A new study conducted by the e-learning platform Preply analysed Google search data for “how to pronounce” and “how to say” + Australian place names and ranked each destination based on pronunciation difficulty.
The research reveals Cairns is the most commonly mispronounced place in Australia, with an average of 31,480 people searching for pronunciation guidance each year.
Here are the top 20 most mispronounced places in Australia and how to say them:
- Cairns: Correct: “CANS.” Incorrect: KERNS or KENS
- Prahran: Correct: “PRAN” or “Pr–AAN” Incorrect: Pr-AHN or PRA-RAN
- Melbourne: Correct: “MEL-burn” or “MEL-ben” Incorrect: “MEL-BORN”
- Launceston: Correct: “LONN-ses-tun” Incorrect: “LAWN-ses-tun” or “LAWN-ston”
- Gloucester: Correct: “GLOSS-ter” Incorrect: “GLOW-kester” or “GLOUW-sester”
- Canberra: Correct: “CAN-bra” Incorrect: “CAN-berra”
- Balmain: Correct: “BAL-mane” Incorrect: “bal-MAH-n
- Ngunnawal: Correct: “NUN-nah-wol” Incorrect: “NGUN-uh-wawl”
- Warwick: Correct: “WAWR-ik” Incorrect: “WA-rick”
- Derby: Correct: “DER-be” Incorrect: “DAR-be”
- Orange: Correct “ORR-inj” Incorrect “Ornj”
- Brisbane: Correct “BRIZ-bn” Incorrect “brIHz-bAIn”
- Uluru: Correct “OO-luh-roo” Incorrect “oo-loo-roo”
- Coogee: Correct “COULD-jee” Incorrect “KOO-jee”
- Cygnet: Correct “SIG-net” Incorrect “SIG-nuht”
- Bondi Beach: Correct “BON-die Beach” Incorrect “Bond-dee Beach”
- Adelaide: Correct “AA-uh-laid” Incorrect “AA-duh-lied”
- Kata Tjuta: Correct “KAH-tah-choor-tar: Incorrect “ka-tuh-joo-tuh”
- Manuka: Correct “MAH-nah-kah” Incorrect “maa-nuh-kuh”
- Geelong: Correct “JH-long” Incorrect “JEE-long”
In terms of Australian state capitals, Melbourne is the most mispronounced place name, followed by Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Perth.
Amy Pritchett, Culture Director of Preply, says:
“One of the main reasons why people commonly mispronounce different places in Australia is due to the differences in language and pronunciation between different regions and cultures,
Pronunciation is a complex part of language that is influenced by a variety of factors. These include geography, social context, and linguistic patterns. For example, a person who speaks English as their first language may struggle to pronounce certain words in other languages.
A person unfamiliar with the native language of a particular region may find it difficult to accurately pronounce place names based on written spellings alone, as some languages use different alphabets or spelling conventions than others.
There’s nothing more embarrassing than arriving at a new destination and mispronouncing its name in front of a local – especially if you butcher the regional accent.
So, we’ve researched the most commonly mispronounced places to avoid that awkward encounter, so you never have to worry about these tongue twisters again.
When you learn to say these place names correctly, I encourage you to sound like a native – or at least a savvy tourist.”
Methodology:
Preply has analysed Google Search data for 333 Australian and 251 New Zealand well-known “hard to pronounce” places, looking for the places people ask “How to pronounce” and “How to say” questions most often. They then ranked each place according to how difficult it is to pronounce by the number of people searching for it.
Native language experts then investigated the linguistic background of the most mispronounced places, shedding some light on exactly how to pronounce them correctly.
The 10 most mispronounced places in New Zealand
If you think Australian place names are tricky, prepare for even greater levels of confoundment as we look at the top ten places in New Zealand that visitors (and even some locals) struggle to pronounce.
Pro-tip: “Aotearoa” is the Māori name for New Zealand, pronounced “AU-tay-uh-row-uh”. There are several theories about how Aotearoa got its name, but the general understanding is that this word translates as “land of the long white cloud”.
Taupō, North Island
- Correct pronunciation: TOE-paw
- Incorrect pronunciation: TOW-po or TOWEL-poh
It’s important to understand how place names in New Zealand that come from the Māori language are innately connected to stories and other cultural associations, known as “Whakapapa” (pronounced “FAKA-PAPA”). This is why pronunciation is so important because if the place name is mispronounced, you lose information about its history.
As Sonny Ngatai, social media adviser for Te Māngai Pāho explains, Taupō’s full name is “Taupō nui-a-Tia”, meaning “the great cloak of Tia”.
According to Ngatai, Tia was a great chief who once stood upon a cliff that looked similar to the cloak he was wearing, which led to the area being named Taupō.
Although it’s common even within New Zealand for Taupō to be pronounced “TOW-po”, the correct way to say it is “TOE-paw”.
Whanganui, North Island
- Correct pronunciation: whON-ga-noo-ee
- Incorrect pronunciation: WAN-ga-noo-ee
Up until 2017, the official spelling of this city’s name was “Wanganui”. The “h” was added because locals felt the spelling of Whanganui should reflect the way it’s pronounced by the people indigenous to the area, the Whanganui Māori.
The “Wanganui” spelling reflects confusion around how the first European settlers interpreted the Māori pronunciation of the letter “w”. The Whanganui tribe pronounce it with a soft “wh” sound, while Māori tribes from different areas pronounce “w” with a harder “f” sound. This is why some New Zealand news presenters refer to the area as “FONG-ga-noo-ee” and others – those who grew up speaking the Whanganui dialect – pronounce it as “whON-ga-noo-ee”.
Just as people from different parts of Scotland will pronounce the same words slightly differently, certain Māori words are pronounced differently across New Zealand. The key thing to remember in all of this is respect: it’s okay to get it wrong, as long as you maintain a respectful attitude towards the people you encounter. For this, locals will thank you (potentially by saying “chur, bro!”).
Tauranga, North Island
- Correct pronunciation: TOE-rung-ah or TOE-rrang-gah
- Incorrect pronunciation: TAUR-an-ga or TAUR-un-ger
If you’re not from New Zealand and you’re struggling with this one, take heart: even locals struggle to pronounce the name of this harborside city correctly. Situated in the Bay of Plenty region, the Māori name “Tauranga” means “anchorage” or “resting place”. As for its pronunciation, the most common error is to pronounce the first syllable in a way that’s similar to the word “Taurus”. Instead, think of dipping your toe into the bay for a swim alongside the dolphins when you pronounce Tauranga as “TOE-ranga”.
Dunedin, South Island
- Correct pronunciation: DUH-nee-din or DUH-nee-dn
- Incorrect pronunciation: DUNE-din
The second-largest city in New Zealand’s South Island, Dunedin is known for its picturesque beaches and dramatic cliffs. It was named after the Scottish city of Edinburgh, which is known as Dùn Èideann in Scottish Gaelic. Unless you’re fluent in Scottish Gaelic, you’ll be forgiven for mispronouncing this one. To get it right, make sure you pronounce the first syllable as “DUN” (to rhyme with “fun”) rather than “DUNE” (as in “sand dune”). Yes, Frank Herbert’s novel Dune is a science fiction masterpiece, but when you’re visiting this part of New Zealand, you’re better off packing the collected works of the English metaphysical poet John Donne.
Whangārei, North Island
- Correct pronunciation: FAH-nga-rei or FUHNG-uh-ray
- Incorrect pronunciation: WANG-a-ray or WANG-ga-rye or Whanga-garry
This is another example of Māori words being pronounced slightly differently depending on the speaker’s ancestry. According to tutor Ross Smith, who is of Te Rarawa and Te Aupouri descent, Whangārei should be pronounced with an “f” sound, not a “w” sound. As Mr Smith remarks, “There’s no word in Māori that means wanga”. The word “Whanga”, on the other hand, means “the bay or harbor, it also means the place of waiting.” Additionally, “Rei” comes from the Māori ancestor Reipae, a princess who was married in the area.
However, Smith admits there are regional variations when it comes to the pronunciation of Māori words. For example, iwi in the Whanganui and Taranaki areas pronounce “wh” more like a “w”, whereas iwi in the very Far North pronounce the “h” before the “w”, even though the spelling remains the same.
Based on the disagreement in the comments section of this video – which purports to represent the correct pronunciation of Whangārei – it’s fair to say that this isn’t an entry-level New Zealand place name. If your heart is set on perfection, you can attend Preply tutorials with a New Zealand tutor to make sure you’re up to speed before you visit. More information about this can be found here: English classes in Auckland.
But wait, there’s more! These difficult-to-pronounce New Zealand places also made it into the top ten list:
Rotorua, North Island
- Correct pronunciation: RRRO-to-rru-ah or ROAR-two-roo-ah
- Incorrect pronunciation: ROW-tow-roo-ah
Auckland, North Island
- Correct pronunciation: AWK-luhnd
- Incorrect pronunciation: OAK-land
Paraparaumu, North Island
- Correct pronunciation: PARA-para-umoo
- Incorrect pronunciation: PARRA-parra-ow-mah
Motueka, South Island
- Correct pronunciation: MO-two-aye-cah
- Incorrect pronunciation: Mot-chew-eh-kuh
Ruapehu, North Island
- Correct pronunciation: ROO-ah-pay-hoo
- Incorrect pronunciation: ROO-ape-hoo
