1 | Louisville, Kentucky

Locals will be the first to correct you if you call Louisville, the famous Kentucky Derby destination, "LOO-iss-vill." But even residents disagree about the right way to say their city. According to the Courier-Journal, two acceptable pronunciations are "LOO-a-vul" and "LOO-ee-vill." And for more tricky terms, This Is the Most Commonly Misspelled Word in the Country.

2 | Spokane, Washington

Spokane is the second largest city in Washington state. It's pronounced "Spo-CAN" not "Spo-CANE" and comes from a Salish tribe word that means "children of the sun." It was incorporated as a city in 1881, after traders and trappers settled in the area in the early 19th century.

3 | Boise, Idaho

The capital of Idaho was named after the French term meaning "wooded," which was coined by French-Canadian fur hunters in the 19th century. Just don't make the mistake of calling it "Boy-ZEE" instead of "BOY-see." And for more dictionary surprises, here are 25 Everyday Words That Used to Have Different Meanings.

4 | Poughkeepsie, New York

New Yorkers have a very distinct accent, which gets especially tricky when they're talking about their hometowns. If you're heading to Poughkeepsie, a small city on the Hudson River just north of the Big Apple, make sure you ask for directions to "Puh-KIP-see" and not "Poh-KEEP-see" or "Poh-KIP-see."

5 | New Orleans, Louisiana

We don't blame you if you're slurring your words down on Bourbon Street. But even with a few hurricanes in your system, it would be pretty embarrassing to mess up the pronunciation of New Orleans. While you may have heard rumors that it's called "NOO Or-LEENZ," "NAW-lins," or "NAWR-lins," they're all technically wrong. To fit right in, say "Noo OR-lins."

6 | Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and part of a trio of university towns, including Durham and Chapel Hill, that make up the so-called Research Triangle. Before you head to this city, take a lesson on how to pronounce it: "Rah-lee." Aced it! And for more regional terms you should know, check out the 60 Words People Pronounce Differently Across America.

7 | Des Moines, Iowa

This Iowa city has the same issue as the state of Illinois. The silent "s" tends to throw visitors off. The real pronunciation is actually "DUH Moin."

8 | Helena, Montana

You may want to be modest when pronouncing the capital of Montana as "Hel-AY-nuh" or "Hel-EE-nuh." However, the emphasis is actually at the start of the city's name, "HEL-en-uh," despite it sounding like a swear word. And for more up-to-date information delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

9 | Mobile, Alabama

While this Southern city may look like it's pronounced similarly to a mobile phone, that's not quite right. Instead of emphasizing the first syllable, such as "MOH-bull," "MOH-bill," or "MOH-bile," it's actually pronounced "Moh-BEEL."

10 | Tucson, Arizona

The "c" in Tucson tends to trip people up. Luckily, it's an easy thing to fix. The Southwestern city is actually pronounced "TOO-son."

11 | Bethesda, Maryland

This port city in Maryland is tricky because when you spell it out, it sounds like "Beth-es-duh." In reality, residents refer to it as "Buh-THEZ-duh."