# Town names that only locals get the pronunciation correct **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 17, 2022, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832 "2022-08-17T14:57:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/142 "2022-08-20T23:01:45Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Kuh-RON-doe-let for Carondolet That one drives me nuts. It drove my mother nuts too as the Sisters of Carondolet were her teachers. When she was in school in St. Paul, MN it was pronounced the French way. Now even the MN branch mispronounce it. Another: LEE-sur for Le Sueur, MN (Named by the French Voyageurs but settled by others who couldn’t pronounce French). ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/143 "2022-08-21T00:11:57Z")
Pompeii, MI is pronounced by the locals as pom-pee-eye. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/144 "2022-08-21T04:18:22Z")
The small Texas town of Colorado City is pronounced [_KOL-ə-RAY-də_](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key) _City_. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/145 "2022-08-21T04:39:37Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > @Loach > > Your mention of Ft Rucker explains a lot. Mr VOW went to ATC school there. Didn’t make it; instead of a certificate, he got migraines instead. > > ~VOW My training there as an aeroscout observer was now over 30 years ago but I seem to remember there was some sort of practice airfield at Louisville. ATC would have heard the name a lot. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/146 "2022-08-21T15:15:32Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Carmel. Pronounced CAR-mul, unlike the one in California, which is pronounced car-MEL. New York has Carmel pronounced CAR-mul. It also has Mt. Carmel, pronunciation unknown to me. The first one is sometimes called Mt. Carmel for reasons also unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/147 "2022-08-21T15:44:17Z")
I seem to remember from my time working there that Missouri has some odd pronunciations. The only one I can remember now is Nevada, pronounced ne-VAY-duh. Here in Michigan, we’ve got Saline, pronounced suh-LEEN. In Detroit, a main road is Gratiot, pronounced GRA-shit. There’s a township by me named after a Dutch province (not quite spelled the same): Overisel, pronounced over-EYETZ-uhl. The actual Dutch spelling would make it even more challenging for non-natives to pronounce: Overijssel. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/148 "2022-08-21T16:59:47Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > New York has Carmel pronounced CAR-mul. It also has Mt. Carmel, pronunciation unknown to me. The first one is sometimes called Mt. Carmel for reasons also unknown. Probably named after the biblical Mt Carmel. Or at least assumed to be so named. There is also a biblical town named Carmel, but it’s not as well known. By my count, there are 11 biblical mountains with North American places named for them: Ararat Carmel Hermon Horeb Moriah Nebo Olivet Pisgah Sinai Tabor Zion ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/149 "2022-08-21T17:38:19Z")
New MAD-rid, Missouri CAI-ro, Illinois ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/150 "2022-08-21T18:15:53Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > New MAD-rid, Missouri That reminds me of another Oregon one: Madras: MAD-rəs and not mah-DRAHS, as in the Indian city. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/151 "2022-08-21T19:54:10Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Also in Hoosierland there is La Fontaine. (la fountain) When I was a kid visiting family in Ohio, I was confused when they pronounce Bellefontaine as BellFountain. It bugged me. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/152 "2022-08-21T20:11:17Z")
In Michigan, it has to be Mackinac Island (or City), pronounced “mackinaw” by locals. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/153 "2022-08-21T21:00:00Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Here in Michigan, we’ve got Saline, pronounced suh-LEEN. Another one from Michigan, actually not too far from Saline: Milan, pronounced MY-lin. Oh and Ypsilanti, pronounced ip-seh-LAN-ee. And in my hometown of Dearborn, MI, when i was a kid in the 80s, all the older people that grew up there (age 50+), called it der-bern. No one pronounces that way anymore. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/154 "2022-08-22T03:17:57Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > There is a town in Yorkshire called Mytholmroyd. The story goes that an American couple who decided to stop off there for a fast food lunch, asked the youth who served them - “How do you pronounce the name of this place”? > > The youth gave them a strange look and replied - “Burr Gurr King”. > > The answer they really wanted was - **Mai** thuhm royd Dad heard this story only it was about Micanopy in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/155 "2022-08-22T10:19:36Z")
Another UK one - Cogenhoe, pronounced Cook-Know ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/156 "2022-08-22T10:41:33Z")
In Australia, there’s a few. Wollongong - Wool-ong-gong. Goondiwindi - Gun-duh-windy ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/157 "2022-08-22T11:10:01Z")
Kissimmee, Florida, and I was once a guilty party. LOL I pronounced it [KISS i mee instead of [Kis SIM mee] ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/158 "2022-08-22T11:13:53Z")
Oh, and one more; Ronkonkoma, NY. I always pronounced it: [Ron kon KOM a] It is pronounced: [Ron KON kom a] ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/159 "2022-08-22T11:14:55Z")
As a kid I used to delight in my (English) mother pronouncing the Welsh town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ca9QDTKP2Ww/maxresdefault.jpg "How to say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch - Anglesey Wales Travel Guide") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca9QDTKP2Ww) ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/160 "2022-08-22T11:59:18Z")
Tooele in Utah is pronounced too-WIL-ah. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832/161 "2022-08-22T14:02:47Z")
People in the Chicago area, at least, know that it’s “Mackinaw Island.” For me, the surprise was finding out that the island and boat race was spelled “Mackinac” after only hearing “Mackinaw” for years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-names-that-only-locals-get-the-pronunciation-correct/969832.md?page=9)