List of Hardest Town Names to Pronounce in Each U.S. State

Have you ever paused before saying the name of a town in the U.S. because you weren't sure how to pronounce it? You're not alone! Many people have a town in their area with a name that is surprisingly difficult to pronounce. This is often due to an Indigenous language, language or culture influence from a foreign country, or an impossible spelling that doesn't seem to correspond with how a word sounds. 

To help with this conundrum, the language learning platform Preply produced a list of the hardest to pronounce town names in every state in the U.S. Their findings provide an eye-opening perspective on just how incredibly diverse and confusing at times American place names can be. 

Names that seem deceptively easy to say, and some with so many syllables you've never seen strung together, which provide social commentary on the rich cultural history of naming places where people live.

Check Out: U.S. Education Under Donald Trump: Major Changes and Key Initiatives in 2025

Hardest Town Names to Pronounce in Each U.S. State

Top 10 U.S. Towns That Trip Up Tongues

Here are the top 10 U.S. Towns that trip up tongues and are difficult to pronounce: 

1. Nunathloogagamiutbingoi Dunes, Alaska - While frequently referred to as "unpronounceable," even authoritative information like Donald Orth's Dictionary of Alaska Place Names provides little help.

2. Loachapoka, Alabama - The name of a small town that many people can not pronounce correctly. The locals say it like "LOW-cha-POH-kah."

3. Tyewhoppety, Kentucky - Reader's Digest claims it is the hardest place name to pronounce in Kentucky. The name may be derived from a slang phrased on a Shawnee term meaning "place of no return."

4. Ocheyedan, Iowa - Reader's Digest reported it is the hardest to pronounce in Iowa, and usually pronounced like "oh-CHEED-en."

5. Loogootee, Indiana - According to Reader's Digest, presents the hardest name for pronunciation in Indiana.

6. Aquebogue, New York - A hamlet on Long Island, frequently confounding to pronounce (A-kwuh-baag) in less-than-conventional ways.

7. Wayzata, Minnesota - Stemming from a Dakota term where people often mispronounce its pronunciation ("wai-ZEH-tuh").

8. Duchesne, Utah - An often-read or sometimes mispronounced name. The locals pronounce it "doo-SHANE."

9. Schenectady, New York - Literally, "thing that is in the way," which people in Schenectady rightfully brag about their place-name history is likely to be pronounced incorrectly. The local pronunciation is "skuh-NEHK-tuh-dee."

10. Keosauqua, Iowa - A name of Native American origin. It can be said with a pronounced beat in the sound of "KEE-o-SAW-kwa," everyone loves the sound of it but many times it confounds people.

Why Are These Names Challenging?

What makes these town names so hard to pronounce is often a combination of cultural, linguistic, and historical context. Many are from Indigenous languages that may be foreign to English speakers, perhaps making the sounds or structures hard to interpret. Some are borrowed from other languages, especially French or German, which can sometimes create a ready-made pronunciation even if we don't have the correct spelling in English.

 In some cases, the spelling has changed over time, but the pronunciation remains, making the pronunciation completely disconnected from the spelling of the name. Additionally, local accents and colloquial usages add to the difficulty in pronouncing names correctly. Towns are a repository of diverging roots of American communities, but these place names can stop even the most seasoned traveler in their tracks to consider their branded pronunciation.