When I say Québec, I say it the French way — kay-bek. The English version usually sounds like kwa-bek or kuh-bek. Which is right? Since I have several French-speaking friends in Québec, I will stick with the French way.
In Italy, there is a very famous city called Milan (mi-LAHN). In Tennessee, there is a not-so-famous town called Milan (MY-lunn) . In Brazil, there is a very famous city called Rio de Janeiro — but most people just call it Rio (ree-oh). In Florida, there is a not-so-famous town called Rio (RYE-oh).
KISS-i-me, (Kissimmee) Florida sounds very romantic, but the town is called Ki-SIM-me by the natives.
How you say a word is its pronunciation. Everyone pronounces words a little differently. This is how I pronounce the place names I mentioned earlier.
Do you know of any places with unusual sounding names? Leave a comment with your favorites.