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9 Los Angeles Words You Are Probably Mispronouncing

Are you saying “Los Feliz” right?

We've all wondered exactly how to pronounce an L.A. street name, food or something our yoga teacher mentioned. And don't even get us started on the non-Spanish pronunciation of Spanish words. But if you want to fit in like real Angeleno, here's a starter list of how to say stuff, SoCal-style.

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The Broad Museum

The Wrong Way: Rhymes with Maude
The Right Way: With a long "o," like go

It only just opened, but its moneybags namesake Eli Broad has been funding arts in L.A. for years.

Chakra

The Wrong Way: Shock-rah
The Right Way: “Chuckra” with a hard “ch” and an “uh” sound

Maybe hearing everyone say it wrong while maintaining inner peace is the universe’s way of teaching us to be yogis.

Doheny

Wrong Way: DOUGH-enny
Right Way: Dough-HE-nee

It’s the family name of an important Los Angeles oil baron from the 1890s, so show some respect.

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Rodeo Drive

Wrong Way: Ro-dee-oh
Right Way: Row-day-oh

You’re probably already saying this one correctly, with its Spanish pronunciation.

Cañon Drive

Wrong Way: Canyon
Right Way: Cannon

If you’re L.A. born and bred, you know we dropped that tilde years ago.

San Pedro

The Wrong Way: San-PAY-droh
The Right Way: San-PEE-droh

This charming rough-and-tumble seaport to the south is its own little world, and has its own little pronunciation.

Poke

The Wrong Way: Rhymes with “bloke”
The Right Way: Rhymes with “okay”

This Hawaiian dish made up of chunks of raw fish is showing up on fine-dining menus, at fast-food joints and even at Ralphs.

Pho

The Wrong Way: Foh (as in “fo sure”)
The Right Way: Fuh

This popular Vietnamese noodle soup’s correct pronunciation isn’t helped by restaurants with misleading (and just plain bad) pun names like 9021Pho and Phorage.

Los Feliz

The Wrong Way: Los Fey-LEASE
The Right Way: Los FEE-lus

Chichi residential neighborhood, represent: You rated an entire Los Angeles Times article about whether to pronounce your name with the rarer, original Spanish pronunciation or the more common, Anglicized way.

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dana dickey

Senior Editor

  • Writes about fashion, wellness, relationships and travel
  • Oversees all LA/California content and is the go-to source for where to eat, stay and unwind on the west coast
  • Studied journalism at the University of Florida