List of Shibboleths - English Shibboleths For Native Speakers or Local Natives

Place-name Pronunciations

In Australia

The car race-track town of Mallala, South Australia, pronounced /ˈmælələ/ (MAL-ə-lə) by locals, is often pronounced /məˈlælə/ (mə-LAL-ə) by interstate TV commentators. Local pronunciation of aboriginal names in different states often confounds non-locals throughout Australia.
Manuka, Australian Capital Territory: Local pronunciation is /ˈmɑːnəkɑː/ (MAH-nə-kah) with initial stress; new arrivals can be identified by the pronunciation /məˈnuːkə/ with emphasis on the middle syllable.
Monaro area in New South Wales, pronounced /məˈnɛəroʊ/ (mon-AIR-ro) by locals and frequently /məˈnɑːoʊ/ (mon-AR-ro) by visitors. The confusion is probably due to the Holden Monaro which is named after the area but pronounced the second way; in this respect it is very similar to (nearby!) Tarago below.
Newcastle, New South Wales, pronounced /ˈnjuːˌkɑːsəl/ (NEW-cah-səl) by locals, is often mis-pronounced /ˈnjuːˌkæsəl/ (NEW-cass-əl) by visitors from interstate.
Albany, West Australia, pronounced /ˈælbəni/ (AL-bə-nee) by Western Australians is often mispronounced /ˈɔːlbəni/ (AWL-bə-nee) by other Australians and visitors.
Tarago, New South Wales: pronounced /ˈtærəɡoʊ/ (TA-rə-goh) by locals but the pronunciation of the Toyota Tarago van misleads new arrivals into saying /təˈrɑːɡoʊ/ (tə-RAH-goh).

In Canada

Calgary, Alberta: Residents of Calgary, and Alberta in general, often pronounce the name of the city in two syllables as /ˈkælɡri/. Even people from other provinces generally pronounce it in three, as /ˈkælɡəri/.
Montreal, Quebec: English-speaking locals (and most Canadians) pronounce the name of the city as /ˌmʌntriˈɔːl/ whereas most Americans pronounce it /ˌmɒntriˈɔːl/. The same applies to the name Quebec, which is pronounced /kwɨˈbɛk/ by most Americans, whereas local English speakers pronounce it /kɨˈbɛk/.
Toronto, Ontario: Natives often say /ˈtrɒnə/.
Vancouver, British Columbia: Residents of British Columbia, or often other parts of Canada, will generally pronounce the first syllable as /væŋ-/ or vang-, displaying the consonant assimilation typical in English when /k/ follows /n/ (such as in "ankle" or "ranking"). English-speaking Americans and some Canadians from other regions tend to pronounce it /væn-/ (van-), resisting assimilation to the following /k/ sound. Also, it has been noted by native speakers that the middle syllable of "Vancouver" can be "mispronounced" /-kjuːv-/ instead of /-kuːv-/.

In the Netherlands

Gorinchem: Pronounced as the alternate spelling of its name: Gorkum .

In New Zealand

Charleston is pronounced with three syllables, as /ˈtʃɑːləstən/, unlike its better-known namesake in the United States.
Two of the main streets in Christchurch are local shibboleths. One, Barbadoes Street, is pronounced /bɑrˈbeɪdɒs/ the same as the Caribbean country but spelt with an added "e"; the other, Antigua Street, is spelt the same way as its Caribbean namesake but pronounced with a shortened "i" and prominent "u" (/ænˈtɪɡjuːə/ rather than æ).
Dunedin: Pronounced locally with E as the only stressed vowel, the others either replaced by a schwa (the U) or elided (the I, sometimes also the U) – /dəˈniːdən/. Non-locals usually pronounce all three vowels clearly (/dʌˈniːdɪn/).
Kumara: pronounced with the stress on the second syllable (/kʉˈmɑrə/), unlike the vegetable (which has the stress on the first syllable).
Levin: pronounced with the stress on the second syllable as /ləˈvɪn/ (as in the pronunciation American talk radio host Mark Levin uses for his surname), not – as is sometimes thought by non-New Zealanders – with a first-syllable stress (as in the more common pronunciation of the surname).
Oamaru: Pronounced locally, and by other natives of the Otago region, as /ˌɔːməˈruː/, a pronunciation borrowed from the local dialect of Māori. Most Māori speakers from farther north in New Zealand pronounce both initial vowels separately, as, while non-Māori-speakers will pronounce it /ˌoʊməˈruː/.
Otago: Pronounced locally with a schwa replacing the first O and sometimes – especially by older residents – with a schwa also replacing the final O (/əˈtɑːɡoʊ/ or /əˈtɑːɡə/); other New Zealanders tend to pronounce both the first and last letters similarly as long Os (/oʊˈtɑːɡoʊ/).

In the United Kingdom

Many English placenames act as shibboleths. Warwick, Norwich and Alnwick may be pronounced /ˈwɔrwɪk/, /ˈnɔrwɪtʃ/ and /ˈælnwɪk/ respectively by non-natives, when the correct pronunciations are /ˈwɒrɨk/, /ˈnɒrɨtʃ/, and /ˈænɨk/.
Beaulieu, both place and hunt named after it, are pronounced /ˈbjuːli/ (BYOO-lee).
Caldmore, Walsall, UK is pronounced by the locals as /ˈkɑːmər/, a homophone of Karma when not followed by a vowel.
Derby in England: liable to be pronounced /ˈdɜrbi/ by non-natives. The actual pronunciation is /ˈdɑrbi/.
Edinburgh in Scotland: liable to be pronounced /ˈɛdɨnbɜrɡ/ by non-natives. The actual pronunciation is /ˈɛdɨnbᵊrə/. In Scotland it is often compressed to /ˈɛmbrə/.
Greenwich, London is pronounced by locals as /ˈɡrɪnɨtʃ/ whereas most Britons (including most non-native Londoners) pronounce it /ˈɡrɛnɨtʃ/.
Launceston in Cornwall, is pronounced /ˈlænstən/, /ˈlænsən/, /ˈlɑːnstən/ or /ˈlɑːnsən/ (always with only two syllables, unlike the Tasmanian town). Non-locals commonly mispronounce it as /ˈlɔːnstən/.
Leominster, in Herefordshire, is often mistakenly pronounced /ˈliːoʊmɪnstər/ as spelled, but properly pronounced as /ˈlɛmstər/ and even /ˈlɛmnər/ locally. Interestingly, the city of Leominster Massachusetts differs again, being rendered as /ˈlɛmənstər/.
Milngavie, Glasgow, Scotland: correctly pronounced /məlˈɡaɪ/, but often /mɪlənˈɡævi/ by non-Glaswegians. (This is elaborated upon in the article on the town.)
Mousehole, Cornwall, England: pronounced /ˈmaʊzəl/ by locals, but usually as the spelling suggests by tourists.
Newcastle upon Tyne in the North-East of England is pronounced by locals and many other natives of the North-East, but /ˈnjuːˌkɑːsəl/ or /ˈnjuːˌkæsəl/ in other accents.
Sanquhar in Scotland: liable to cause difficulty for outsiders.
Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales:, often mispronounced by non Welsh-speaking people, particularly those from outside the UK. The "ll"s in the name represent voiceless alveolar lateral fricatives (IPA symbol ), a phoneme that does not exist in English. In England, where many people are aware that "ll" is not the same as "l" but are unable to pronounce it quite correctly, it is common to hear "Llanelli" approximated as /klæˈnɛθli/ or similar.
Acrefair in Wrexham, locally as in Welsh ; often pronounced wrongly /ˈeɪkərfɛər/, as English words "acre" and "fair" by English speakers, including those from other mostly English-speaking parts of Wales.
Isle of Wight place names which would be pronounced differently by locals would be Nunwell (/ˈnʌnəl/) and Shorwell (/ˈʃɒrəl/). Niton and Knighton are also respectively called "Crab-Niton" and "Kaynighton".
Belvoir Street in Leicester is commonly pronounced phonetically by non locals, while the actual pronunciation is /ˈbiːvər/, a homophone of "beaver". This is often used to identify between locals and the city's large student population.

Sowerby Bridge in Calderdale, West Yorkshire is correctly pronounced /ˈsɔrbi/ by the locals but people from elsewhere often pronounce it /ˈsaʊərbi/, as it is spelt, this pronunciation is common even in other areas of Yorkshire outside the Calder Valley.

In the United States

Many US cities and towns are named after larger cities elsewhere, yet have a locally different pronunciation of their name. Outsiders generally pronounce them as their more famous counterparts. For example, Havana, Florida, locally /heɪˈvænə/; assorted American locations named Cairo (locally /ˈkeɪroʊ/); Lima, Ohio, Lima, New York, and Lima, Pennsylvania (all locally /ˈlaɪmə/ LY-mə), Berlin, New Hampshire (locally /ˈbɛərlɨn/ BAIR-lin), while New Berlin, Pennsylvania is distinctively pronounced by Central Pennsylvanians as New /ˈbɜrlɨn/ BUR-lin (similarly to New Berlin, Wisconsin). Natives of Iowa, Louisiana pronounce the town's name as /ˈaɪ.oʊ.eɪ/ EYE-oh-ay.
Alachua County, Florida: Frequently pronounced by non-locals with the stress on the third syllable. This Native American word is pronounced by locals with the stress on the second syllable. Oddly, the town of the same name is frequently pronounced by locals as /əˈlætʃəweɪ/, perhaps to distinguish between reference to the town versus the county.
Albany, New York: The first syllable is frequently pronounced by non-locals as /æl/ (as in Alfred), while locals pronounce it /ɔːl/ (like "all").
Albany, Georgia: The stress is on the second syllable, pronounced by locals as "all-BEN-nee".
Aloha, Oregon, is pronounced /əˈloʊ.ə/ by locals, with the "h" silent, instead of like the Hawaiian greeting aloha (/əˈloʊhɑː/).
Amherst, Massachusetts: The name of this town (and its namesake colleges) is pronounced with a silent "h" by locals (/ˈæmərst/), and with a pronounced "h" by outsiders (/ˈæmhɜrst/).
Andreas, Pennsylvania: located in the SE corner of Schuylkill County and locally pronounced "ANN-dreez."
Appalachia: pronounced /æpəˈlætʃə/ within the central portion of the region, particularly between North Carolina and West Virginia; usually pronounced /æpəˈleɪʃə/ elsewhere.
Arab, Alabama: Unlike the conventional pronunciation, this city's name is pronounced as if it were two separate words – /ˈeɪræb/ ("AY-rab").
Arkansas River: While in most places the name of this river is pronounced the same way as the name of the state of Arkansas (/ˈɑrkənsɔː/), Kansas and Colorado residents typically pronounce it as if the "Ar-" were a prefix added to the name of the state of Kansas.
Beaufort, North Carolina, is pronounced /ˈboʊfərt/ ("BOH-furt"); Beaufort, South Carolina, is pronounced /ˈbjuːfərt/ ("BYOO-furt").
Bellefontaine, Ohio, instead of being pronounced as it's spelled--Bell-fon-TAIN--is instead said as bel-FOWN-tin.
Beloit, Wisconsin: Those used to speaking French will usually pronounce this, while people in Wisconsin tend to pronounce it /bəˈlɔɪt/ according to the spelling.
Billerica, Massachusetts is pronounced BILL'ricka, not in such a fashion that rhymes with America.
Bogota, New Jersey: New Jersey residents pronounce as /bəˈɡoʊtə/ instead of the pronunciation used for the Colombian capital.
Boise, Idaho, is generally pronounced by locals as /bɔɪˈsiː/. Most Americans, especially those far removed from Idaho, pronounce it /ˈbɔɪziː/. In contrast, "Boise" in Boise City, Oklahoma, is pronounced /ˈbɔɪs/ "Boyce".
Bronson, Michigan is locally pronounced /ˈbrʌnsən, and not */ˈbrɒnsən. But Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan roughly 50 miles away is pronounced /ˈbrɒnsən.
Buena, New Jersey; Buena Vista, Virginia; Buena Vista, Colorado and Buena Vista, Georgia: "Buena" is pronounced as /ˈbjuːnə/ BEW-nə by locals rather than its native Spanish pronunciation, which is approximated as /ˈbweɪnə/ in Lake Buena Vista, Florida or Buena Park, California.
Cairo, Illinois: Pronounced KAY-ro, rather than the way Egyptian capital is pronounced.
Chalybeate, Tennessee is pronounced by locals as /ˈkliːbɨt/ whereas outsiders may refer to it as /ˈtʃælɨˈbiːti/ or /ˈtʃælɨbaɪt/.
Charlotte, VT and Charlotte, MI are both pronounced by locals as shar-LOT where outsiders refer to them as SHAR-lət, like Charlotte, NC
Chili, New York is pronounced by locals as /ˈtʃaɪlaɪ/ CHY-ly, not like the food.
Concord, Massachusetts and Concord, New Hampshire are pronounced by locals as /'kɒŋkərd/, indistinguishable from the word "conquered," whereas Concord, North Carolina is pronounced as the word "concord."
Couch Street in Portland, Oregon is pronounced "cooch" by locals, unlike the conventional pronunciation for the piece of furniture that shares its spelling.
Darien, Connecticut is pronounced by locals as /dɛəriˈæn/.
DuBois, Pennsylvania: Locals pronounce it /dᵿˈbɔɪz/. Dubois County, Indiana is pronounced /dᵿˈbɔɪs/. Non-locals usually pronounce both /duːˈbwɑː/, an approximation of the French.
Estes Park, Colorado: Locals pronounce the first word /ˈɛstəs/ (ESS-tess). Visitors often pronounce it /ˈɛstiz/ (ESS-teez).
Forest City, North Carolina: Locals tend to pronounce the city's name as "Far City", while visitors or new residents will pronounce the city's name the way it is spelled.
Forked River, New Jersey: Residents of the area pronounce the first word with two syllables (FOR-ked or FORK-ed). Pronouncing the first word with one syllable (forkt) is a sign of a new resident or outsider.
Gough Street in San Francisco is pronounced "goff" by locals, but any of several alternative ways by visitors. Cartoonist Dr. Seuss played on this difficult combination of letters in "The Tough Coughs As He Ploughs the Dough": each appearance of "ough" is pronounced a different way.
Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania: Natives and locals in Berks and other adjacent counties will pronounce it as /ˈɡriːnwɪtʃ/ GREEN-wich rather than the more common /ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ/ -ich. This often confuses tourists and visitors.
Holyoke, Massachusetts: Locals pronounce it as 2 syllables, sometimes omitting the "l" (either HOLE-yoke or HO-yoke). Outsiders pronounce it "Holy Oak"
Houston Street, New York City; Houston, Delaware; Houston and Houston County, Georgia: Locals pronounce the first syllable identically with "house" (/ˈhaʊstən/), while most visitors will employ the same pronunciation as in Houston, Texas (/ˈhjuːstən/). Houston Street is actually a corruption of the original name of Houstoun Street, named after Continental Congress Delegate William Houstoun, who pronounced his name in this way.
Hurricane, Utah; Hurricane, West Virginia: both pronounced by locals as /ˈhʌrəkɨn/, identical to the British pronunciation of the word 'hurricane'. Others pronounce it as the American pronunciation of the word.
Jordan, Georgia; as well as the surname Jordan: pronounced by Georgians as /ˈdʒɜː(ɹ)dən/ with the first syllable using the er sound as in jerk (/dʒɜːk/). These same people though, use the standard pronouciation for Jordan (/ˈdʒɔːrdən/) the country or river.
Kelayres, Pennsylvania: located in NE Schuylkill County and locally pronounced "Clairs."
Lafayette, Tennessee: Locals stress the second syllable (/ləˈfeɪ.ɨt/) as opposed to the more standard pronunciation (/lɑːfeɪˈɛt/) used for most towns with this name.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Locals end the first syllable at C, /ˈlæŋkɨstər/ (LANK-is-ter), like the city in England for which it was named, rather than the wider American pronunciation of /ˈlænkæstər/ (LAN-kast-er).
Lebanon, Pennsylvania: Although the country of the same name is generally pronounced "Leb-a-non" locals tend to pronounce the Pennsylvania city's name "Leb-a-NIN," and frequently shorten it to two syllables—"Leb-nin" or even "Lep-nin." The latter is particularly identified with Pennsylvania Dutch heritage.
Los Gatos, California: Locals do not use the proper Spanish pronunciation of this town, which means "the cats", but rather pronounce the town "las gattis" /lɔːs ˈɡætəs/ lawss-GAT-əs.
Louisiana: Residents tend to use four syllables ("LOOZ-i-a-na"), not five like the rest of the U.S. ("Loo-EEZ-i-a-na")
Louisville: Most natives of Louisville pronounce the city's name as i/ˈluːəvəl/, which is sometimes shortened to i/ˈlʌvəl/. The pronunciation i/ˈluːiːvɪl/, however, is often used by political leaders, the media and outsiders. In all but the most anglicized pronunciations, the "s" is silent due to the name's French origin.
Mantua, Utah; Mantua, Ohio: Outsiders will pronounce it as the Italian city, where locals will say /ˈmænəweɪ/.
Marietta, Georgia: This town was once called "May-retta" or "Mar-retta" by its residents and "Mary-etta" by those that are not from there. Since the rapid influx of newer residents starting in the 1980s, this is no longer true, especially in Eastern Marietta, where "Mary-etta" is now a more favored pronunciation.
Miami, Arizona and Miami, Oklahoma: Pronounced locally as /maɪˈæmə/ "My-AM-uh" rather than /maɪˈæmi/ "my-AM-ee", the most common pronunciation for the city in Florida.
Milan, Indiana, Milan, Michigan, Milan, Illinois, and Milan, Tennessee: Pronounced locally as "MY-lin" /ˈmaɪlən/ rather than "Mee-LAHN" like the Italian city Milan.
Missouri: Perhaps the most famous of all place-name shibboleths in the USA, natives may pronounce the last syllable as "-ee" as most Americans do, or "-a" (like zebra) depending on the part of the state they hail from.
Mobile, Alabama: Locals pronounce this as pronounced /moʊˈbiːl/ moh-BEEL, whereas non-locals often pronounce it MOH-bəl as in "mobile home", or use the local pronunciation but stress the first syllable instead of the second.
Moscow, Idaho is pronounced by locals and natives as Mos'KOE, not Mos'COW as the Russian capital would be.
Morea, Pennsylvania is located in Schuylkill County and locally pronounced "Maria."
Natchitoches, Louisiana: Pronounced /ˈnækətəʃ/.
Nevada: Nevadans say /nɨˈvædə/ nə-VAD-ə, pronouncing the first A as in 'apple'. Visitors often say /nɨˈvɑːdə/ nə-VAH-də, pronouncing the first A as in 'bra'. Additionally, there are a number of smaller towns in other states bearing the name Nevada where locals frequently use the latter pronunciation, and at least one, in Missouri, pronounced Neh-VAY-dah.
Noe Street in San Francisco is pronounced "no-ee" by locals, however it's typically pronounced simply as "no" by perplexed visitors.
Norfolk, Virginia: Longtime residents tend to say /nɑːfək/, while other locals will say /noʊrfɨk/. Non-locals may pronounce it /nɔrfɔːlk/. See Norfolk, England.
New Tripoli, Pennsylvania: Located in NW Lehigh County and pronounced "nu tri-POLE-ee."
Newark, New Jersey; Newark, California; and Newark, Delaware: Locals in New Jersey and California pronounce their citys' name as -ərk (/ˈnuː.ərk/) whereas locals of Newark, Delaware pronounce their city's name as (/ˈnuːɑrk/). This sometimes causes confusion for individuals traveling between the city in New Jersey and the one relatively nearby in Delaware.
Oregon: Many non-locals pronounce the last syllable, "gon," the same way as they pronounce the word "gone." Residents of the state pronounce it like the second syllable of "begun." Some also turn the middle syllable into a hard e ("ORE-ee-gon") or drop the middle syllable altogether (making it sound like "organ" or "argon").
Ouachita is a region in southwest Arkansas that lends its name to a mountain range as well as a local university. It's pronounced /ˈwɑːʃɨtɑː/ by Arkansans, whereas non-locals may say /uːˈtʃɪtɑː/ or /ˈoʊtʃɨtɑː/.
Palestine, Texas: The name of this small East Texas town (and the nearby lake) is typically pronounced as the region in the Middle East by non-natives, but is pronounced as "Pales-TEEN" by natives.
Pawtucket, Rhode Island: native Rhode Islanders pronounce the name of the city as /pəˈtʌkət/ whereas non-natives will pronounce as /pɔːˈtʌkɨt/.
Peabody, Massachusetts: Located on Boston's North Shore and pronounced /ˈpiːbədi/.
Pierre, South Dakota, is locally pronounced like pier /ˈpɪər/. Non-locals will pronounce it like the French name of the same spelling, /piːˈɛər/).
Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta: Non-locals (especially those familiar with Spanish) will at first tend to pronounce this as the name of the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, while locals drop final vowel of "Ponce" and pronounce "León" much as the common Anglo given name (/pɒns də ˈliː.ɒn/).
Prescott, Arizona: Northern Arizonans prefer to pronounce the name "PRESS-kit" in a way that rhymes with "biscuit."
Progress, Pennsylvania is a census-designated place just NE of Harrisburg and is pronounced "PRO-gres."
Sans Souci Parkway is a thoroughfare in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania connecting Wilkes-Barre and Nanticoke. It is locally pronounced "San Suey."
Terre Haute, Indiana is either pronounced 'Tare Hote' or 'Terry Hut' and never the proper French way.
Washington State: Many place names in Washington have Native American roots and are difficult for non-locals to pronounce. Examples are:Tulalip, Washington Locally pronounced /tʊˈleɪlɨp/; out-of-towners may pronounce it as /ˈtuːləlɪp/, Puyallup, Washington Pronounced /puːˈjæləp/ by non-local speakers, but is pronounced by native Washingtonians as /pjuːˈɑːləp/. Other notable examples are Pysht, Washington, Steilacoom, Washington, Sequim, Washington, Suquamish, Washington, and S'kallallam, Washington.
Versailles, Kentucky, Versailles, Ohio, Versailles, Missouri, Versailles, New York and North Versailles, Pennsylvania: all /vərˈseɪlz/ locally, rather than /vɛərˈsaɪ/ as approximated for France.
Wayzata, Minnesota is /waɪ'zɛtə/ to the locals. Out of towners have trouble pronouncing it correctly.
Weimar, California, an unincorporated area east of Sacramento, is pronounced /ˈwiːmɑr/ "WEE-mar", while non-locals will pronounce it like /ˈvaɪmɑr/, as Weimar in Germany.
Weber County, Utah (also Weber State University): Most Utahns pronounce this as /ˈwiːbər/ ("WEE-bur"), with the same vowel sound as "bead", whereas out-of-towners usually pronounce it /ˈwɛbər/ ("webber"). This was parodied by a commercial for a ski resort offering a locals-only discount, using the pronunciation as a test for whether one was a Utah resident.
Wisconsin has its first syllable pronounced /ˈwɪs/ by locals but often as /ˈwɛs/ by non-locals.
Worcester, Massachusetts: The local pronunciation of this city name is /ˈwʊstər/, like the English city; non-natives will often pronounce it /ˈwɒrsɛstər/ or /ˈwɒrtʃɛstər/. Some non-natives with rhotic accents who are aware of the local pronunciation will use /ˈwɜrstər/ or /ˈwʊrstər/.
Worcester Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania is pronounced out with three syllables as "WOR-ses-ter."
Yocona, Mississippi: Most locals refer to the river and community as /ˈjæknə/ or /ˈjɒkniː/. Non-locals may refer to it as /jəˈkoʊnə/.
Washington: Non-locals from some parts of the country will insert an "r" into the first syllable ("WARSH-ing-ton") of the U.S. capital or state, with some individuals even pronouncing the two differently.
In an example of a Shibboleth based on time as opposed to location, United States citizens prior to the American Civil War would often refer to the country in the plural (ex. "The United States are") as it was thought of more as a collection of independent states than as one country. However, after the Civil War, the United States was referred to almost exclusively in the singular reflecting the new national unity the war created.

List of Shibboleths - English Shibboleths For Native Speakers or Local Natives - Place-name Pronunciations