It’s the sting in the tail.
You’ve remembered all the essentials, you’ve booked the taxi from the airport, you’ve gotten a nice rental… but then you arrive at your vacation destination and the locals look at you funny because you don’t know how to pronounce it.
To save you from embarrassment on your next trip, MailOnline Travel has rounded up 50 of the most frequently mispronounced places around the world, revealing their correct and incorrect pronunciations.
Scroll down to see which ones you’ve been saying wrong…
Mousehole, Cornwall, England
MailOnline Travel has rounded up 50 commonly mispronounced places. Mousehole is one of the places with the most mysterious pronunciations
This small town and fishing port in west Cornwall is often mispronounced. Despite what its name may suggest, it is ‘Mow-zuhl’ and not ‘Mouse-hole’.
EdinburghScotland
Edinburgh’s cobbled streets, historic castle and striking architecture attract millions of tourists each year; However, many have trouble pronouncing it, often calling the city “Ed-in-berg.” The correct pronunciation is ‘Ed-in-bruh’ or ‘Ed-in-bur-uh’.
Happisburgh, England
This coastal town has the potential to confuse anyone except the locals. It’s pronounced “Haze-bruh,” not “Happis-burgh.”
Birmingham, England
Americans might be tempted to pronounce this UK city as ‘Burr-mingham’, after his own town in Alabama. But the correct way to say it is “Bur-ming-um.”
Nottingham, England
Americans should drop the ‘h’ in Nottingham. It’s ‘Nott-ing-um’, not ‘Nott-ing-ham’.
Bicester, Oxfordshire, England
Unless you have lived there or nearby, you will have no chance of getting this name right. It’s pronounced “Bis-ter,” not “By-sester.”
Worcestershire, England
Many tourists have difficulty pronouncing Worcestershire in England, and often refer to it incorrectly as “Wore-chest-er-shire”. Above is the city of Worcester.
You won’t necessarily know how to pronounce Worcestershire unless you live in England. Most tourists automatically use ‘Wore-chest-er-shire’ or ‘War-sest-er-shire’, but the correct pronunciation is ‘Wuh-stuh-shuh’.
Leicestershire, England
Those unfamiliar with this county often pronounce it “Lie-chester-shire” or “Lie-cess-ter”, rather than “Less-ter”.
Loughborough (Leicestershire)
Many mispronounce it as ‘Loff-borough’, but the correct way to say it is ‘Luff-bruh’.
Gloucester, England
Gloucester is pronounced “Gloss-ter”, not “Glo-cess-ter”.
Ruislip, London, England
This west London suburb is often mispronounced as ‘Roo-slip’ or ‘Roo-i-slip’, but the correct pronunciation is ‘Rye-slip’.
Greenwich, London
Tourists may not know that this southeast London district is pronounced “Gren-itch” and not “Green-witch.”
Prudhoe, Northumberland, England
The small town of Prudhoe is commonly mispronounced as ‘Proood-ho’ or ‘Prood-ee-ho’, but is actually pronounced ‘Pru-doh’.
Marylebone, London
London’s posh Marylebone area attracts thousands of tourists a day, but not everyone knows how to pronounce it correctly
Those unfamiliar with London’s fashionable shopping area might refer to it as “Mary-le-bone”, but most Londoners refer to it as ‘Maa-li-bone’.
Chiswick, London
This west London district is often mispronounced as “Chis-wick” rather than its correct pronunciation: “Chiz-ick”.
Frome, Somerset, England
This Somerset town is commonly mispronounced because it rhymes with “home”, but it actually means it rhymes with “broom”, as in “Froom”.
Southwark, London
If you stop a Londoner and ask him about ‘South-wark’ station, he may respond with a bewildered look. This district of London is pronounced “Su-thuk”.
Towcester, Northamptonshire, England
The small market town is pronounced “Toh-ster”, not “Toh-ces-ter”.
Llandudno, North Wales
This North Wales coastal town is pronounced “Llan-did-noh” or “Clan-did-no”, not “Land-dun-no” or “Lan-dun-no”.
Youghal, County Cork, Ireland
This County Cork spa is often mispronounced as “Yog-hal” or “Yug-hal”. The correct way to say it is ‘Yawl’.
Donegal, County Donegal, Ireland
Some locals may get angry if you pronounce it “Dun-egg-all” or “Don-igal.” It is pronounced “Don-e-gaul.”
Versailles, France
Versailles is one of the places in France where it is frequently mispronounced. Above are the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
If you want to avoid embarrassment in this Paris suburb, don’t call it ‘Ver-sales’ or ‘Ver-say-les’, say ‘Ver-sye’.
Marseille, France
Marseille is not pronounced “Mar-sales”, but “Mar-say”.
Cannes, France
If you want to pronounce it correctly, drop the ‘es’ completely and say ‘Can’.
Ibiza, Spain
You may regularly hear different versions of Ibiza from tourists. Don’t call him ‘Ih-bee-za’ or ‘eye-bee-tha’. If you want to sound Spanish, say “ee-bee-tha,” but “Ih-bee-tha” is acceptable.
Linda, France
If you haven’t heard of this city located on the French Riviera, you may be tempted to say it exactly as it is written. But it’s pronounced “Neess.”
Belarus, Eastern Europe
This Eastern European country is pronounced “Bel-uh-rooz,” not “Bel-air-us.”
Reykjavík, Iceland
Many tourists visiting Iceland’s most popular town might refer to it as “Rake-juh-vick,” but it is pronounced ‘Rake-yah-vick’
Seoul, South Korea
A popular mispronunciation of Seoul is “See-ole” or “See-ule,” but the capital of South Korea is pronounced “Sole.”
Phuket, Thailand
Phuket in Thailand is known for its white sand beaches and blue waters, but not all tourists pronounce it correctly.
Many tourists mistakenly pronounce the ‘ph’ in Phuket with an ‘F’. It’s actually pronounced “Poo-ket,” not “foo-ket” or “fu-ket.”
Laos, Southeast Asia
A common mispronunciation for this landlocked country is “Lay-ouse.” In English the pronunciation is ‘Louse’, but in the local language (‘Lao’) the ‘s’ says nothing and becomes ‘Lao’. Both are considered correct.
Arkansas, United States
Many people pronounce Arkansas the same way they would pronounce its neighboring state, Kansas. Although they share all but two letters, their names are nothing alike. It is pronounced “Arkansaw”, not “Arkanzis”.
Oaxaca, Mexico
If you pronounce it ‘Oh-Ax-uh-cuh’ you are on the wrong track. It’s ‘Wah-ha-kuh’.
La Jolla, California, USA
This coastal San Diego neighborhood is pronounced ‘La Hoy-a’, not La Jo-la’.
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
If you are not familiar with American cities, Louisville may be mistakenly referred to as “Loo-is-ville.” But the correct pronunciation is ‘Loo-ee-vil’.
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
The capital of Iowa is pronounced “Duh-Moyn,” not “Des-Mones.”
Yosemite National Park, California, USA
You’d be forgiven for thinking this national park is pronounced “Yoh-se-might,” but it’s actually “Yo-seh-mu-tee.”
Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda, Caribbean
Many people mistakenly add ‘gwah’ when pronouncing this Caribbean island, and end up saying ‘An-tee-gwah’. It’s actually pronounced “An-tee-guh.”
Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda, Caribbean
The second largest island that is part of the Caribbean nation, Antigua and Barbuda, is pronounced differently depending on where you are from. Many mispronounce it as “Bar-boo-dua.” For Americans, it’s “Bar-boo-da,” while others say “Barb-you-da.”
Melbourne, Australia
Those not from the land of Australia may be tempted to say ‘Mel-borne’, rather than its correct pronunciation of ‘Mel-bn’ or ‘Mel-burn’.
Australian flag
Often called “the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef” due to its proximity to the coral reef system, Cairns is often mispronounced. While it may seem natural to call it ‘kerns’, the correct way to pronounce it is ‘keuh-nz’ or ‘Caeh-ns’.
Brisbane, Australia
Brisbane is one of the many places in Australia where tourists find it difficult to pronounce
The capital of Queensland is commonly mispronounced as “Briz-bain”, but the correct way to say it is “Briz-bn”.
Australian flag
Located on Australia’s east coast, this sunny city is pronounced “Muhk-eye,” not “Mac-kay.”
Iran, Middle East
Many English speakers frequently pronounce Iran as “Eye-ran.” But a more acceptable way to say it is ‘Ih-ran’. For those from Iran it is ‘ee-rahn’.
Iraq, Middle East
Iraq is pronounced ‘Ih-rahk’ and not ‘eye-rack’. The locals would say ‘ee-rahk’.
Qatar, Middle East
You’ve probably heard Qatar pronounce “Ka-tar,” but the correct pronunciation is “kuh-tar.”
Djibouti, Africa
Many people are not sure how to pronounce this East African country. But it’s much easier once you discover that the ‘D’ is silent. It’s pronounced “juh-boo-tee.”
Maldives, South Asia
This paradise country in South Asia should not be called “Maldives”, but “Mull-deeves”.
Colombia, South America
If you want to impress the locals, the correct country pronunciation is ‘Co-lohm-bee-ah, not ‘Co-lumh-bee-ah’.
Saskatchewan, Canada
This province of Canada comes from the native Cree word for fast-flowing river: ‘Kisiskatchewanisipi’, which means it can be tricky for English speakers to pronounce. Some may be tempted to say ‘saska-choon’, but the correct pronunciation is ‘suh-ska-chuh-wn’.
