Peregian, a popular beach near Noosa, is easier to appreciate than it is to say. Photo / 123rf
Peregian, a popular beach near Noosa, is easier to appreciate than it is to say. Photo / 123rf
A stretch of Australian and Kiwi strands have topped a list of the world’s most mispronounced beaches.
While the lands Downunder are world famous for beach culture, there’s a little more uncertainty about how to pronounce the beaches.
Just from a sample of red-faced tourists asking directions to “Woolloomooloo Beach”, it’s clear Aussie’s esoteric naming conventions are not kind to the untrained ear.
However, according to research compiled by the travel blog HawaiianIslands.com, Australia is surrounded by breaks that few can pronounce.
Peregian Beach in Queensland was named as the world’s most difficult-to-say beach name.
Pronounced “Puh-ree-jee-uhn”, it takes its name from the first nations Kabi Kabi word for emu.
According to the report, Australia was home to beach names that tourists struggled the most with. The confusing coastal spot was “a good example of the unique way that Australians pronounce their vowels, from the drawn-out to the unstressed”.
Using data from Forvo, an online pronunciation dictionary, more than 4000 people in the last year were confounded by the spot on the Sunshine Coast. Strewth!
Six of the top 20 most mispronounced beaches were found in Australia - Milk Beach (sixth), Clovelly Beach (seventh), Bondi Beach (14th), Vaucluse Bay (18th) and Manly Beach (20th).
Paraparaumu Beach - a strand few tourists can pronounce. Photo / David Haxton
New Zealand also threw up its own tongue-twisting surf breaks.
Bethells baffled many tourists, ranking eighth on the list with 2200 lookups via Forvo.
Beachgoers just didn’t know what to do with Paraparaumu Beach, joint 14th most-difficult to pronounce with 1400 listens.
Other most difficult-to-pronounce beaches were scattered across the globe. Mexico’s Playa Bucerías was third-most-difficult to pronounce with 2400 confused listeners.
Germany’s Strandbad Wannsee was No 2. Despite being an inland strand on a lake it didn’t help make it any less confusing for visitors.
