I once stood in line at an airport café behind a guy who proudly announced he was heading to “Eye-biz-uh.” The barista blinked. “You mean Ee-bee-tha?” she corrected gently, and the poor guy turned redder than his boarding pass. I couldn’t help but laugh—mostly because I’d made the exact same mistake a year earlier.
Since then, I’ve started noticing how often people stumble over place names. Friends debating whether it’s “Cans” or “Cairns.” Tourists in Italy asking for directions to “Ven-ice” instead of Venezia. Even news anchors trip up—one recent broadcast turned “Qatar” into “cutter,” “kah-tar,” and “cat-tar” in the same segment.
According to a recent study by Preply, Australians searched an average of 31,480 times a year for how to say places like Cairns. Travel Weekly+1 Elsewhere, Irish place-names such as Dungarvan logged a whopping 57,870 monthly searches for pronunciation guidance.
Turns out, we’re all in good company.
Worcestershire, England
This English county takes the crown for causing the most pronunciation panic worldwide. According to a Holidu UK report, the phrase “Worcestershire” is indeed the most Googled place-name pronunciation worldwide, with approximately 9,400 monthly searches from people globally who are trying to learn how to say the name of the English county.
It’s “WUSS-ter-sher,” not “WOR-ces-ter-shire,” as most people try. Local residents have become so accustomed to hearing it butchered that many restaurants have dropped the “shire” and simply call it “Worcester sauce” to spare anyone’s embarrassment.
“Curaçao Caribbean pronunciation paradise lost”
You would think this Dutch Caribbean island’s name would be a no-brainer for Americans to say, but here we go, causing chaos all over North America and racking up thousands of pronunciation searches in 2024. It is pronounced “CURE-ah-sow,” but cruise passengers routinely get it wrong and say “cure-ah-KAY-oh” instead.
Curaçao travel vlogs often include a pronunciation disclaimer in the description after locals have flooded the comment section with corrections.
Kraków, Poland
Poland’s cultural capital creates headaches for English speakers, the Polish pronunciation of Kraków is closer to “krah-koof” than the anglicized “KRAK-ow” or “crack-ow,” according to Discover Cracow.
The Polish language uses sounds that don’t exist in English, making it particularly challenging for Western travelers.
Budget airlines flying to European destinations have started to include pronunciation guides in their in-flight magazines after flight attendants complained of constant confusion from passengers.
Istanbul, Türkiye
And Turkey’s reversion to using its official name of “Türkiye” in 2022 caused new confusion around pronunciation. It’s pronounced “TOOR-kee-yeh,” not “TUR-key” like the bird. International television news organizations had a difficult time with the move, sometimes having to include pronunciation guides in the course of their broadcasts.
The Turkish government has been on a public relations blitz around the world to get people to say “correct” pronunciation, but many English speakers are still sticking with the old “Turkey.”
Qatar
The Middle Eastern nation of Qatar has caused significant pronunciation confusion worldwide since it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The officially accepted English pronunciation of Qatar is “Kuh-TAR”, rhyming with “guitar”, according to Yahoo Sports
The Arabic sound of “Q” does not have an English counterpart, so that even experienced newsreaders stumbled through a report on live television. Travel agencies report that many American tourists continue to avoid mentioning the country by name when booking Middle Eastern travel.
Ibiza, Spain
The famous Spanish party destination causes pronunciation disputes even among seasoned travelers. The correct Castilian Spanish pronunciation is “ee-BEE-tha” with the distinctive “th” sound, not “ih-BEE-za” like most English speakers say.
Spanish language teachers report that Ibiza pronunciation serves as a perfect example of regional dialect differences in their classes.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Iceland’s capital generates frequent pronunciation searches as more travelers discover Nordic destinations. Perlan states that a correct pronunciation for the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, is “RAKE-yah-veek,” emphasizing the first syllable.
The Icelandic language uses sounds that challenge even polyglots, making this city’s name particularly difficult for tourists.
Seychelles
It is SAY-shellz, not what many assume from reading it: say-CHE-les. The Indian Ocean country attracts fewer visitors than it might, in part because many travelers feel awkward saying the name, according to research by the tourism industry.
Travel agents say that nearly all travelers still call it “that beautiful island group” and avoid trying to pronounce it.
Yosemite National Park
Shockingly, more than half of Americans mispronounce this famous national park’s name. Park rangers report that visitors often ask for directions to “Yo-se-mighty,” creating confusion at entrance gates.
According to Cassie’s Compass, the correct pronunciation of Yosemite is “Yoh-Seh-Mih-Tee”. California tourism campaigns now feature audio pronunciations for major destinations to prevent these common mistakes.
La Jolla, California
It’s prone to mispronunciations, but the community has embraced it, and some shops even sell t-shirts with phonetic spellings. Local real estate agents say out-of-state buyers sometimes sound out the name before their house-hunting visits out of fear they’ll mangle it and appear foolish.
It’s prone to mispronunciations, but the community has embraced it, and some shops even sell t-shirts with phonetic spellings.
Oaxaca, Mexico
This is admittedly a rather tricky word to pronounce. The Canberra Times states that the correct pronunciation of Oaxaca is “wah-HAH-kah”. Mexican tourism boards have started including pronunciation guides in their international marketing materials after years of visitor confusion.
Foodies new to Oaxacan cuisine may well find themselves tongue-tied in trying to order correctly from a menu in restaurants outside Mexico.
Phuket, Thailand
Rising Thai tourism has put this island’s pronunciation in the global spotlight post-pandemic. The correct way is “poo-KET,” not “FUH-ket” or “PHOO-ket” as many travelers assume. Thai tourism officials report that pronunciation difficulties don’t deter visitors, but they do create amusing cultural exchanges.
Travel booking websites have started to add audio pronunciations for Thailand’s top destinations after customers reported that they were confused. European tourists, in particular, have issues with this one, sometimes to hilarious results in travel group interactions.
Cannes, France
According to Preply, the French city of Cannes ranked third among the most mispronounced travel destinations, with approximately 3,600 monthly pronunciation searches. It’s simply “KAN”, not “CANS,” “CON,” or “CONZ” as many English speakers attempt.
Hollywood celebrities walking the red carpet have been caught on camera practicing the pronunciation with their publicists before interviews. The silent ‘s’ at the end trips up even French language students who’ve studied for years.
Fashion magazines now include pronunciation guides in their Cannes coverage after years of readers emailing complaints about confusing references.
Seoul, South Korea
South Korea’s capital city inspires even language experts and international dictionaries to argue over its pronunciation. Many will accept “SUH-ool” or “SOLE” as correct, while others consider “SEE-ole” and “see-ULE” to be the most frequent errors.
Korean linguists often lament the romanization issues that produce these pronunciation hurdles. The global spread of K-pop has helped raise awareness of proper Korean pronunciation, but Seoul is still a source of difficulty for many fans
Edinburgh, Scotland
According to a 2022 study by language learning platform Preply, Edinburgh is among the world’s most mispronounced place names, alongside destinations like Phuket, Dubai, and Montreal.
The correct pronunciation is “ED-in-bruh,” definitely not “ED-in-burg” like the Pennsylvania city. Americans visiting Scotland often struggle with this distinction, leading to amusing misunderstandings with locals.
Key takeaway
Mispronouncing places still ranks as one of travel’s most frequent embarrassments, but it doesn’t have to be the defining feature of your adventures. These are the pronunciation roadblocks we face around beautiful linguistic diversity amid our global destinations, occurrence-carrying cultural history, and local pride.
Today, technology is providing pronunciation guides, audio clips, and even AI-based language apps to aid travelers in learning the trickiest place names before they get there.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
Disclosure: This article was developed with the assistance of AI and was subsequently reviewed, revised, and approved by our editorial team.
The 5 best carnival cruise ships 2025 ranked for your perfect vacation experience
The 5 Best Carnival Cruise Ships 2025 Ranked for Your Perfect Vacation Experience
Selecting the correct Carnival cruise ship can significantly enhance your sea travel experience, as each ship in the fleet offers a unique set of features to cater to various preferences and vacation needs. Carnival Cruise Line boasts some of the most famous vessels in the industry, designed to create an immersive and enjoyable atmosphere for travelers of all ages.
16 grocery staples to stock up on before prices spike again
16 Grocery Staples to Stock Up On Before Prices Spike Again
I was in the grocery store the other day, and it hit me—I’m buying the exact same things I always do, but my bill just keeps getting higher. Like, I swear I just blinked, and suddenly eggs are a luxury item. What’s going on?
Inflation, supply-chain delays, and erratic weather conditions have modestly (or, let’s face it, dramatically) pushed the prices of staples ever higher. The USDA reports that food prices climbed an additional 2.9% year over year in May 2025—and that’s after the inflation storm of 2022–2023.
So, if you’ve got room in a pantry, freezer, or even a couple of extra shelves, now might be a good moment to stock up on these staple groceries—before the prices rise later.
