Special Report
Most People Will Struggle to Pronounce These Town Names
May 15, 2021 10:00 am
Source: Ente75 / Wikimedia Commons
31. Picayune, Mississippi
> Total characters: 8
> Total vowels: 5
> Population: 10,528
This town has an unusual history — it was named after the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, which the founder liked. It derives from a Spanish coin and is pronounced “pi-kuh-yoon.”
Source: rkramer62 / Flickr
32. Ponshewaing, Michigan
> Total characters: 11
> Total vowels: 4
> Population: 38
Ponshewaing (PON-she-wang) was a railroad stop before it was a town. Some say it means “peaceful waters,” others say “winter home.”
Source: Jennifer Wan / Getty Images
33. Port Hueneme, California
> Total characters: 7
> Total vowels: 5
> Population: 22,262
Port Hueneme (“wy-nee-mee”) is a seaside community in Ventura County. The name derives from a Chumash word (“wene’mu”) meaning “resting place.”
Source: flashbacknyc / Getty Images
34. Quechee, Vermont
> Total characters: 7
> Total vowels: 4
> Population: 339
There isn’t just a town called Quechee (“kwee-chee”) in Vermont, there’s also Quechee State Park and the Quechee Gorge, and the equally hard-to-pronounce Ottauquechee River.
Source: ChrisBoswell / Getty Images
36. Qui-nai-elt Village, Washington
> Total characters: 16
> Total vowels: 8
> Population: 79
Qui-nai-elt is a variation of Quinault and is pronounced “kwi-nail.” The town in the southeastern part of the Quinault Indian Nation.
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