Pacific Northwest Towns: Hardest To Pronounce in America

How many towns and cities exist in America? 

The World Population Review officially listed 19,495 small, medium, and large cities, towns, and villages as of 2018. Someone took the time to count them. Of all those places, two of the top 10 most mispronounced names in the country are in the Pacific Northwest.

Washington has several towns that can be challenging for tourists and newcomers. 

I grew up in Washington and have lived here most of my adult life. Despite all those years, I still had to learn how to say a few towns on this side of the Cascades. If you listened to the first few years of my morning show, you (and one irate caller) heard me call Entiat, “in-tee-YOT” instead of the accepted “INNY-at”. It happens.

Idaho and Washington each have small towns that have been identified as the most mispronounced in the U.S., according to a national survey.

Those who grew up in the northern panhandle of Idaho and throughout the Spokane metro area know how to describe a beautiful lakeside town that even Justin and Hailey Bieber, the Kardashians, and Mark Wahlberg took the time to visit. The city and the lake have a world-class resort feel. This unique Idaho city isn't easy to spell or correctly pronounce.

The city is Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. 

The writers at BestLife named it the fifth most mispronounced town in the U.S. 

This lakeside oasis, pronounced “Core Duhlane,” is the name given by French traders to the Native American tribe that inhabited the area. The tribe’s actual title was Schitsu’umsh. -BestLife

 

A similar poll by Reader's Digest also listed Coeur d’Alene as Idaho's Most Difficult to Pronounce Town, noting: "They got the name Coeur d’Alene, which means 'heart of an awl,' from French-Canadian fur traders.

The 6th most difficult town to pronounce in America is in Washington.

Sequim, Washington, located on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula, is home to the Olympic Game Farm. I first visited the game farm when I was seven years old. It had a special billing in the 1970s, as the farm that housed and trained animal actors for Walt Disney Studios. 

Some of its "famous residents" were animals who appeared in Disney films and television series. 

This enclave on the coast of Washington is known for its gorgeous lavender fields. But if you go, make sure not to say “See-kwim” as it’s pronounced “Skwim.”-BestLife

The writers at Reader’s Digest disagreed with BestLife, saying that Puyallup presents more of a challenge for out-of-towners to pronounce. 

‘Puyallup, Washington, which is pronounced Pew-AL-up, is the home of the best state fair in Washington State. In fact, the fair is sometimes known as the Puyallup State Fair.’ -Readers Digest