Oh, America! You have a strange way of pronouncing things sometimes. Check out this list of commonly mispronounced United States destinations. I bet you will find more than a few that you have been saying wrong!
I mostly grew up in mid-Michigan not too far from a small town named Charlotte (pronounced shar-lot). So imagine how difficult it was for me to move in my middle school years to the big North Carolina city of Charlotte (pronounced shar-let). I constantly mispronounced the name of my new hometown, and my classmates found it hilarious!
By the way, once I had finally fully adjusted to the correct pronunciation of big city Charlotte (shar-let), our family decided to move back to Mid-Michigan near small town Charlotte (shar-lot). And, I had to adjust my pronunciation once again. Oy!
Fast forward about 30 years (Gosh! I’m getting old!)… my husband and I were preparing for a big road trip that would take us through Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and a little bit of Idaho. I was showing my father-in-law our itinerary. He pointed to our stop in Kearney, Nebraska and remarked “did you know they pronounce this town’s name as car-nee?” I thought he was mistaken but when we got to that area of the country, I found out he was correct. Kearney is indeed pronounced as car-nee. Who would have guessed that???
This got me thinking about how many other cities and U.S. destinations I know of that have unique or unexpected pronunciations. Before I knew it, my husband and I were making a list. Then, I began asking friends, families and colleagues. And, well, the list just kept growing and growing.
I found all of these odd pronunciations and mispronunciations intriguing (and sometimes hilarious). Maybe you will find it interesting as well.
Commonly Mispronounced U.S. Destinations
Compiling the following list has been a fun (and often funny) labor of love for me. I enjoyed discussing all of the unique destinations with my friends, family and fellow travel bloggers. I hope you enjoy reading through this list of commonly mispronounced United States destinations as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.
How many of these U.S. destinations have you been saying wrong?
Mispronounced U.S. Cities
Worcester, Massachusetts
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: wohr-ses-ter
The Correct Way to Say It: woo-ster (or as the locals often say it woo-stuh)
Butte, Montana
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: buht
The Correct Way to Say It: byoot
Boise, Idaho
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: boy-zee
The Correct Way to Say It: boy-see
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Submitted by Lydia of AfricaWanderlust.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Chaynee
The Correct Way to Say It: “Shy” + “Anne” OR Shaianne
Reading, Pennsylvania
Submitted by Alek of 9to5voyager.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Reeding
The Correct Way to Say It: Redding
Phoenix, Arizona
Submitted by Margie of dqtravel.net
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: PA HOE NIKS
The Correct Way to Say It: FEE NIKS
Kearney, Nebraska
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: kur-nee
The Correct Way to Say It: carn-nee
Pierre, South Dakota
Submitted by Kristie of worldiswide.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: While you might think you are pronouncing it correctly when you use the French pronunciation of pee-AIR, you aren’t.
The Correct Way to Say It: It’s actually pronounced PEER, which rhymes with beer, if that helps you remember it better.
Louisville, Kentucky
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: loo-is-vill
The Correct Way to Say It: loo-ee-vill (or as the locals often say it loo-ah-vul)
La Jolla, California
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: lah jol-lah
The Correct Way to Say It: lah hoy-ah
Spokane, Washington
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: spoh-kayn
The Correct Way to Say It: spoh-kan
Des Moines, Iowa
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: des moyn or des moyns
The Correct Way to Say It: duh moyn
Kissimmee, Florida
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: kiss-ih-mee
The Correct Way to Say It: ka-sim-mee
Sault Saint Marie, Michigan
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: salt saynt mah-ree
The Correct Way to Say It: soo saynt mah-ree
Terre Haute, Indiana
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: tayr hoht
The Correct Way to Say It: tayr-ruh hoht
Boerne, Texas
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: bohrn
The Correct Way to Say It: bur-nee
Schenectady, New York
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: sheh-nek-tah-dee or shah-nek-ta-dee
The Correct Way to Say It: ski-nek-tah-dee
Helena, Montana
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: hel-ay-nah
The Correct Way to Say It: hel-eh-nah
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Submitted by Maureen of WisconsinMommy.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: It is often mispronounced as “wah-kee-sha” with emphasis on the kee. Or “wal-Kesha” like the singer.
The Correct Way to Say It: It should be pronounced “walk-eh-shaw” with emphasis on the “walk”.
Tripoli, Iowa
Submitted by Kathy of idyllicpursuit.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Trip-oh-lee
The Correct Way to Say It: Tri-poe-lah
Tooele, Utah
Submitted by Jamie of flybytheseatofourpants.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Too-Willy or sometimes tool
The Correct Way to Say It: too-ill-ah
Lakeside Chautauqua, Ohio
Submitted by Katie of zenlifeandtravel.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Chat a kwuh
The Correct Way to Say It: Shuh-taa-kwuh
Read more about this destination: Lakeside Chautauqua – Zen Life and Travel
Gallipolis, Ohio
Submitted by Katie of zenlifeandtravel.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Ga LAWP o lis
The Correct Way to Say It: Gal ih POLICE
Mackinaw City, Michigan and Mackinac Island, Michigan
Submitted by Annie of anniewearsit.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: mack-in-ack or make-eh-nake
The Correct Way to Say It: Mack-i-naw
Read more about this destination: Mackinac Island – Annie Wears It
Sioux City, Iowa and Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Submitted by Lindsay of SiouxlandFamilies.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: While mispronunciations abound, like “socks”, “six” or “sigh-ox”, the correct pronunciation is actually sweetly simple.
The Correct Way to Say It: Sioux should be pronounced as /su (with a long O sound like the girl’s name “Sue”).
Kenosha, Wisconsin
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: ken-oh-shah
The Correct Way to Say It: kuh-noh-shuh
Charlevoix, Michigan
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: charl-voy or charl-eh-vox or other variations
The Correct Way to Say It: shar-le-voy
Read more about this destination: Unique architecture in Charlevoix, Michigan
Bucyrus, Ohio
Submitted by Tonya of travelinspiredliving.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: buck-ee-russ
The Correct Way to Say It: bew-sy-res
Read more about this destination: Bucyrus Murals – Travel Inspired Living
Charlotte, Michigan
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: shar-let
The Correct Way to Say It: shar-lot
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: wilks-bar
The Correct Way to Say It: wilks-bare-ee
Fraser, Michigan
Submitted by Katie of Aoibhneastravels.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: FrA-sir, frAshure, fray-sir, frassier
The Correct Way to Say It: fray-shjur with a soft j sound
Milan, Michigan
Submitted by Katie of Aoibhneastravels.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: People call it Milan like Italy.
The Correct Way to Say It: my-lin
Macomb, Michigan
Submitted by Katie of Aoibhneastravels.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: May-comb
The Correct Way to Say It: muh-comb
Ocqueoc, Michigan
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: oh-kwee-ock, oh-kweh-ock, and various other mispronunciations
The Correct Way to Say It: ah-kee-ock
Zelienople, Pennsylvania
Submitted by Rudy of backpackandsnorkel.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: ze-leen-ople
The Correct Way to Say It: zee-lee-enople
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Submitted by Rudy of backpackandsnorkel.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Pli-mouth
The Correct Way to Say It: Pli-moth
Yakima, Washington
Submitted by Rudy of backpackandsnorkel.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Ya-kee-ma
The Correct Way to Say It: Yakima
Leavenworth, Washington
Submitted by Rudy of backpackandsnorkel.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Lee-ven-worth
The Correct Way to Say It: Le-ven-worth
Waxahachie, Texas
Submitted by Umiko of twoworldstreasures.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Wax-ahachie
The Correct Way to Say It: Walks-uh-hat-chie
Gruene, Texas
Submitted by Umiko of twoworldstreasures.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Groo-en-nee, Groo-knee
The Correct Way to Say It: G-ree-n (like the color green)
Dowagiac, Michigan
Submitted by Regina of eattravellife.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Dough-wa-ge-ack
The Correct Way to Say It: Da-Wah-Jack
Okemos, Michigan
Submitted by Regina of eattravellife.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: Oh-Key-Moose
The Correct Way to Say It: Oh-Ke-Mus
Ossineke, Michigan
Submitted by Regina of eattravellife.com
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: O’s-eh-NeKee
The Correct Way to Say It: Os-eh-neek
Mispronounced State Names
Illinois
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: ill-ih-noyz, ell-ih-noyz and other variations
The Correct Way to Say It: ill-ih-noy
Nevada
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: ne-vah-da
The Correct Way to Say It: ne-vad-uh
Other Mispronounced Places in the United States
Appalachian Mountains
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: ap-pa-lay-shun
The Correct Way to Say It: ap-pa-latch-chin
Yosemite National Park
The Wrong Way(s) People Say It: yoh-sih-min-nee
The Correct Way to Say It: yoh-seh-meh-tee
What Other Places Should Be On This List?
What other United States places do you think should be on this list? Tell me in the comments section below.
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oh there are some others from New England Im sure (they are weird LOL) – lets see – look these up Schiutte, Glouster, leicester, also Houston street in NYC – not like the city in Texas but House-ton
Fascinating! I will definitely look some of those up!
Hill Street Blues should have straightened us out on Houston St.
Berlin, Ohio is Ber-LYNN, emphasis on the end which is opposite of the city in Germany.
Wooster, OH has no specific emphasis and does not sound like goose – wuhster
North Versailles PA –wrong way is North Ver-sigh like the city in France
Correct way is North Ver-SAILS
Dubois PA — wrong way is Dew-bwah like the city in France
correct way is Dew-Boy
I had no idea that Charlotte in North Carolina was pronounced that way! I would’ve assumed it was pronounced like the girls’ name (and your small town). Now I know!
Many of these I knew and had to think hard about how the mispronunciations come about (I don’t think I could keep a straight face if I heard someone say “Pa-hoe-niks” or “Wohr-ses-ter”) but a lot of the French names with non-French pronunciations surprised me. I’d totally get those wrong!
Oh, and I recently moved to a Louisville that is pronounced “lewis-ville” and it feels so weird saying it that way!
Madrid, Iowa. People say Muh-DRID like the city in Spain. The correct way is: MAD-rid.
Interesting! I would’ve never guessed that one!
Beatrice, Nebraska. Not BEE a tris, but Bee AT tris.
The one that drives us crazy is folks pronouncing OREGON: OR-EE-GONE. Should be: OR-ee-gun🙂🙂
Wayzata, Minnesota. It sits on the northern shore of Lake Minnetonka. People think it’s “WAY-ZAHT-AH” but it’s “why-ZETT-uh” … I have no idea where that pronunciation came from!
Ocheyedan, Iowa
Wrong wsy: auk eye dan. Or oh Shee dan
Correct way: Oh che dan
Dante, SD
Wrong way: don Tay
Correct wat: dan tee
Interesting! Thanks for sharing those with us.
Lead, SD is pronounced Leed, not Led.
That’s a good one! Thanks for sharing.
It was a great article, thanks for sharing!
Skaneateles, NY: skinny at less
Half of these are things nobody has ever said in their entire lives, unless they did not grow up in North America. Nobody Pa hoe nix? Give me a break.