Pronounce · Cities
How to Pronounce City & Place Names
Reykjavik, Oaxaca, Worcester — the cities and towns even locals correct visitors on.
You’re at a ticket counter, trying to get to a city you can only spell. You say the name, point at the map, and hope for the best. I’ve bought more than one wrong train ticket this way.
This is a collection of those tricky place names. The ones even news anchors get wrong. From Reykjavik to Worcester, we break down the cities, regions, and landmarks that give travelers pause.
You'll find audio from a native or local speaker for each place. We listen to every recording and cross-check our phonetic spellings to make sure they’re accurate and easy to understand.
Editor's picks
No. 01 · Cities & places
Reykjavik
RAY-kyuh-vik
Pronounce Reykjavik like 'RAY-kyuh-vik' to be understood when discussing Iceland's capital.
No. 02 · Cities & places
Edinburgh
ED-in-bruh
Stop saying 'bur-oh'. Learn the correct way to pronounce the capital of Scotland, which drops the middle syllables entirely.
No. 03 · Cities & places
Glasgow
GLAZ-goh
Pronounced GLAZ-goh, this Scottish city's name is often misheard by those unfamiliar with its distinct sound.
No. 04 · Cities & places
Worcester
WUUS-ter
Pronounced 'Wooster' – the 'rce' is silent, and the 'o' sounds like 'oo'.
No. 05 · Cities & places
Leicester
LESS-ter
The city of Leicester is pronounced LESS-ter, ignoring the spelling entirely. Do not pronounce the 'ice' sound.
No. 06 · Cities & places
Gloucester
GLOSS-ter
Pronounce Gloucester like 'gloss' plus 'ter' – the silent 'u' and 'ce' are the tricky parts.
City pronunciations
- albuquerque AL-buh-KER-kee
- ashgabat ASH-guh-bot
- athens ATH-unz
- barcelona bar-suh-LOH-nuh
- boise BOY-see
- bordeaux bor-DOH
- bratislava brah-TISS-lah-vuh
- brno BUR-noh
- budapest BOO-duh-pest
- chiang mai chee-AHNG-MY
- cincinnati sin-sin-AT-ee
- cusco KOO-skoh
- córdoba KOR-thuh-buh
- danube DAN-yoob
- denpasar den-PAH-sahr
- des moines dih-MOINZ
- dubrovnik DOO-brohv-nik
- düsseldorf DUSS-el-dorf
- edinburgh ED-in-bruh
- freiburg FRY-boorg
- fukuoka foo-KOO-oh-kuh
- glasgow GLAZ-goh
- gloucester GLOSS-ter
- guanajuato gwah-nah-WAH-toh
- hanoi hai-NOY
- ibiza ee-BEE-thah
- iguazu ee-gwah-SOO
- is barcelona in spain bar-suh-LOH-nuh
- krakow KRACK-ow
- kuala lumpur KWAH-luh LUM-poor
- kyoto KYOH-toh
- lake xochimilco soh-chee-MIL-koh
- leicester LESS-ter
- leipzig LYPE-sik
- ljubljana lyoo-BLYAH-nah
- lviv luh-VEEV
- lyon lee-OHN
- lyon france lee-OHN
- marlborough MAWL-bruh
- marseille mahr-SAY
- milwaukee mil-WAW-kee
- munich MYOO-nik
- mykonos MEE-koh-noss
- mykonos greece MEE-koh-nossGREES
- nagoya nah-GOY-uh
- nice NEES
- nice france NYCE FRANS
- niche NITCH
- norwich NOR-ij
- oaxaca wah-HAH-kah
- omaha OH-muh-hah
- osaka oh-SAH-kuh
- patagonia pat-uh-GOH-nee-uh
- phuket poo-KET
- phuket thailand puu-KET TIE-land
- potsdam POTS-dam
- querétaro keh-REH-tah-roh
- reading RED-ing pro-NUN-see-AY-shun
- reykjavik RAY-kyuh-vik
- saigon SY-gon
- salisbury SOLZ-bair-ee
- samarkand SAM-er-kand
- san jose san HO-zay
- san sebastián san-suh-BASH-uhn
- santorini san-tuh-REE-nee
- sevilla suh-VEE-yuh
- spokane spo-KAYN
- tashkent TASH-kent
- tijuana tee-HWAH-nuh
- tucson TOO-sahn
- ushuaia oo-SWY-uh
- valparaíso val-puh-RY-soh
- versailles ver-SAYZ
- warwick WAH-rik
- worcester WUUS-ter
- worcestershire WUUS-ter-sher
- wroclaw VROHTS-wahf
- xochimilco soh-chee-MEEL-koh
- yangon YANG-gon
- yogyakarta yohg-yar-TAH
- zagreb ZAH-greb
- zaragoza thuh-RAH-go-suh
Frequently asked
Is there one right way to pronounce a city name?
Not always. You'll often find a local version, an anglicized version, and even regional variations within a country. We focus on the pronunciation a local would use and recognize.
Will locals get mad if I mispronounce their city?
Almost never. People usually appreciate that you're trying and will gently correct you. The goal isn't perfection, it's showing respect and communicating clearly.
Should I use the local pronunciation or the English one?
When speaking the local language, aim for the local pronunciation. When speaking English to other travelers, the anglicized version is often fine and avoids confusion.
Why are some place names so hard for English speakers?
Many languages use sounds and letter combinations that don't exist in English. A name like Ljubljana, for example, has consonant clusters that feel unfamiliar for us to say.
