Mispronounced town/city names in your state

[I Should Coco]

You'd think, after more than two decades of NCAA tournament appearances and national rankings, the city where Gonzaga University is located might be pronounced correctly. But no ... in 2025, I still hear commentators rhyming it with cocaine instead of a 12-ounce container for beer.

Other butchering of cities and towns in Washington state include: Colville ("call-ville"), Naches (near Yakima; say "cheese"!), Puyallup ("pee," not "poo"), Sequim (rhymes with "swim") and Touchet (think of your rear end).

Let's hear from some of the other 50 states ... including where I was born, which is NOT called Ill-eh-NOISE.

 

[TrooperBari]

Putting aside the indeterminate pronounciation of Norfolk (Norfik? Norfork? Northfork?), in Nebraska there's a village that is spelled C-A-I-R-O. The rest of the world might say it like the city in Egypt (KAI-roh), but locals say it like KAY-roh.

 

[I Should Coco]

Putting aside the indeterminate pronounciation of Norfolk (Norfik? Norfork? Northfork?), in Nebraska there's a village that is spelled C-A-I-R-O. The rest of the world might say it like the city in Egypt (KAI-roh), but locals say it like KAY-roh.

There's one of those in southern Illinois, too. Not sure how that "Cairo" is pronounced; I've heard it multiple ways, including "KAY-roh."

 

[MisterCreosote]

There’s a town called Buena Vista in South Jersey. Not pronounced like in Disney. It’s pronounced “Byoona.”

 

[FileNotFound]

In Missouri, there are so many towns named with foreign words or names that are butchered:

— Bolivar (BALL-iver)
— Lebanon (LEB-uh-nun)
— Bois d’Arc (BO-dark)
— Versailles (ver-SALES)
— Laquey (Lakeway)

And probably countless other formerly French or German words that got anglicized in gruesome ways.

Oh: There’s also Lake Pomme de Terre, which is mostly pronounced Pumley Tar.

 

[ChrisLong]

What is it about the PNW?
Yeah, I know it's Mosco (not Mos-COW).
I also know in Canada it's Torono (not ToronTO).

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

You'd think, after more than two decades of NCAA tournament appearances and national rankings, the city where Gonzaga University is located might be pronounced correctly. But no ... in 2025, I still hear commentators rhyming it with cocaine instead of a 12-ounce container for beer.

I love the Spokane, I love the Spokane!

 

[waterytart]

Oh: There’s also Lake Pomme de Terre, which is mostly pronounced Pumley Tar.

Why don’t you start a petition to rename it? Just imagine the Lake Potato Festival!

 

[waterytart]

In this state, Wingate is pronounced wing-it.

 

[ChrisLong]

Why don’t you start a petition to rename it? Just imagine the Lake Potato Festival!

Hahaha. A couple of popes ago, somebody marketed T-shirts with his picture on the front. Papa ends with A, so they used the words La Papa -- The Pope or The Dad. La Papa really means The Potato. El Papa is The Pope or The Dad.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

There’s Greenwich in Connecticut, pronounced Gren-witch.

There’s also a small town in New York called Greenwich, in which the first syllable is pronounced like the color.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Texas is chock-full of these places. My favorite is Refugio (pronounced Refurio). There's also Anahuac (EDIT: Remiss of me to provide the pronunciation. Anna-whack.)

 

[MisterCreosote]

I’ve yet to meet a non-Philadelphian who can properly pronounce Schuylkill (“Skookle”) on the first try.

Heard quite a few variations on Bryn Mawr as well. (For the record, it’s “Brinn Marr”.)

 

[Gym Beam]

Texas is chock-full of these places. My favorite is Refugio (pronounced Refurio). There's also Anahuac.

Beat me to it. Dozens of places in Texas that are constantly mispronounciated.

 

[waterytart]

I’ve yet to meet a non-Philadelphian who can properly pronounce Schuylkill (“Skookle”) on the first try.

Heard quite a few variations on Bryn Mawr as well. (For the record, it’s “Brinn Marr”.)

Bala Cynwyd (Kinwood) throws newcomers, too.

 

[nietsroob17]

Putting aside the indeterminate pronounciation of Norfolk (Norfik? Norfork? Northfork?), in Nebraska there's a village that is spelled C-A-I-R-O. The rest of the world might say it like the city in Egypt (KAI-roh), but locals say it like KAY-roh.

Likewise in south Georgia, the town where Jackie Robinson was born and lived his first few years before the family moved to California.

Some others in Georgia:
- Houston County (HOWston, and not like the city in Texas)
- DeKalb County (deCAB, not deKALB like the city in Illinois)
- Ponce De Leon Ave, one of the main drags in midtown Atlanta (instead of "DAY leeOWN" like the explorer, it's commonly "duh LEEon" like it was named after Spinks)

And not so much mispronounced, but one of my favorites: outside my college town of Statesboro is an area that's basically no more than a crossroads called Hopeulikit (hope you like it).

 

[wicked]

Leominster (lemon-ster)
Worcester (woos-ter)
Haverhill (Hey-vrill)
Peabody (Pea-bidee)
Gloucester (Glaw-ster)
Many of the -ham towns have the emphasis on the -ham (Ware-HAM, Rayn-HAM) vs. the first syllable

 

[FileNotFound]

Likewise in south Georgia, the town where Jackie Robinson was born and lived his first few years before the family moved to California.

Some others in Georgia:
- Houston County (HOWston, and not like the city in Texas)
- DeKalb County (deCAB, not deKALB like the city in Illinois)
- Ponce De Leon Ave, one of the main drags in midtown Atlanta (instead of "DAY leeOWN" like the explorer, it's commonly "duh LEEon" like it was named after Spinks)

And not so much mispronounced, but one of my favorites: outside my college town of Statesboro is an area that's basically no more than a crossroads called Hopeulikit (hope you like it).

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anybody from Atlanta refer to the street as anything other than “Ponce.”

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Kissimmee.

 

[ChrisLong]

Kissimmee.

.... where the ASS-tros used to train.