toronto

Study confirms most Canadians don't know how to pronounce Toronto

For all of the weird nicknames Toronto has been given (Hogtown! T.O.! The Big Smoke!) nothing bothers my ears more than hearing two hard "T"s.

It's not "tor-ahn-toe," it's Toronno. Or Churrano. Or even Trawna.

Pronouncing the second "T" in Toronto not only sounds pretentious, it's a dead giveaway that you don't actually live in Toronto – which is fine, if you're a tourist. We get enough foreign media here to know that you say it wrong.

What's more surprising is that, apparently, most of the other people in Canada say our city's name like an American does.

how toronto pronounced

Most Canadians appear to think that Toronto has multiple hard "T"s. Toronto begs to differ. Photo via The 10 and 3.

Data visualization firm The 10 and 3 recently compiled the results of a nation-wide survey on how Canadians speak.

To get these numbers, researchers conducted an online survey of 9,500 English-speaking Canadians, asking respondents about everything from Kraft Dinner to bristol board.

The results are as surprising as they are fascinating, (did you know that "crooked" means "cranky" in Newfoundland?)

Unfortunately, they also reveal a heavy truth that the citizens of our city must come to accept: Nobody outside of Toronto really knows how to say Toronto.

No beef, rest of Canada – I still have yet to master "Calgary," as my friends from Calgary are quick to point out whenever I say "CAL-gerry."

Lead photo by

Marcanadian


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Latest in City

Here's where Canada ranks among the richest countries in the world

Toronto temperatures are going to swing by 18 C this week

Ontario man shuts down racist rant in viral video

Ontario's August forecast for 2026 has officially arrived and here's what to expect

Canada's rank is slipping among world's happiest countries

Toronto scales back controversial park redesign after backlash

Toronto could make indoor temperatures above 26 C illegal

Entire TTC line has been shut down all day amid brutal heat wave