These Are the World's Most Mispronounced Travel Destinations, Ranked
Telling people about your holiday should be exciting, not embarrassing.
But for many travellers, saying which destinations you’ve been to or are going to can cause anxiety when it comes to actually pronouncing their names correctly.
The world is filled with incredible places that can leave even the most seasoned globetrotters tongue-tied.
Take Dubrovnik, for example. The Croatian hotspot has become increasingly popular in recent years, but despite its global recognition, the correct pronunciation – ‘DOO-brov-neek’ – is still often fumbled.
And what about the French city, Cannes? Most English speakers still say ‘CANS’ instead of ‘kan’.
It seems that many travellers are worried about slipping up with their pronunciation, because there are thousands and thousands of searches each day about how to correctly say different international places!
That’s why we have found out which travel destinations around the world trip people up the most, analysing Google search data about the pronunciation of different places.
Key findings:
- Worcestershire appears in the top searches globally and in each country, proving that speakers around the world struggle with its compressed syllables and silent letters.
- High searches for destinations like Kraków and Ljubljana reflect changing travel interests, but Slavic phonetics are clearly proving challenging for English speakers.
- Official name changes are creating confusion, such as Turkey’s rebranding to Türkiye, which is seeing high searches across the board.
Top 3 Most Mispronounced Destinations Globally
1. Worcestershire (9,400 monthly searches)
Despite being a rural English county, Worcestershire tops the global list with nearly 10,000 monthly searches for pronunciation help. This Midlands county, famous for its sauce, is correctly pronounced “WUSS-ter-sher” or “WUSS-ter-sheer,” not “WOR-ces-ter-shire” as many incorrectly assume. The silent letters and compressed syllables make it a linguistic nightmare – even for native English speakers
2. Qatar (8,100 monthly searches)
The Middle Eastern nation of Qatar has caused significant pronunciation confusion worldwide since it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Some letters in Arabic don’t exist in English, so it is hard to pronounce the name the same as a native speaker, but “KAH-tar”, with a guttural ‘Q’ sound, is accepted.
3. Cannes (3,600 monthly searches)
Famous for its film festival, the glamorous French Riviera city rounds up the global top three. Cannes is correctly pronounced “kan”, not “CANS” as the spelling suggests. The silent ‘s’ and a nasal French vowel make this a common mistake for English speakers!
The Popular European Destination Getting Brits’ Tongues In A Twist
Top 3 Most Mispronounced Destinations for UK Travellers
1. Kraków (600 monthly searches)
Poland’s former capital tops the UK list, reflecting growing British interest in Eastern European city breaks. The correct pronunciation is “KRAH-kuff” with a rolled ‘r’, but many Brits incorrectly say “KRA-cow” or “KRAK-ow,” missing the Polish phonetic nuances entirely.
2. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (500 monthly searches)
This Welsh village holds the record for the longest place name in Europe and, unsurprisingly, causes panic amongst any travellers attempting to say it aloud! The correct pronunciation is roughly klan-vai-uh-puhth-gwin-guhth-guh-uh-uh-thwuhn-dro-buhth-luhn-tuh-si-lee-ow-go-go-gok – a 58-letter tongue-twister that even Welsh speakers approach with caution!!!
2. Türkiye (500 monthly searches)
Formerly known as Turkey, Türkiye officially changed its name in 2022, and it seems that British holidaymakers are still adjusting. The correct pronunciation is “TOOR-kee-yeh”, with emphasis on the first syllable. The Turkish ‘ü’ sound doesn’t actually exist in English, so it’s particularly challenging for British tongues!
Even After the World Cup, Americans Still Don’t Know How to Say “Qatar”
Top 3 Most Mispronounced Destinations for US Travellers
1. Qatar (8000 monthly searches)
Topping the US list is Qatar, reflecting Americans’ interest in the World Cup and other business and leisure travel to this Gulf state. For non-Arabic speakers, the pronunciation of “KAH-tar”, with a guttural ‘Q’ sound, is accepted.
2. Worcestershire (5700 monthly searches)
Even Americans struggle with this rural English county name, particularly when ordering the famous sauce in restaurants. “WUSS-ter-sher” or “WUSS-ter-sheer” is often pronounced “WOR-ces-ter-shire” elsewhere in the world, leading to chaos when talking about both the place and the condiment!
3. Curaçao (2300 monthly searches)
A popular Caribbean island paradise, but Curaçao’s Dutch name causes some confusion when it comes to saying it aloud. The correct pronunciation is “CURE-ah-sow” with emphasis on the first and last syllables, though many people fumble with “cure-ah-KAY-oh”…
Canadians Are Googling How to Pronounce Their Country’s Largest City
Top 3 Most Mispronounced Destinations for Canadian Travellers
1. Worcestershire (1000 monthly searches)
Like their American and British counterparts, Canadians struggle with this English county name. The pronunciation challenge seems to transcend borders, with “WUSS-ter-sher” proving difficult for both sides of the Atlantic!
2. Toronto (200 monthly searches)
Surprisingly, Canada’s largest city appears in Canadian pronunciation searches, which is likely a result of uncertainty about the ‘correct’ vs local pronunciation. Locals say “tuh-RON-oh” or “TRON-oh,” while others might say “tuh-RON-tow” – we’ll let the Canadians confirm!
2. Curaçao (200 monthly searches)
The Dutch Caribbean island takes joint second for Canada and, like Americans, Canadians struggle with “CURE-ah-sow,” often attempting the incorrect “cure-ah-KAY-oh”
Turkey’s Name Change Has Aussies Floundering for Pronunciation Help
Top 2 Most Mispronounced Destinations for Australian Travellers
1. Türkiye (200 monthly searches)
Australia’s top pronunciation nightmare is the newly renamed Turkey. Australian travellers seem to still be adjusting to the new “TOOR-kee-yeh” pronunciation. The Turkish ‘ü’ sound doesn’t exist in Australian English, making this particularly challenging for Aussie tongues.
1. Worcestershire (200 monthly searches)
Even Down Under, this English county name causes confusion. Trying to pronounce “WUSS-ter-sheer” with the characteristic Australian vowel sounds can sometimes trip up Aussie travellers.
Methodology
We analysed search volume relating to the pronunciation of worldwide destinations using the key phrase ‘how to pronounce [destination/place]’.
Data was found for global, UK, US, Australian and Canadian searches.
A full data set is available upon request.
Data is correct as of May 2025.