# Unpronouncable (by non locals) town names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 20, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544 "2015-03-20T22:03:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/1 "2015-03-20T22:03:48Z")
Inspired by Johnny LA’s thread about deliberately mispronounced words, I was thinking about the towns in my native Wisconsin. Wisconsin is filled with unpronouncible towns. I love taking my wife back there and having her try to get the names correctly. I’m amazed at how non-intuitive the pronunciations are for non-natives. In the 70s, there were movie ads for American International Pictures, and the announcer would list the cities and towns where the films would be playing. But the announcer obviously was not from around there. His mispronounciations were so legendary, I still use some of them. Note: It is a law\* that all towns in Wisconsin have to have a “wau” sound in there somewhere. Wauwatosa (wah wah TOE sa) doubled down on that! Here are some of the tougher ones - try and see if you get them correct: (The “wah” sound is like the beginning of “wanna”) Shawano (SHAW-no) Ashwaubenon (ash WAH bi non) Waupaca (Wah PACK a) Wausau (WAH saw) Wautoma (wah TOME a) Waukau (WAH caw) Waupun (wah PON like up on) Waukesha (WAH ka shaw) Waunakee (wanna key) Kewaskum (key WAH scum) Manitowoc (MAN it ta wok) Manawa (MAN a wah) Mukwanago (muck WAN a go) Neceda (neh SEE da) Nekoosa (neh KOO sa) Winneconne (winna connie) Beloit (Be LOIT - the T is pronounced) Berlin (BER lin, not Ber LIN like the German capital) Fon du lac (like “fondle ack”) In Arizona, if you are familiar with Spanish pronunciation, you can get by. Except for the Mogollon Rim, which, for some unknown reason is pronounced “muggy-on”. What town names by you give visitors the fits? \*Well, it seems like there is! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/2 "2015-03-20T22:33:47Z")
Here in Missouri (aka “missour-ah”) we have New Madrid, pronounced MAD-rid Japan, pronounced JAY-pan Nevada, known as Nev-AY-dah Bellefontaine, pronounced bell-fonton Des Peres, which even the locals can’t decide to pronounced DAY pair or dah PAIR Gravois, which we call GRAV-oy and a host of others Meanwhile, my wife is from Cleveland, and none of her relatives can agree on how to pronounce “Cuyahoga.” I’ve heard everything from a carefully enunciated Kye-ah-HO-gah to something like “kwogga.” ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/3 "2015-03-20T22:34:05Z")
I think even a lot of locals are unsure how to pronounce Auxvasse, MO. I think it’s something like “aw VAHZ” or “uh VAHZ”. I saw one site that said it was close to “of Oz”. I grew up in Missouri and currently live not too terribly far from Auxvasse, but I still don’t know. It’s a tiny town, so luckily it doesn’t come up in conversation all that often. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/4 "2015-03-20T22:37:18Z")
No one but locals get Valatie, NY right. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/5 "2015-03-20T22:38:17Z")
Near my home town in Michigan: Ypsilanti (referred to by locals as “Ypsi”) [SPOILER]IP su lan tee and shortened IP see[/SPOILER] ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/6 "2015-03-20T22:41:22Z")
Glad to see it isn’t just WI. I think I’d fail the “Missour-ah” test! I know about Cairo (kay-ro) IL, and Miami (my am ah) OK. And I’d heard Ypsilanti pronounciated enough growing up to get that one. But it’s a good one! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/7 "2015-03-20T22:43:50Z")
In Washington: **Sequim** is pronounced ‘skwim’. **Puyallup** is pronounced ‘pyoo-allup’. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/8 "2015-03-20T22:47:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > In Washington: > > **Puyallup** is pronounced ‘pyoo-allup’. I should add that one to your thread - I always say “pulley-up”. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/9 "2015-03-20T23:39:12Z")
I once lived near a little town in the Gulf Coast region of south Texas, not all that far from Corpus Christi. The name of the town is “Refugio.” The Spanish pronunciation of the world is “ruh-FYOO-hee-oh,” with the last two syllables blended to the point where they sound like one syllable. The White People pronunciation of the word is phonetic, “ruh-FYOOJ-gee-oh,” with four distinct syllables. The locals pronounce the name of their city, “ruh-FURY-oh.” No one seems to know why. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/10 "2015-03-21T00:16:19Z")
We live in Hawaii. 'nuff said… ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/11 "2015-03-21T00:22:51Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > No one but locals get Valatie, NY right. Valasha. And Coxsackie. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/12 "2015-03-21T00:33:35Z")
Stanislaus County, Ca. Nobody seems to know for sure if the final s is pronounced or silent. The name is derived from the earlier Spanish-era name Estanislao. I myself don’t even know for sure what the correct pronunciation is. San Luis Obispo, Ca. Clearly a Spanish name (but of a French bishop, who did much of his ministry in Spain). A lot of people seem determined to give “Luis” a French pronunciation, Looee. ( **Cecil** did two articles on Saint Louis the Bishop, one discussing his life, and one discussing his after-life, but they seem not to be on-line. Google isn’t finding them.) ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/13 "2015-03-21T00:47:59Z")
Pennsylvanians can’t even pronounce DuBois correctly (they say it “Dew-boyz”) so the chances of them getting the several hundred Indian place names and towns right are pretty much nil. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/14 "2015-03-21T00:50:47Z")
You already mentioned mine, sort of, in the OP. I live in Milwaukee, which is very close to New Berlin. New BERlin, the opposite of the way you’d pronounce it if you live in Germany. But living here I have to think about which one is which all the time. BerLIN?, wait, no, that’s the other one. After all these years, they both sound right to me and I really have to think about it. Another one is Oak Creek. I think that one’s actually harder for the locals. If you only see it written, it’s easy enough, but people that grow up around here and just hear the name (as a neighboring city) think it’s O’Creek, or something along those lines. I’ve had many friends that didn’t realize it was Oak Creek until they were in their teens. Usually because that’s about when they started driving and saw a sign for the city or their High School team played that the Oak Creek team. Then there’s the Racine. People that live there say Ray-seen. But they all say it wrong, it’s Rah-seen. Buncha backwards hillbillies. Also, second hand knowledge tells me the people that live in Kissimme, FL is pronounced kiSIMme (not kissIHme). ---
**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:** [March 21, 2015, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/15 "2015-03-21T00:55:53Z")
Cranston RI. It has to sound like Fran Drescher is saying it. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/16 "2015-03-21T01:03:45Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > I think even a lot of locals are unsure how to pronounce Auxvasse, MO. I think it’s something like “aw VAHZ” or “uh VAHZ”. I saw one site that said it was close to “of Oz”. I grew up in Missouri and currently live not too terribly far from Auxvasse, but I still don’t know. It’s a tiny town, so luckily it doesn’t come up in conversation all that often. Wow, true story…I was doing some work in Holt’s Summit, not far from Auxvasse, and somebody stopped to ask us how to get to “Assvest.” Took us a couple times to figure out wtf. ---
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/17 "2015-03-21T01:07:56Z")
Pequea, PA – pronounced PECK-way Bogota, NJ – pronounced buh-GOAT-uh ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/18 "2015-03-21T01:15:58Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > I think even a lot of locals are unsure how to pronounce Auxvasse, MO. I think it’s something like “aw VAHZ” or “uh VAHZ”. I saw one site that said it was close to “of Oz”. I grew up in Missouri and currently live not too terribly far from Auxvasse, but I still don’t know. It’s a tiny town, so luckily it doesn’t come up in conversation all that often. oh-VAHZ Although the natives will overlook it if you say oh-VAHSS. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/19 "2015-03-21T01:17:59Z")
Streets in New Orleans: Calliope: CALLY-ope Conti: KON-tye Burgundy: Bur-GUN-dee Tchoupitoulas: CHOP-uh-TOO-lis ---
**Author:** ![Recusant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Recusant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recusant)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/20 "2015-03-21T01:22:34Z")
Nowhere near me, but New Zealand has a town called Wakatane (sometimes Whakatane) whose name is apparently pronounced “Far-car-tar-neigh”. My theory is that the Maori were jealous of all the confusion the Welsh got. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544.md?page=2)