Brits love a good holiday abroad. One of the benefits of living in the UK is that we have Europe on our doorstep – however, a lot of people may actually have no idea how to pronounce the place they're jetting off to.
Language experts at learning app Preply have listed places Brits most commonly struggle to pronounce. If you’re planning a trip to any of these locations, check your pronunciation with Preply's useful guide (below). By knowing how to pronounce your dream destination, you can save some face when you're out there.
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Correct pronunciation: “Kan”
The pronunciation of this glamorous French destination still trips people up. Many Brits instinctively sound out the final “s” or add an extra syllable, but it's actually a swift one syllable “kan”.
Correct pronunciation: “Poo-ket”
This gorgeous island destination is super popular with British tourists but still gets mispronounced constantly. The spelling can be misleading, but the correct pronunciation is far more straightforward, starting with a soft “p” to form “poo-ket”.
Correct pronunciation: “Cheen-kweh teh-rreh”
Famous for its pastel buildings and charming harbours, this beautiful stretch of Italian coastline sees millions of tourists every year – and so many people are pronouncing it wrong.
Don’t default to English phonetics; instead use the Italian rules, beginning with “cheen-kweh” and ending with a rolled “teh-rreh”.
Correct pronunciation: “Krah-kov”
This Polish city is frequently mispronounced. The key mistake is overemphasising the “ow” ending, when it should be a softer “kov”.
Correct pronunciation: “Ee-bee-tha”
It might be one of the UK’s favourite places for a party, but that doesn’t mean it’s immune from mispronunciation. Many people still overpronounce the “z” when it should be a soft “th” sound.
Correct pronunciation: “Lah-gosh”
This holiday hotspot in the Algarve is often mispronounced by tourists. In English, people will pronounce it phonetically when, in fact, in Portuguese the ending is a softer “sh” sound creating “lah-gosh”.
Common mispronunciation: “Buda-pest”
Hungary’s capital proves tricky thanks to its deceptive spelling. The correct pronunciation swaps the hard “pest” for a softer “pesht”.
Correct pronunciation: “Bar-theh-lo-na”
Even though Barcelona is an incredibly popular destination for tourists, many still anglicise the name. In Spanish, the “c” is pronounced “th”.
Correct pronunciation: “Mar-li-bone”
Even though it’s on the home soil of the UK, many people still stumble on the pronunciation of certain places. Marylebone is one of these places. Rather than pronouncing it phonetically, it's clipped into “Mar-li-bone”.
Correct pronunciation: “Edin-bruh”
Scotland’s capital is a classic stumbling block for visitors, who often over-enunciate every letter in an attempt to get it right. In reality, locals take a far more relaxed approach, dropping the ending entirely and keeping it short and understated: “Edin-bruh.”
