Blog

New York and Newark Pronunciation Podcast

Posted On: July 12, 2012

To clear the confusion, it is not ‘Newyork’, one long word without a space between ‘New’ and ‘York’. But, it is New York. Two separate words. In the USA, if you pronounce New York as one continuous word, it can cause confusion and may be misunderstood for ‘Newark’ which is a different city. There is also a difference in the way these two words are pronounced. Since New York has a space/pause in it, the intonation goes down at the end of ‘New’ and rises with the Y in ‘York’. In Newark, there is a flat intonation throughout. I have tried to explain this with a story in this audio cast. 

How do I pronounce Newark and New York clearly?

1. Newark is 1 word, and New York is comprised of two words. 
2. Assure when saying New York, there is a slight pause between New and York and that the Y sound is clearly pronounced. 
3. New York is a city in New York State. If New York is hard to pronounce, say ‘New York City’ or ‘The City” instead.
4. Newark is NEVER followed by the term ‘city’, nor is it called “The City.” Where as “New York” may be misunderstood as Newark, “New York City” probably would not be heard as “Newark City” as no one uses this term.
5. Newark is pronounced as “noo-work” (one word), and New York is pronounced as “Noo / yore -k”. With New York, assure that there is a slight pause between these two words, and the Y is pronounced in york. Do not drop the Y sound.

It is true that many Americans also do not realize that New York State and New York City are different. Often when I tell other Americans outside of New York State I am from “New York,” they automatically think about “The City,” and ask me, “So how’s Manhattan? Or Times Square? I think you have been to the Statue of Liberty many times if you live in New York!?” To this, I have to reply, “New York is a big state, of which New York City is a part of. I am from Rochester, New York, which is closer to Niagara Falls. Rochester is about a 6-8 hour drive from New York City!” 

We can help your team in India to speak with more clarity and confidence with stakeholders from the US on virtual teams. Check out our program on handling virtual meetings with US clients. 

More Posts on American English Pronunciation:  
The AW Sound in American English
B and P
J and Z
V and W
Words ending in TION  
L and R (Video by Jennifer)  
TH Sound (Video by Jennifer)  
American R  

Shadowing:
Listen and try to repeat these short sentences about India in an American Accent 
Learn about all of the US states and birthdays 
Map image adapted from Wikipedia, click here.