The Hard To Pronounce Town In Every Single State

Ah, Worcester, you’re the worst-er-est. You’ve got so many silent letters, it’s almost like, why not just add a few more? A silent “x” perhaps right at the end, perhaps? Perhaps a silent “k” at the beginning? Then there’s the fact that so few of your letters give any sort of clue to how you’re actually pronounced. And finally, there’s almost no reasonable phonetic way to express how your first syllable is pronounced except to say that it sounds like the last vowel sound in New Hampshire. Alternatively, it would also be accurate to say that the first vowel sound in the first syllable of Worcester sounds like the vowel sound in the word “sir.”Here, just listen to this excellent rendition of the word, Worcester. And now that you know how to say the town name, you’ll be a pro at pronouncing the similarly named condiment.

Michigan: Sault Ste. Marie

When you arrive in Sault St. Marie, Michigan, don’t be surprised if someone says, “Welcome to the Soo,” because that is, in fact, how the first word of this town’s name is pronounced. The second word is pronounced “Saynt” (or “saint”). The reason for the “e” at the end is the town was named for the Virgin Mary by a French missionary, and the feminine of “St.” in French is “Ste.”So, say it with us: SOO Saint Mah-REE, and leave the “salt” out of it.

Minnesota: Wayzata

If you’re looking for a “way” to pronounce this, you’re going to have to ask “why”—as in, why you gotta be so confusing, Why-ZET-uh? Well, at least your name isn’t “Embarrass, Michigan.”

Mississippi: Louisville

No, it’s not a typo. The tiny town of Qulin, Missouri (population approximately 450 at last count) has no vowel between the “Qu” and the rest of it, leaving most of us to wonder: WHICH vowel?The answer is: none. The town of Qulin is pronounced Q-lin. Why they spelled it that way remains a mystery.

Montana: Ekalaka

Not only is Elalaka, Montana, hard to pronounce, it’s also considered to be one of the strangest town names in Montana, joining the ranks with Crow Agency, Nimrod, Pray, and Two Dot. It’s pronounced EE-ka-LAH-kah. About 350 people call Ekalaka, Montana, home, making it a very small town. Speaking of which, these are said to be America’s nicest small towns.

Nebraska: Cairo

Like Montana, Nebraska has quite a few towns bearing strange names. These include Nenzel, Ong, Ord, Ayr, and Burr. But when it comes to difficult pronunciations, none can beat Cairo, Nebraska, which is pronounced CAY-row (not like the Egyptian city, which is pronounced KYE-row). Now, if you’d like a little inspiration, read about how this little Nebraska town raised a lot of money just to save one of its own.

Nevada: Winnemucca

Before we even get into how to pronounce “Winnemucca, Nevada,” we need to talk about how to pronounce “Nevada.” It’s Neh-VAD-uh. Pronouncing it Na-VAH-duh will raise the hackles of the locals. As for Winnemucca, it’s pronounced Win-eh-MUCK-uh. All together now: Win-eh-MUCK-uh, Neh-VAD-uh.

New Hampshire: Milan

Here’s another town that shares a name with a foreign city, which only makes it harder to pronounce. Don’t even think about saying, “Mih-LAHN,” like the city in Italy. The Milan in New Hampshire is pronounced MY-linn. Fun fact: When referring to something of low quality in New Hampshire, the correct term is “janky” (if by correct, you mean regional slang).

New Jersey: Greenwich Township

New Jersey, being the Garden State, insists on pronouncing it as “GREEN-which.” And it’s not like there’s just one there in either. New Jersey has THREE towns that are known as “GREEN-which.” One is in Cumberland County, one in Gloucester (pronounced “GLAW-ster”) County, and one in Warren County. And if you ask them whether they care that New Yorkers have a “GREN-itch” Village and that there’s a “GREN-itch, Connecticut,” you know what they’re gonna say?Fuggedaboudit.