PalenQ, there is North Carolina or South Carolina or you can be from the Carolinas but no such place as Carolina.

Ap-EL-atchian is how I pronounce Appalachian.

Accent on the second syllable? That's one I've never heard.

"Worcester" is "Wustah," as everyone in Newingland knows.

"Caribbean" is harder -- by custom, the "i" before two consonants (the double "b") should be short, so it would be Cah-RIB-be-an. But it's named for, more or less, the Caribes, and so you'd expect the "i" to be pronounced "ee" -- leaving you to choose which syllable on which to put the emphasis.

Seems to me it's worth trying to pronounce a place name the way the inhabitants do -- so up north you can refer to the Green and White Mts. as part of the "Appullay-chen" chain, and further south you can say "Appul-atchen." What you ought NOT to do is correct locals on their pronunciation of their own place names.

Don't we have a resident expert to determine who is instantly stupid?

NC born and bred. I say it how Edwards appears to have said it (and how elsiemoo says it).

In NC, the people who say the third syllable as "AY" are usually from parts elsewhere.

In Kentucky, it is also "appa-latch-un", at least on the end of the state that is actually part of the Appalachians!

Apple Latch Chin if you live here. The other if yer going to be snooty about it.

Betsy, in central, rural, KY, in the dark ages, we learned in grade school to say Appel-a-shun. Of course, we also learned to say I-o-way and Ill-i-noise.

Some of us now know better.

Worcester native here confirming it's "Wusta".

But if you live 10 miles outside of Wusta then its Woos-ter.

Lancaster, South Carolina is pronounced 'Langster'.

Leicester North Carolina is pronounced 'Lester'.

There is an 'all benny' Georgia and an 'alb'ny' NY; there is a 'kay-ro' GA and a 'Kie-ro' Egypt; there is a Vi-enna, GA and a Vee-enna Italy. Always pronounce it the way the locals do.

The first syllable begins like "would" not like "woo-woo."

Leicester, MA is also pronounced
"Lester".

Leominster, MA is pronounced "Lemon-ster".

What about Beaufort, SC? Isn't it pronounced Bew-fert?

.. of Worcester, that is.

Anyone want to try "Billerica"? "Leominster"?

Beat me to it, Hubster!

How about Calais, ME. In France it's
Cal-ay... in ME its Cal-us.

I always thought it was Wis-tah.

How about some tough ones:
Schuylkill, Beaufort, NC vs Beaufort, SC.

Bow-fert, North Carolina

Bew-fert, South Carolina

:)

Elsiemoo is absolutely correct about Appalachian and Beaufort.
(I hate to admit that John Edwards is correct about anything!)

Bill-RICK-uh = Billerica
LEM-in-stuh = Leominster