La Habana, Cuba. To pronounce this en español, drop the H of Habana, and don't do a diphthong in Cuba. The U is just like oo. All of the 'a's are as in 'father'. Now, the world is a better place.

One more pronunciation note: in the Cuban Spanish I've heard in Miami, the "v" is a voiced bilabial fricative, rather than the voiced labiodental fricative of English.

If you're curious about how to make this sound, try this: put your lips together as if to say "mmm...", and then try to make a "v" sound without moving your bottom lip back to touch your upper teeth.

Ha*van"a (?), a.

Of or pertaining to Havana, the capital of the island of Cuba; as, an Havana cigar

; -- formerly sometimes written Havannah. --

n.

An Havana cigar.

Young Frank Clavering stole his father's Havannahs, and . . . smoked them in the stable. Thackeray.

 

© Webster 1913.

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