The locals will usually say “Chi-caw-go”.
Really? I thought it was just the opposite...Would be an interesting survey question LOL!
I say Chi-cah-go as do many locals...But then I was not born in Cook~~I was born and raised in DuPage where I live today btw ;)
Chi-cah-go and Chi-caw-go sound pretty much the same to me.
But I am not an expert on phonetics. The first language I learned as my mother tongue is 100% phonetic. There is no ambiguity on how to pronounce what is written.