Can you pronounce this?
Missouri. Missuruh. Mizurah. Standard pronunciation is hard to come by in the Show-Me State.
But that’s nothing compared to cities and towns in Missouri that use faux French, hick or just plain made-up pronunciations.
If you’ve ever been laughed at by someone for referring to Nevada, Versailles or Spokane, Missouri, using the pronunciations from their homographic sister cities, this list is for you:
1. Nevada
It’s “Ne-VAY-dah.” This is not Las Vegas.
2. Versailles
“Ver-SAIL-s.” Ain’t no castles here, so none of that French L-dropping.
3. Hayti
“Hay-Tie.” Don’t get mixed up with the island nation of Haiti.
4. Kimbrough
“Kim-brew,” not Kim-bor-oh.
5. Bolivar
“Ball-i-ver.”
6. Spokane
In Washington State, it’s Spo-can. Here in Missouri, it’s “Spoe-kane.”
7. Kearney
“Carney,” like someone who works at a carnival.
Many more on the next page!
