How do you pronounce these Capital Region names?

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- It's no secret that Upstate New York is known for having difficult to pronounce names for its cities, towns, and even bodies of water. This isn't a new conversation as I've found it's been widely discussed on different online platforms for over 10 years.

Now, I do have to say that I think some Capital Region names are not as difficult to pronounce as some names in the Central New York area. Have you ever tried to say "Skaneateles"? (It's pronounced like "skinny atlas" or "skanny atlas.")

I love to brag that I've lived in the Capital Region my whole life, but even I didn't know how to pronounce some of these names. I'm looking at you, "Val-uh-TIE."

Out of all the Capital Region names, the word "Rensselaer" is the most interesting to me because it seems like there isn't a right or wrong way to say it. Even locals will fight with you on how the word is pronounced.

Growing up, my father owned an auto repair shop in Rensselaer. Each Saturday, he would take either me or my brother to the shop for the day. It was the first time I heard the name "Rensselaer" and based on how the people around me were saying it, I started pronouncing it "ren-suh-LEER."

When I started working at NEWS10, I found that this is not the way everyone pronounces it. In fact, for the NEWS10 broadcasts, we have to pronounce it "ren-sluhr."

I've also heard some people say "REN-suh-luhr." And apparently, people pronounce the City of Rensselaer and Rensselaer County differently even though it's the same word.

But which pronunciation is correct? Overall, I think "Rensselaer" can get away with having different pronunciations by the locals. But I know some people are persistent it's pronounced a certain way, and they will die on that hill.

For other places, I believe pronunciation absolutely does matter. You don't want to get caught saying "val-uh-TIE" in "vuh-LAY-shuh." Sorry about that, Valatie.

Even a name like Albany may be mispronounced by those not from the Capital Region. I thought it was a given that it was pronounced "all-bany," but some out-of-towners may stress the first syllable to say "AL-bany." The same thing happens with "Altamont."

Sometimes, it's stressing certain parts of the word that get people. With Cohoes, is it "KA-hose" or "CO-hose"? Is it "CORE-inth" or "cor-RINTH"? And right when you think you know how to pronounce "Cairo" (like the city in Egypt right?), it's actually "care-oh" or "kay-row."

One pronunciation I learned just now while writing this article is how to say "Feura Bush." I've been saying "fair-A" but apparently it's "FEW-rah"? Oops.

Something that often surprises people is that "Greenwich" is not pronounced "gren-itch" like it is in Connecticut, NYC, or London, England. It's actually pronounced just how it looks, "green-witch."

There are some other Capital Region names that aren't cities or towns that people may have a hard time pronouncing as well. The Twin Bridges connects Albany County and Saratoga County via the Northway, but the bridge's formal name is the Thaddeus Kosciuszko Bridge. According to the National Park Service, "Kosciuszko" is pronounced "kos-CHOOS-ko."

The Kayaderosseras, as in the Kayaderosseras Creek that runs through Saratoga County, has a bunch of unnecessary letters. It is pronounced simply as "kay-der-ross."

Here are some other places people may have a hard time pronouncing if they are not from this area. You can also hear me pronounce these names in the video player above.

• Coeymans (KWEE-mans)
• Coxsackie (cook-SOCK-ee)
• Ephratah (a-FRAY-tah)
• Galway (gal-way) (not gaal-way like in Ireland)
• Saugerties (saw-ger-tees)
• Schaghticoke (skat-ee-COKE)
• Schenectady (ske-NEK-ta-dee)
• Voorheesville (vore-ees-vill)
• Watervliet (water-valeet)

All in all, as long as no one pronounces any of these places wildly incorrect, I think we can let it slide. Did I miss one that you have trouble pronouncing? Or do you pronounce one of these words differently? Let me know by emailing me at srizzo@news10.com.