Oops! Some Bay Area Landmarks You're Probably Mispronouncing

The Bay Area has its own way of doing things. And this includes pronouncing things in a very particular way. By saying things incorrectly, you may just be announcing yourself as a tourist or a 'newbie' VS a native.

Many local proper nouns, including Gough Street, Arguello and Ghiradelli, have very specific pronunciations that those new to the Bay Area tend to mispronounce. Others have distinct pronunciations longtime natives use just for fun. And then there are the ones that continue to be debated among locals. 

SFGATE compiled a list of the most commonly mispronounced landmarks, streets, cities, determining the "correct" way to say them by surveying Bay Area natives working at the Chronicle. Some words have a oh-so-very San Francisco way that often defy the rules of any language. Click the gallery below to learn which pronunciations you've got correct, which you may need to revisit and which can be said multiple ways.

Gough

Probably one of the more unforgivable San Francisco mispronunciations is calling Gough Street 'go' street. It's 'goff,' which doesn't really make much sense until you realize the S.F. street rhymes with 'cough.'

Photo: KATY RADDATZ, SFC

Greenwich

Greenwich’s pronunciation is a bone of contention in the 94109. While the most common pronunciation is “Gren-itch,” others swear it is “Green-wich.” Which is it?

Leidesdorff Street

Chronicle columnist and S.F. native Carl Nolte says the correct way to pronounce Leidesdorff Street  is “lee-des-dorf.” Pictured: A plaque on the Embarcadero across from the Ferry Building for the Danish Captain Leidesdorff, who opened the city’s first hotel, according to Nolte.

Ghiradelli

Ghirardelli is pronounced with a hard “g” as in “Gary” instead of a soft “j.”

Nicasio

The SFGATE newsroom consensus was that Nicasio is “ni-CAH’-see-oh,” but multiple readers told us it should be ‘ni-kash-oh.’ 

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Ulloah

Ulloa, the S.F. street and elementary school, is 'you-LOW-ah.'

Photo: Liz Hafalia, SFC

Point Reyes

Point Reyes, the town and the national seashore, is commonly pronounced as “Point Rays.” The alternative, “Point Ray-yes” is short for “I am a tourist.”

Photo: Rashad Sisemore, The Chronicle

Alemany

Alemany is 'al-UH-mainy.' Pictured: Homes above the Alemany Farm in San Francisco.

Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle

Mount Tamalpais

Mount Tamalpais (tam-all-PIE-us) can seem like a mouthful at first, but you can always just take the easy shortcut and call it 'Mt. Tam.'

Photo: Matt McCourtney

Bernal Heights

Bernal Heights. It's BURR-null.

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Kearny Street

Rumor is Kearny Street was originally supposed to be called 'KAR-nee' in honor of its disputed namesake but almost everyone calls it 'kern-ee.'

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Quintara, is not “keen-tahra” but is “kwin-terra.” Pictured: Sunset Reservoir at Quintara and 28th Ave. in San Francisco.

Arguello

Arguello is still a doozy. Some say  ‘ar-GWEL-lo.’ But others, insist it’s ‘ar-GWAY-oh,’ with a nod to Spanish.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Marin

Marin County is 'mah-RIN.' We've heard the faux pas of calling it 'mare-in,' similar to how you'd pronounce the Mariners.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Guerrero

The consensus is that Guerrero Street is 'ger-rare-oh.' Pictured: A Queen Anne mansion at 900 Guerrero St.

Photo: John King

Duboce

Duboce, the street, triangle and park (pictured), is something like 'Duh-BOWS' or 'dew-BOWS', but we do know it's certainly nothing like 'du-bow-see.'

Photo: Mike Kepka, SFC