# 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:** 2
**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, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/21 "2015-03-21T01:28:31Z")
Mackinac Island is pronounced Mackinaw. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/22 "2015-03-21T01:33:14Z")
Kingman, KS. You look at it and think, how many ways can that be pronounced? It’s king-man! Uh-uh. It’s kay-men. Like the islands. (My dad grew up there, which is the only reason I know.) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/23 "2015-03-21T01:49:50Z")
In Ireland we have a few. They include: Muckanaghederdauhaulia, Co. Galway Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny Youghal, Co. Cork ---
**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, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/24 "2015-03-21T02:08:38Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > In Ireland we have a few. I tried to learn Gaelic in the '80s. Aside from that I joined in during the second ‘year’, it had too many consonants. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/25 "2015-03-21T02:11:14Z")
South Louisiana offers some fun-looking names, but (_outside_ of New Orleans, **Johnny** ), most of them aren’t really that hard, despite the Cajun spellings. North Louisiana, on the other hand, offers this prize: Natchitoches. Pronounced _NAK-ə-təsh_. That’s as opposed to Nacogdoches, TX (_NAK-ə-DOH-chiss_), about 100 miles away, which is–as I understand it–named after the same tribe. The French were worse at transliterating Caddo names than the Spanish, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/26 "2015-03-21T04:02:38Z")
Here in Georgia, we like to name towns after places we’ve never been, and damn their pronunciation! Lafayette is le-FAY-ut Cairo is KAY-roh Vienna is VIE-EE-nuh Albany is All-benny Louisville is Loo-iss-ville. Houston County and Houston Street in Savannah are pronounced properly, however - House-ton. Not like that Johnny-Come-Lately burg in Texas! 😃 But Poulan isn’t pronounced like the chain saw - it’s “Poland.” And just down the road a piece from Ty Ty. (Tie-tie. Named for a type of tree.) And Talliaferro County, the Altamaha River, and the Gordonia Alatamaha State Park are good ways to weed out the locals from the imports around here. My favorite mispronunciations are for Vidalia (like the onion,) Uvalda, and Ludowici (an infamous [speed trap](http://www.panoramio.com/photo/8196795) in the not-too-distant past.) Many people seem to want to “gussy them up,” giving them a Continental flair: “Vi-dahl-yuh,” “You-vahl-duh,” and “Loo-de-wee-chee.” Nope. “Vie-dail-yuh,” (if your from the surrounding areas. If you’re local, it’s more like “Vie-day-yuh.”) “You-vall-duh,” and “Loo-duh-wiss-ee.” Dacula doesn’t rhyme with the famous Count, it’s Da-KYOO-luh. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/27 "2015-03-21T04:14:05Z")
Havre, Montana. Pronounced /ˈHævər/, like “have 'er” as in “you can have 'er”. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/28 "2015-03-21T04:14:47Z")
> [@Master\_Wang-Ka](#): > > 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. That’s what I came to post! I really did not expect anyone to beat me to it. I’ve met Texans who haven’t heard of Corpus, let alone any of the little nearby towns. You are a very surprising gentleman, mister. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/29 "2015-03-21T10:01:52Z")
I lived for a few years in Stouffville, Ontario. It’s pronounced STOW-ville. The “fs” are silent. I was always surprised at the people who tried to pronounce the “fs” along with the “v”: STOUFF-ville STUFF-ville No, it’s pretty easy. STOW-ville. That’s all there is to it. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/30 "2015-03-21T10:37:48Z")
I lived for years near a small town named Mantua. The sign at the town limits state that it was named after the famous Italian city. It’s pronounced Manna-way. A few counties over, Russia Township is pronounced ROOSH-ee. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/31 "2015-03-21T10:39:44Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Bellefontaine, pronounced bell-fonton We have that in Ohio, except for some reason we’ve decided it’s pronounced bell-FOUNTain. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/32 "2015-03-21T10:47:15Z")
I grew up in the tiny village of _Karitane_. Nearby was the village of _Waikouaiti_, which for a long time everyone who lived in the area mispronounced, until we (as a Nation) started to respect the Maori language for a change. They are pronounced thus: Karitane: Ka - ruh - TAH - nee Waikouaiti: WY - ko - WY - tee ---
**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, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/33 "2015-03-21T14:20:18Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > They are pronounced thus: > > Karitane: Ka - ruh - TAH - nee > Waikouaiti: WY - ko - WY - tee I got the first one right. I just got up though, and haven’t even had one cuppa joe, so I couldn’t get my eyes to focus enough on the second one. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/34 "2015-03-21T14:27:56Z")
Portsmouth NH - it’s ports-muth, not ports-mouth Haverhill, MA - hav-rel, not haver-hill Barre, VT - bar, not barry ---
**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, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/35 "2015-03-21T14:40:42Z")
Is it true that people in the Washington, DC area call Maryland ‘Merlin’? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/36 "2015-03-21T14:48:19Z")
I grew up in Louisville Kentucky, then moved back “home” to Minnesota when I was eleven. I do a pretty good job of hiding the drawl most of the time, but it comes out if I slow my speech or spend any time South of Des Moines (Da Moin). And I simply CANNOT bring myself to say Looey ville. Its Lou-a-vul. Minnesota has its share of misprounced French and/or Indian towns. It doesn’t seem to be as bad as Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/37 "2015-03-21T15:01:40Z")
There’s a town near me that separates the locals from the come-latelys: Leicester. The locals pronounce it “Lester.” The come-latelys are all over the place, but most call it “LEE sester.” Near Charlotte there’s Waxhaw and Monroe. The local pronunciation is “WAXAW,” all one syllable with the “h” elided out and “MON roe” with the o pronoucned like the word “on”. Of course there are so many transplants in Charlotte now that most people pronounce them “WAX-haw” and “Mun-ROE.” ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/38 "2015-03-21T15:22:00Z")
Many people are aware that Cairo (at least in NY) is not pronounced KI=ro (Is the one in Egypt pronounced that way either?) but saying Kay-ro still marks you as an outsider. Locals say Care-o. ---
**Author:** ![kcor1953](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kcor1953/32/3221_2.png) [@kcor1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kcor1953)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/39 "2015-03-21T15:40:03Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > 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 […] –including Versailles (“Ver-Sails,” equal emphasis to my ear). In one MO town there is a Worchester Street generally pronounced Wooster but (at least some years ago) spelled about 4 different ways on street signs. In New York on Long island is Islip which only yesterday I learned is pronounced “I-Slip,” I have no idea of syllable emphasis. ---
**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, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544/40 "2015-03-21T15:45:13Z")
I had always pronounced Cayman, as in Cayman Islands like Kay-Min, until I found out the way the locals pronounce it is Kay-Man. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unpronouncable-by-non-locals-town-names/715544.md?page=3)