Candidates' Guide to Pronouncing Nevada in Time for GOP Caucuses
Many politicians repeatedly trip over how to pronounce “Nev-AD-ah.”
— -- When it comes to campaigning for votes, the least a presidential candidate can do is correctly pronounce the name of the states.
It’s not such an easy feat, however, when it comes to the state of Nevada.
People have butchered the Silver State’s pronunciation for years, calling it “Nev-AH-da” instead of correctly saying “Nev-AD-ah.”
GOP front-runner Donald Trump mangled the state’s name when he gave a victory speech after winning the South Carolina primary.
“Some are going to Nevada. I'll be going to Nevada. We're making a big speech tomorrow in Atlanta. And then we're going right to Nevada,” said Trump, who has business interests in Las Vegas, goofing up the name three times.
And in a how-to-caucus video, Ivanka Trump followed her father’s footsteps and also mispronounced the name of the state.
While the mispronunciations may irk some Nevadans, it doesn’t seem to be hurting Trump, who has a double-digit lead over his fellow Republican candidates.
Two former presidential hopefuls earlier this election cycle were also guilty of botching Nevada’s name: Republican candidate Jeb Bush, who recently quit the race, and erstwhile Democratic candidate Lincoln Chafee.
Some, however, have gone to lengths to make sure that the mistake is never made. Despite losing Nevada to rival Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders made sure while campaigning in the state that he and his volunteers had it right -- “HINT: It’s Ne-VAD-uh not Ne-VOD-uh,” the campaign’s site reads.
The Twitter handle @saynevada has taken to shaming and retweeting trolls who call out politicians and news anchors when they’ve committed the ultimate taboo of mispronouncing the state.