# Unusual pronunciations of place names **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328 "2005-03-13T14:51:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/61 "2005-03-14T08:11:44Z")
\ There’s a place in N GA called Mount Yonah. I only mention it b/c there’s a little burger stand up there – or used to be – called Yonah Burger. And when you pass it, you just can’t help asking whoever’s in the car with you: “Hey, Yonah Burger?” \ PS: For the outlandopers, pronounced the same as “[Do] you want a burger?” in local dialect. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/62 "2005-03-14T08:23:13Z")
> [@Sample\_the\_Dog](#): > > I had a relative who married a Yankee from uh-HI-uh (Ohio). He drove us crazy calling Miami my-AM-uh. > > He’s been dead about 20 years now. Any other Ohians pronounce their state this way… or was he just a freak? I’m from Ohio, and I’d say you’re more likely to hear uh-HI-uh from older people in the southern part of the state. Not really that common anymore, I’d guess. Ohioans who got Channel 7 out of Dayton may remember Don Wayne, the newscaster who would give us all the news happening in the my-AM-uh Valley. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/63 "2005-03-14T08:42:16Z")
> [@Roland Orzabal](#): > > In Virginia: > > Norfolk - pronounced “NOR-fuck” (Norfolk sailors’ saying: “We don’t smoke, we don’t drink…Norfolk”… Same as the English original 😉 (_Norfolk & Chance_…) ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/64 "2005-03-14T09:11:55Z")
In Durango, CO is Florida Road. Pronounced “Flor-ee-da”. Saying “Florida” road gets nasty looks from the locals. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/65 "2005-03-14T12:58:30Z")
There’s no such town as “Quin-CEE” Massachusetts. It’s “KWIN-see.” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/66 "2005-03-14T13:17:29Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > There’s a town in Nevada called Ely. Looks like it should be pronounced “E-lye”, right? Nope, it’s “E-lee”. I got that wrong the last two times I drove through there. Is that “Ee-lee” or “Eh-lee”. 'cos if it’s the first, then that’s the correct pronounciation - comes from the place in England, and a possible etymology is that it lies close to the Fens, and was very “eely” i.e. full of eels, like a Hungarian hovercraft. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/67 "2005-03-14T13:19:05Z")
Louisville, KY seems to be pronounced “Lvl”. Apparently the locals are too lazy to use vowels. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/68 "2005-03-14T13:25:17Z")
In the UK there is a river and a town both called “Witham” . The river (in Lincolnshire) is pronounced with-am and the town (in Essex) is pronounced wit-(h)am. Even the BBC gets this wrong sometimes, even though all the announcers have access to a place-name pronunciation dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/69 "2005-03-14T13:42:39Z")
> [@HelloKitty](#): > > Of course there’s Rodeo **(“Ro-DAY-oh”)** Drive in Beverly Hills, CA.\*\* Well, technically speaking, this is the correct pronounciation, since “rodeo” is a Spanish word, and that’s the Spanish pronounciation. “Roh -dee -oh” is just plain wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/70 "2005-03-14T13:45:09Z")
If you want Indian food (or saris or groceries) in Chicago, you have to go away up to the far north side, to Devon. You say it: duh-VON. Vallejo, CA was already mentioned, it’s very tricky because it’s half Spanish and half English in pronunciation. A shibboleth to prove you’re a local, I guess. Another is San Rafael, CA. You say it: San Ru-FELL. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/71 "2005-03-14T18:41:09Z")
> [@whistlepig](#): > > And Meagher county is pronounced, “MAR”, not “Meager”. Not to mention Pondera county. Pronounced “Pon-duh-ray”, with the accent on the first syllable. Probably made more sense in the original French: Pend d’Oreille. And then you’ve got northern Idaho, home of two of my favorite oddly-pronounced town names: Kooskia (prounced “Koo-skee”) and (my favorite) Kamiah, pronounced “Kam-ee-eye”, with the accent on the first syllable. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/72 "2005-03-14T19:09:49Z")
LOTS of these in Louisiana. For instance: LeCompte: Pronounced _luh count_ (I guess because _Compte_ means “Count” in French. Natchitoches: Pronounced _NAK i dush_. Houma: Pronounced _HO muh_. Clio (a street in New Orleans): Pronounced _See el ten_ (C-L-10, get it?). Kaliste Saloom (a street in Lafayette, LA): Pronounced _Kallee Saloom_. I think the main purpose of the pronunciations is to identify the Yankees (of which I’m one, considering Oklahoma is considered “up north” around here). ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/73 "2005-03-14T20:05:08Z")
Another thing that surprised me when I lived in Kansas is that the Arkansas River is pronounced Ar-KAN-zuss, although the state is still AR-kan-saw. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/74 "2005-03-14T20:23:34Z")
The last town in Oklahoma as you head out of the state via the Panhandle is Boise City. Easy to pronounce, right? Just say it like the capital of Idaho, right? And you would be wrong. Unlike the capital “Boise,” the one in Oklahoma is a single syllable. It is pronounced like a person with a slavic accent might pronounce the word “boys.” ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/75 "2005-03-14T21:31:34Z")
> [@mdf](#): > > I happened to be in the Olympics on a little bike trip, and asked how far it was to SEE-kwim. Boy, did I get a dirty over-the-glasses look from the convenience store clerk as she corrected me. If they had spelled it “Squim,” no one would have known how to pronounce it. 😃 Actually, I suspect the original pronouciation was “Se-KWIM,” with the “e” a schwa. It probably eventually disappeared, leaving “skwim.” For the record, I live in “Luahvul.” Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/76 "2005-03-14T22:54:50Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Worcester, MA – Wooster I have the feeling that everyone except we native Bostonians pronounce it that way. We say “WISS-tah”. And yeah, it’s “WISS-tah-sheer” sauce 😃 > [@Dinahmore](#): > > I can’t think of any other way to say this. Except around here, it’s more like “PEEB-dee”. There’s that pronounciation, then there’s “PEE-buddy”, which is how I’ve always said it. Others: \*\*Quincy \*\* = QUIN-zee \*\*Leicester \*\* = LESS-tah \*\*Marlborough \*\* = MAHL-burrow (or burra) \*\*Beverly \*\* = BEH-VEH-lee (or BEV-lee) I’m sure I can think of others, but right now my brain’s on autopilot… ---
**Author:** ![rpinrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@rpinrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rpinrd)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/77 "2005-03-14T23:10:08Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Louisville, KY seems to be pronounced “Lvl”. Apparently the locals are too lazy to use vowels. Yes! You got the one I was thinking of. Mrs. nrd is from Lvl and spent about an hour when we first started dating teaching me the correct pronunciation. Apparently the extra letters ended up in nearby Versailles (pronounced “Ver-SAIL-es”). I have not a leg to stand on though growing up near, but not in, the twice before mentioned CHI-lie (Chili), N.Y. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/78 "2005-03-15T00:33:48Z")
While we’re at it, Saint John, New Brunswick, has equal stress on both parts; but St. John’s, Newfoundland, is s’nt-JAHNZ. Note the abbreviation and possessive differences. ---
**Author:** ![Thirty-Nine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@Thirty-Nine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thirty-Nine)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/79 "2005-03-15T01:56:17Z")
In the area where I grew up, there were loads of signs for a place called “Wycombe”. Meanwhile, my relatives would often talk about a town called “Wickham”. It took me well over a decade to make the connection. Furthermore, my birthplace is called Welwyn, which is damn near impossible to pronounce correctly if you don’t know how. The name “Selwyn” is the closest word I can think of, but that’s pronoucned as you’d expect: “Sel-win”. For whatever reason, the second w in Welwyn is silent, so you get “Wel-lin”. It’s not much fun to give over the phone, especially since I was actually born in “Welwyn Garden City\*” and not the village it was named after. \*_Only a city in the eyes of ambitious early 20th century town planners._ ---
**Author:** ![Thirty-Nine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@Thirty-Nine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thirty-Nine)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328/80 "2005-03-15T02:06:31Z")
There are a lot of places in New Zealand named with what I assume is a repeated Maori word. The towns of “Katikati” and “Kihikihi” are good examples. The former is pronounced “Katikat”, and I’ve forgotten how to deal with the latter, but they’re basically alterations to make the words sound more palatable to westerners. Another complication with Maori place names is that “Wh” is pronounced as “F”. Either this represents some sound we can’t approximate very well, or whoever tried to find Latin spellings for Maori words made some poor decisions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-pronunciations-of-place-names/294328.md?page=5)