This Upstate New York Attraction Is America’s Most Mispronounced Tourist Spot

You'll never guess which iconic New York spot has visitors everywhere scratching their heads over how to say its name.

I did a double take when I first saw this list and wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Turns out the list was legitimate, which makes this so much worse.

How the heck did this destination beat out Massachusetts' Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg (pronounced: Chaar-Gaa-Guh-Gaag-Man-Chaa-Guh-Gaag-Chau-Buh-Nuh-Guhng-Guh-Maag)?

I'm sure we all could think of a tourist spot that doubles as a tricky tongue twister, but I doubt any of us would be able to predict that - out of the entire continental U.S. - this upstate landmark is what America struggles to pronounce most.

The Most Mispronounced Tourist Spot in America Is...

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HawaiianIslands.com looked into the 90 most popular tourist attractions in the country and then searched for them on Frovo, an online pronunciation dictionary, to see which spots gave people the toughest time.

For some reason, Niagara Falls was the destination with the most searches.

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Tourists listened to its pronunciation over 31,000 on Forvo. Not only that, it was also the second-most mispronounced nature spot in the world, coming behind Torres del Paine in Chile, which racked up 34,000 listens.

Apparently, a lot of people think Niagara Falls is pronounced like "Ny-ah-gara" and not "Nahy-ag-ruh."

Niagara Falls is visited by over 20 million people a year, and not all of them are native English speakers. So it's understandable that there will be travelers who will look up how to say its name correctly.

While Niagara Falls is famous throughout the United States and Canada, there are probably a lot of languages that would find its spelling and pronunciation unintuitive.

Check out to see what other U.S. attractions are considered tongue twisters:

Several other New York tourists spots made the list, with the Brooklyn Bridge coming in 8th place with more than 7,1000 Forvo listens. 

Central Park and the Museum of Modern Art followed in respective ninth and 10th place, while Rockefeller Center placed 12th on this list.

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Lake Champlain tied in 18th place with Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.  

Things to do in Niagara Falls

This natural wonder is a top destination for a reason. The breathtaking waterfalls enchant visitors year after year with its panoramic views and unique roaring sounds.

Visitors can even see the waters up close with the Maid of the Mist boat tour, which has been shuttling spectators since 1846.

When not oohing and aahing over the views, you can also enjoy an incredible glass of wine made in the local region, which some experts say has a climate comparable to France's famed wine-making region of Alsace.

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Some of the recommended places in Niagara's wine region include the family-run Niagara Landing Wine Cellars, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards and A Gust of Sun in Ransomville.

For those who want to carve out a wine tour during their Niagara visit can visit this helpful website that lists all the locations you can visit, in addition to some suggestions of places to grab a quick bite.

Local officials also encourage visitors to check out the Flight of Five locks, which is found along the Erie Canal in Lockport. Several of the historic locks have been fully restored, so spectators can watch them in actin as they raise and lower more than 60 feet to let boats pass safely.

What was your favorite memory from Niagara Falls? More importantly, were you able to say its name right?

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