You've Been Pronouncing These 18 Country And City Names Wrong Your Whole Life
Other than a fanny pack, baseball cap and a big camera hanging from your neck, mispronouncing the city you're in is a surefire way to let everyone know you're a tourist.
But let's face it, learning the proper pronunciation of every place in the world can be tricky, and no one wants to be labelled as an ignorant foreigner.
There's also nothing more irritating than realising you've been pronouncing something wrong your entire life, so here are 18 countries you've probably been saying wrong, and how you should actually be pronouncing them:
Melbourne, Australia
Wrong: "Mel-BORN"
Right: "Melb'n"
Bangkok, Thailand
Wrong: "BANG-kok"
Right: "Bahng-Gawk"
Iraq
Wrong: "EYE-rack"
Right: "ee-ROCK"
Beijing, China
Wrong: "Bay-zhhhing"
Right: "Bey-Jing"
Brisbane, Australia
Wrong: "Bris-BAYNE"
Right: "Brisb'n"
Colombia
Wrong: "Co-LUM-bee-a"
Right: "Co-LOHM-bee-a"
Lafayette, USA
Wrong: "Lah-FEY-et"
Right: "Laff-EE-yet"
Dubai, UAE
Wrong: "Doo-BYE"
Right: "Du-BAY"
Reykjavik, Iceland
Wrong: "RAKE-ja-vik"
Right: "REY-kya-vik"
The River Thames, UK
Wrong: "THAYms"
Right: "TEMs"
Niger
Wrong: "NYE-jer"
Right: "nee-ZHAIR"
Qatar
Wrong: "Kah-TAR"
Right: "Kuh-Ter"
Montreal, Canada
Wrong: "MON-tree-ALL"
Right: "MUN-tree-all"
Phuket, Thailand
Wrong: "Foo-kit" or "Fuh-ket"
Right: "Poo-get"
Worcestershire, UK
Wrong: "Wor-chester-shyr"
Right: "Wusta-sheer"
Versailles, France
Wrong: "Ver-SAYLZ"
Right: "Ver-SYE"
Yosemite Park, USA
Wrong: "Yo-SE-mi-nee" or "Yo-se-MIGHT"
Right: "Yoh-sem-it-ee"
Worcester, UK
Wrong: "Wor-ches-ter" or "WOR-sess-ter"
Right: "WOSS-ter"
Pakistan
Wrong: "PAK-uh-Stan" or "PAK-ee-Stan"
Right: "PAH-kee-Stahn"