10 Most Mispronounced Towns In New York State

If you have only ever ventured to “The Big Apple,” odds are you would probably struggle to pronounce some of these New York towns.  

A few of the most common mispronounced towns are located in Western New York. One of them is Corfu. 

If you read that as “cor-FOO,” you’d be incorrect. 

The most common pronunciation you’ll hear in Western New York for Corfu is “cor-PHEW.” And anyone that lives in Corfu will tell you…that’s the only way you should say it. 

Chautauqua is another town that so many out-of-staters will mispronounce. Some people who live on the east side of the state will even make this mistake…which is unfortunate, because it’s more than just the name of a town. Chautauqua is also the name for a county and a lake, so it’s one that you should definitely know. 

The proper way to say Chautauqua is "sha-talk-wuh". And despite the challenging-to-pronounce name, Chautauqua is a popular vacation spot, so maybe you’ll be able to see it for yourself if you haven’t already. 

But before you go anywhere, you may want to brush up on these commonly mispronounced towns, just to make sure you got it right. Because the worst thing you can do is say a town incorrectly in front of a local. Trust me, you do not want to do that. 

Take a look at the top 10 most mispronounced towns in New York state.