Spanish and Indian Place Names of California

List of Names Most Likely to Be Mispronounced, With Their Phonetic Pronunciation

Agua	pronounced	Ah´gwah. Spanish Americans often mispronounce this word by leaving out the g, calling it ah´wa.
Aguajito	″	Ah-gwah-hee´to.
Alameda	″	Ah-lah-may´dthah.
Los Ángeles	″	Loce Ahng´hell-ess.
Asunción	″	Ah-soon-see-on´, with the o long, as in hope.
El Cajón	″	El Kah-hon´, with the o long, as in hope.
Camino Real	″	Kah-mee´no Ray-ahl´.
Cañada	″	Kahn-yah´dtha, with the d slightly softened like th in then.
Carpintería	″	Kar-peen-tay-ree´ah.
Carquínez	″	Kar-kee´ness.
Conejo	″	Ko-nay´ho.
Corral	″	Kore-rahl´.
Dolores	″	Do-lo´ress.
Farallones	″	Fah-rahl-yo´ness, in Spanish-American, Fa-rah-yo´ness.
Los Gatos	″	Loce Gah´tos, the o long, as in hope.
Guadalupe	″	Gwa-dah-loo´pay.
La Jolla	″	La Hole´yah, or in Spanish-American, Ho´yah.
La Joya	″	La Ho´yah.
La Junta	″	La Hoon´tah.
Laguna Seca	″	Lah-goo´nah Say´cah.
Lagunitas	″	Lah-goo-nee´tas.
Matilija	″	Mah-tee-lee´hah.
Merced	″	Mare-sedth´, with the d slightly softened like th in then.
Mesa	″	May´sah.
Ojo	″	O´ho, with the j strongly aspirated.
Pájaro	″	Pah´hah-ro.
Paso Robles	″	Pah´so Ro´blace.
Portolá	″	Por-to-lah´.
Punta Arenas	″	Poon´tah Ah-ray´nas.
Rodéo	″	Ro-day´o.
Salinas	″	Sah-lee´nas.
San Gerónimo	″	Sahn Hay-ro´nee-mo.
San Jacinto	″	Sahn Hah-seen´to.
San Joaquín	″	Sahn Wha-keen´.
San José	″	Sahn Ho-say´.
San Juan Bautista	″	Sahn Whan Bau-tees´ta.
San Julián	″	Sahn Hoo-lee-ahn´.
San Luís Obispo	″	Sahn Loo-ees´ O-bees´po.
San Martín	″	Sahn Mar-teen´.
San Quintín	″	Sahn Keen-teen´, colloquially spelled Quentin.
Santa Fé	″	Sahnta Fay´.
Santa Inez	″	Sahnta Ee-ness´.
San Ysidro	″	Sahn Ee-see´dro, also spelled Isidro.
Suñol	″	Soon-yole´.
Vallejo	″	Val-yay´ho, in Spanish-American Vah-yay´ho.
Las Vírgenes	″	Las Veer´hen-ess.