Wilkes-Barre is a city in northeastern Pennsylvania, commonly written with a hyphen as Wilkes-Barre. It is pronounced with a two-syllable name where the stress falls on the first syllable of the first word and the second word begins with a clear Bair-like vowel; locally it often sounds like Wilks-BAYR or WILKS-bayr. The term combines the surname Wilkes with the Germanic element -Barre meaning a hill or barrier, reflecting historical settlement naming.
Full pronunciation guide
