Before you visit the city, you need to learn how to pronounce the name of the town. While it was once called "Gruesli-Laager," the current name is pronounced Cha-duh-NOO-guh. While the town's original name is Cherokee, the name of the city was changed to Chattanooga in 1836. Unlike the Cherokee, however, the locals of Chattanooga prefer to pronounce the city's name as "Cha-duh-NOO-guh." This is because the word 'Chatta-duh-NOO-guh' has four syllables and is pronounced as 'Ch-duh-NOO-guh,' with a soft "d."