Onome Agesse
A faux pas to avoid when traveling to any country is to pronounce the name wrong. Although some of these wrong pronunciation(s) may arise due to the adaptation of a name from one language to another. Some of us may never be able to pronounce Paris(pronounced pah.ree) in the exact way it should be pronounced but it is always nice to try and make an effort. At least for the sake of knowing.
So here are a few commonly mispronounced cities, countries and places and a few tidbits about them.
- Melbourne, Australia
Pronounced: Melb’n. The “r” in Australia’s capital city is silent, but you can also just shorten it to “MEL” as the locals do.
2. Ibiza, Spain
Pronounced: Ibitha. The ‘z’ in Ibiza is pronounced as ‘th’. Ibiza is well known for its nightlife and electronic dance music.
3.Beijing, China
Pronounced: Bey.jing. This is the third most populous city in the world and the most populous capital city.
4. Phuket, Thailand
Pronounced: Poo-Ket. Although the letters p and h in the English language will produce an ‘f’ sound. That is not the case in the Thai language.
4.Reykjavik, Iceland
Pronounced: Rake-yah-vick. Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world as its crime rate is very low. The health care of Iceland is also excellent.
5. Versailles, France.
Pronounced: Ver-Sye. Versailles is known to house the Palace of Versailles which was the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789.
6. Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem
Pronounced as Vee-Ya-Doll-o-Rosa. The literal meaning of Via Dolorosa is Way of sorrows. It is said to be the road Jesus walked from the place of Pontius Pilate’s sentencing to Golgotha.
7. Helena, USA.
Pronounced: Hell-en-a. Helena is Montana’s state capital and became known as the “Queen City of the Rockies” with the boom brought on by the 1864 gold strike.
8. Lafayette, USA
Pronounced: Laff-EE-yet. About 20 other places in the USA are also named Lafayette. These places range from cities, towns, villages to a census-designated place.
9. Worcestershire, UK
Pronounced: Wusta-sheer. Worcestershire is also a sauce and fermented liquid condiment created in the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England, in the first half of the 19th century.
10. Budapest, Hungary
Pronounced: Boo-da-pesht. Budapest is famous for its Opera houses and its baths.
No knowledge is lost and it’ll definitely come in handy if you find yourself preparing to vacation in any of these countries.
Hopefully, you did not bite your tongue off.
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