Lol

[@joanmoore3488]

In Virginia Norfolk is pronounced Nawfuk, Suffolk is pronounced Suffuk. And Farmville and Charlottesville the ville is pronounced vull, as in Farmvull, and Charlottesvull. It's a Southern thing ya'll.

[@overlordnat]

So ‘Norfolk’ and ‘Suffolk’ are pronounced like the English counties then? I’m sure I’ve heard ‘Nawfawk’ from Americans before.

[@JeantheSecond]

The real fun ones are when we use foreign words, but with a whole new pronunciation.

[@imarcusjjuanm5333]

I love how I also knew how to pronounce Tucson from hearing it in Ugly Betty 😂😂

[@alyssabrolsma3854]

Even though most of the country says “boy-zee” for Boise, I’ve been told that locals always say “boy-see” (credentials: 2 of my best friends live there and correct me often 😁)

[@notthatyouasked6656]

Yes, someone I knew in Spokane, WA used to talk about her family in "boy-see".

[@alyssabrolsma3854]

@@notthatyouasked6656 Haha Spokane is actually where I met my two Boy-see friends 😁

[@notthatyouasked6656]

@@alyssabrolsma3854 They should have had them try to pronounce Coeur d'Alene!

[@animelover1974]

Yes, we say "boy-cee". I always cringe when it's said the other way.

[@koobea4859]

There’s no Z in Boise.

[@krissyhansen902]

Lol I live in Wisconsin in the USA. Try and pronounce our towns lol Waukesha.... Manitowoc, Chetek, Oconomowoc, Weyauwega, Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest, Menomonie, Kaukauna. Just to name a few lol I love when my friends from out of state and out of the US come to visit and have no idea what I say lol

[@MeanLaQueefa]

When relatives are driving up nort and I tell them the names. They blank out

[@barbarabrown7974]

I live in Wisconsin too. I live in Wauwatosa. It's funny listening to outsiders mangling our city names. When I worked in Elm Grove, a lady was trying to find a Brookfield business on 126th Street. "I keep on ending up in this Wok-kah-toe-sah," she said, somehow combining Waukesha and Wauwatosa.

[@lulubelle65]

To be fair, I worked with someone from Wisconsin who said she was from “Fawk Rick”. Or at least that’s what I heard. “Fall Creek” is what she was really saying.

[@krissyhansen902]

@@lulubelle65 holy Lord lol that doesn't even sound American lol Fall Creek folks don't have much of an accent. She must have secretly been from waaaaay up North lol

[@user-wd1xr3zy6w]

Wor-keesha Maneeto-wok Che-tech Okko-nomo-wok Wayor-weega Chek-wamme-john Nicolay, Menomonee, Kau-kau-na is my best shot

[@sofiab3443]

There are some really difficult city names in Michigan if you do another part to this video or make it a series.

[@tablehouse1911]

Go to South Carolina and we got places like Round-O, Yemassee, Kingstree (some natives pronounce it Kings-skree) and Moncks Corner. We got people from here (usually Yankee descendants) who can’t even pronounce Moncks Corner.

[@rowynnecrowley1689]

As a native southern californian, it hurts my heart every time I hear someone mispronounce the double L's.

[@arnoldrivas4590]

And as a guy born and raised in LA, I agree.

[@karlwebb2588]

I once hear an English celebrity asked to read a traffic report on a San Diego radio station. When he mispronounced La Jolla as "La Jol-la" instead of "La Hoy-ah", there was a rash of calls to the radio station. I could almost feel the cringe in the radio station's sound engineer's spine when he/she heard that mispronunciation.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

@@karlwebb2588 lol I used to pronounce it "La Joll-la"

[@nkha23]

I'm from Mass and I cringe when I hear people pronounce the "H" in towns that end in "-ham." Lol in their defense, though, I mispronounced a town name here in Mass and was schooled immediately. I'm from the western half and there's a town in the eastern half called Billerica. When I first saw it I read it as "Bill-erica." I was immediately taught is "Bill-ricka." Lol

[@mikey_b_]

as a resident of camarillo it hurts when people from oxnard pronounce camarillo wrong