List of irregularly spelled places in the United States explained

This list is a sublist of List of irregularly spelled English names.

List

Place! colspan="2"
PronunciationNote
RespellingIPA
Aberdeen, WashingtonAlso the city in Maryland
Abiquiú, New Mexico
Acequia, Idaho
Achilles, Kansas
Advance, North CarolinaAlso the place in Missouri
Alachua, Florida
Albany, Georgia
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Aloha, Oregon
Amherst, Massachusetts
Arab, AlabamaAlso the place in Missouri
Arkansas
Arkansas City, Kansas
Arkansas River[1]
Arriba, Colorado
Armada, Michigan
Athens, KentuckyAlso the places in Illinois and Vermont
Au Sable River, Michigan
Austwell, Texas
Avon, New York
Ayer, Massachusetts
Bahama, North Carolina
Balmorhea, Texas
Bangor, Maine
Banquete, Texas
Baraga, Michigan
Barre, Vermont, like Barry
Beatrice, AlabamaAlso the place in Nebraska
Beatty, Nevada
Beaufort, South Carolina
Bedias, Texas
Belen, New Mexico
Bellefontaine, Ohio
Belle Fourche River
Benld, Illinois
Bergen, New York
BerlinName of multiple places
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania[2]
Bexar County, Texas or like bear
Billerica, Massachusetts
Biloxi, Mississippi
Bingen, Washington
Biscay, Minnesota
Boca Raton, Florida
Boerne, Texas
Bogata, Texas
Bogota, New Jersey
Bois D'Arc, Missouri
Boise, Idaho
Boise City, Oklahomalike Boyce[3]
Bolivar, MissouriName of multiple places
Bolivar Township, Indiana
Bosque County, Texas
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bowie, MarylandAlso the place in Texas
Buena, New Jersey
Buena, Washington
Buena Vista, ColoradoName of multiple places
Buck Creek, Indiana
Buddha, Indiana
Buhl, Idaho
Bulverde, Texas
Burgundy Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
Burien, Washington
Burnet, Texas
Burthe Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
Cairo, GeorgiaAlso the place in Mississippi
Cairo, IllinoisAlso the places in New York and Ohio
Cahuenga Pass
Calais, MaineAlso the place in Vermont
Calliope Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
Camano Island
Canaan Valley
Casa Grande, Arizona
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Canajoharie, New York
Canyon de Chelly National MonumentCanyon de
Castile, New York
Cathlamet, Washington
Celina, Texas
Chartres Street, New Orleans, Louisianalike charter
Charlevoix, Michigan
Charlotte, VermontAlso the place in New York
Chatham, MassachusettsAlso the places in New York and New Jersey
Chauncey, Ohio
Cheesequake, New Jerseylike "chess quick"[4]
Chehalis River, Washington
Chelan County, Washington
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cherryville, North Carolina
Chewelah, Washington
Chicago
Chickasha, Oklahoma
Chili, New York[5] Also the place in Indiana
Clatskanie, Oregon
Clinton, South Carolina
Coahoma, Mississippi
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Concord, New HampshireAlso the place in Massachusetts
Conneaut, Ohio
Conneautville, Pennsylvania
Conetoe, North Carolina
Connecticut
Copalis Beach, Washington
Copiague, New York
Coquille, Oregon
Cordele, Georgia
Cordele, Texas
Cotulla, Texas
Coupland, Texaslike Copeland
Courtois Creek
Coventry, ConnecticutAlso the place in Rhode Island
Coxsackie, New York
Creve Coeur, Missouri
Cudahy, California
Dalton, Ohio
Damariscotta, Maine
Darien, Connecticut
Delhi, CaliforniaName of multiple places
Del Norte County, California and Del Norte, Colorado
Demonbreun Street, Nashville, Tennessee[6]
Dequindre Cut, Detroit, Michigan
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Washington
Deschutes River, Oregon
Duarte, California
DuBois, Pennsylvania
Dubois County, Indiana
Duenweg, Missouri
Duffau, Texas
Dungeness River
Eau Claire, Michigan
El Dorado, ArkansasMultiple placenames
El Dorado Springs, Missouri
Elbe, Washington
Elizabethton, like Elizabethan
ElkhartName of multiple places
Elyria, Ohio
Embarras River, Illinois
Ephrata, Washington
Estacada, Oregon
Faneuil Hall, Boston
Floydada, Texas
Forked River, New Jersey
Fort Duquesne, Pittsburgh
Fremont, California
Freret, New Orleans
Fries, Virginia, like ‘freeze’
Galice, Oregon
Gallipolis, Ohio
Galveston, Indiana
Geauga County, Ohio
Genoa, New York
Ghent, Ohio
Gloucester County, New JerseyName of multiple places
Gnadenhutten, Ohio
Gogebic County, Michigan
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich Village
Gruene, New Braunfels, Texaslike ‘green’
Harlingen, Texas
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Havre, Montana
Havre de Grace, Maryland
Helena, Alabama
Hereford, TexasAlso a place in Pennsylvania
Hindman, Kentucky
Hochheim, Texas
Hockessin, Delaware
Holcomb, Missouri
Houston, DelawareAlso places in Georgia and Ohio, and the New York City street
Houston, Texas
Houston Street, New York City
Hualapai
Huger, South Carolina
Humble, Texas
Hurricane, UtahAlso places in Mississippi and West Virginia
Illinois
Ilwaco
Inez, Kentucky, like ‘Annie’s’
Iowa, Louisiana
Iraan, Texas
Ironton
Ischua
Isla Vista
Iselin
Isle au Haut
Islip
Italy, Texas
Jourdanton, Texas
Juab County
Julian, Pennsylvania
Kalaloch
Kamay, Texas
Kamela, Oregon
Kamiah
KearneyVarious places
Keechelus Lake
Keuka Lake
Keweenaw County
Kissimmee
Kleberg County, Texas
Kosciusko
Kosciusko County
Kountze, Texas
Kure Beach
La Fayette
La Grande
La Jolla
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lafayette
La Plata
Lake OrionAlso other places named "Orion"
Lake Oswego
Lake Pend Oreille
Lalor Street, Trenton
Lamesa, Texas
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lapwai
LatahAlso Latah County
Leakey
Lebam
Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Also the city in New Hampshire
Leicester, Massachusettslike Lester
Leicester, Vermont
Lemhi County
LemooreColloquial pronunciation
Official pronunciation
Leominster
Levy, South Carolina
Lewes
Lima
Limon, Colorado
Livernois Avenue, Detroit
Lodi
Lompoc
Los Angeles
LouisvilleMost places besides the one in Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Lowville, New York
Mabank
Mackinac Island
Madras, Oregon
Madrid, AlabamaName of various places
Malad River
Malheur River
Manchaca, Texas
Manor, Texas
Mantua, Utah
Marathon, Texas
Marquam
Marquez, Texas
Marseilles, IllinoisAlso a place in Ohio
Martinez, Georgia
Maryland
Mattapan
Maury County
Mazatzal Mountains
McGaheysville, Virginia
Meagher County, Montana
Mebane, North Carolina
Medina, OhioAlso places in Washington and New York
Melpomene Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
Mentor, Ohio
Mesa, Washington
Methow
Mexia, Texas
Miami, OklahomaAlso a place in Texas
Micanopy
Michigan
Milan, IllinoisName of multiple places
Minam, Oregon
Minot, North Dakota
Missouri
Mobile, Alabama
Mogollon Rim
Monson, Massachusetts
Montague, Texas
Montpelier, VermontPronunciation used for the other places with this name
Montpelier, Virginia
Moscow, IdahoAlso a place in Tennessee
Mount Desert Island
Munday, Texas
Mulino, Oregon
Mukilteo
Muskegon
Nacogdoches
Nahant
Nahma Township
Naselle
Natchitoches
Nederland, Texas
Nehalem
Nenana River
Neodesha
Nespelem
Netarts
Nevada (state)
Nevada (cities)
Nevada County
Newark, Ohio
New AthensNew Name of multiple places
New BerlinNew Name of multiple places
New Orleans
New Madrid, MissouriNew
New Prague, MinnesotaNew
New Tripoli, PennsylvaniaNew
Noel, Missouri
Norfolk, Nebraska
Norfolk, Virginia
Ochelata
Ochiltree County
OjaiAs per the Spanish
Olathe
Olean
Ontonagon River
Orcas Island
Ouray
Palacios
Palermo, North Dakota
Palestine, TexasAlso East Palestine, Ohio
Palo Gaucho Bayou, Texas
Palouse
Paso Robles
Pass Christian
Patchogue
Pawtucket
Peabody, Massachusetts
Pearrygin Lake
Pedernales
Pend Oreille River
Peoria, Iowa
Peru, Indiana
Picabolike peek-a-boo
Piceance Creek
Pierre, South Dakota, like ‘pier’
Pittsburgh
Placer County
Placerville
Plano
Plymouth
Point MuguPoint
Pojoaque
Pompeii, Michigan
Port BolivarPort
Port Hueneme
Poth
Poughkeepsie
Poulsbo, like ‘Paul’s bow’
Poway
Prague, Oklahoma
Puget Sound
Pulaski, New York
Purgatoire River
Puyallup, WashingtonLocal pronunciation
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quitaque
Qulin
Raleigh
Refugio, CaliforniaName of multiple places
Refugio, Texas
RensselaerName of multiple places
Rhea County
Riga, New York
RioIn Florida and Wisconsin
Rio Grande, Ohio
Ronkonkoma
Ruch
Russia, Ohio
Russiaville
Rutherfordton, North Carolina
Saguache, Colorado (town and county)
Salide, Colorado
Saline, Michigan
Samish Island
Sammamish
San Jose, Illinois
San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaMiddle word
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Rafael, California
San Xavier, Arizona
Sangre Street, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Sault Sainte Marie
Schaghticoke
Schuylkill River
Scioto (various), Ohio
Scituate
Sebring, Florida
Sedro-Woolley
Sekiu
Semiahmoo Bay
Sequim
Shawangunk Ridge
Shawano
Shoshone, Idaho
Sigourney, Iowa
Siuslaw River
SkagitVarious places
Skamokawa
Skaneateles Lake, like ‘skinny atlas’
Sol Duc Riverlike "Soul Duck River"
Spokane
Staunton, Virginialike Stanton
Stehekin
Steilacoom
Strait of Juan de FucaStrait of
Study Butte
Suisun City
Swarthmore
Swansea
tə-HAWZ
Taliaferro County
Tallmadge, Ohio
Tanana River
Tazewell, VirginiaName of multiple places
Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans
Tekoa, Washington
Telocaset
Terre Haute
Tewksbury
Thames River, Connecticut, not , not
The DallesThe
Thibodaux
Thoreau, New Mexico
Throop, like ‘troop’
Tieton
Tigard
Tillamook
Tok
Tooele
Topsail Beach Beach
Topsham
Touchet River
Tow, Texas
Towaoc, Colorado
Towson
Tripoli, Iowa
Tualatin
Tucson
Tulare
Tuolumne River
Tygh Valley, like ‘tie’
Uhland
Utley, Texas
Valatie
Valdez, Alaska
Vallejo
Vedauwoo, Wyoming
Veneta
Venetie
Verdi
Vergennes
VersaillesVarious places
Vici
ViennaIn Illinois, Ohio, and South Dakota
Visalia
Waelderlike welder
Wahkiakum County
Wallowa Mountains
Waltham
Waukesha
Waupun
Waxahachie
Waynoka
Wayzata
Weippe
Weiser
Whitemarsh Island
Wilkes-Barre
like Barry
Willamette River
Willapa River
Woburn
Wooster
WorcesterVarious places
Wyandanch
Wytheville, Virginia
Yakima
Yachats
Yaquina Bay
Yocona River
Youghiogheny River
Ypsilanti
Yreka
Zabcikville
Zuehl, Texas
Zzyzx, California

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Arkansas. Dictionary.com.
  2. Web site: Bethlehem, Bethlum or Bethleum -- there's no one way to pronounce it. March 25, 2013.
  3. Web site: Pumpkin Rollers in No Man's Land. Car And Driver. May 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20051203035135/http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=9295&page_number=4. 3 December 2005.
  4. Taylor. Markarian. 35 City Names Around the World You're Mispronouncing. Readers Digest. May 29, 2019. June 8, 2024.
  5. Though indeed named after the country Chili, now Chile Town of chili.org
  6. News: The evolution of Demonbreun Street. en. The Tennessean. 2017-05-05.