A guide to saying it correctly
How to Pronounce Cincinnati
Pronounced sin-sin-AT-ee, this Ohio city's name has a Native American origin, often a point of confusion for visitors.
cincinnati
sin-sin-AT-ee
/ˌsɪnsəˈnæt̬i/ · sin · ci · nAT · ti
Native US English · Kokoro neural TTS · 0:01
It's also common in sports contexts, referring to the Cincinnati Bengals or Reds.
Where the word comes from
The city is named after the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of American Revolutionary War officers. The society itself was named after Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a Roman farmer who became a statesman.
Common ways people get it wrong
- sin-sin-NAT-i Some people mistakenly put the stress on the second-to-last syllable, but the stress is on the third syllable, 'AT'.
- SIN-sin-AT-ee While there's a secondary stress on the first syllable, the primary stress is on the third syllable, 'AT'.
Frequently asked
What's the easiest way to remember the pronunciation?
Focus on the stressed syllable: sin-sin-AT-ee. Think of the 'AT' sound as the loudest part.
Is there a common mistake people make when saying Cincinnati?
Yes, people sometimes put the stress on the wrong syllable, often saying 'sin-sin-NAT-i' instead of 'sin-sin-AT-ee'.
