Sofia, Bulgaria

Sofia means 'wisdom' in Greek and the Greek word is pronounced with a stress on the 'i'. Many visitors and tourists usually pronounce Sofia with the Greek pronunciation which is also common for the female name Sofia or Sophia. However the name of the city Sofia in Bulgaria is pronounced with a stress on the 'o' and not on the 'i'. So, if you want to impress the locals by pronouncing the name of their city as they do, try to pronounce it as 'sOfia' and not as 'sofIa'. For extra authentic pronunciation add an almost quite 'y' at the end and pronounce it as 'sOfyia'

Photo taken at Sofia, Bulgaria