Alabama Town Earns Title of America’s Most Mispronounced Place

Many towns in Alabama could get your tongue twisted when you try to pronounce them correctly.

Like the city of Helena, Alabama, it’s pronounced Huh-LEEN-ah, but some would say Hell-EE-Nah or Hell-Ah-Nah.

However, Frommers, the travel experts, have identified the most mispronounced place in Alabama.

“Sneaky silent letters, surprising spots to place emphasis, and Americanized versions of foreign words can trip up tongues from Albuquerque to Zephyrhills. For out-of-towners, nothing will separate them from the locals quite as fast as saying the name of their city, region, state, or street the wrong way. Impress them instead by learning the correct pronunciations of these U.S. locales you might be mangling.”

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One Alabama Town Ranks Most Mispronounced Place in America

Mobile, Alabama

“MO-buhl is an adjective for movement, and a MO-byle is a British person’s cell phone,” said Frommers. The correct way to pronounce Mobile is “MO-beel or mo-BEEL—it doesn’t really matter whether you emphasize the second syllable or not, just as long as you say it right.”