Here are 11 Wisconsin place names that are famously tricky to pronounce, and most visitors (and even newcomers) get them wrong on the first try:
- Waunakee – Pronounced “WAH-nuh-kee,” not “WANNA-kee”
- Ashwaubenon – Pronounced “ASH-wah-buh-non,” home to the Green Bay stadium district
- Menomonie – Pronounced “Meh-NOM-uh-nee,” not “Meh-NO-min-nee” or “Me-No-Money”
- Mukwonago – Pronounced “Muck-WAHN-uh-go,” a spell-like sounding name
- Minocqua – Pronounced “Min-AH-kwuh,” a Northwoods lake town
- Wauwatosa – Pronounced “Wah-wuh-TOE-sah,” often just called “Tosa” by locals
- Manitowoc – Pronounced “MAN-ih-tuh-walk,” not with an extra syllable
- Kaukauna – Pronounced “Kuh-KAW-nuh,” famous for its cheese
- Oconomowoc – Pronounced “Oh-CON-oh-MO-wok,” the ultimate Wisconsin pronunciation challenge
- Shawano – Pronounced “Shah-WAH-no”
- Weyauwega – Pronounced “Why-ah-WEE-gah”
These pronunciations are a rite of passage for locals and can be heard in a helpful interactive sound guide from Wisconsin’s State Cartographer Office and MissPronouncer.com, which offers audio examples for over 1700 Wisconsin places to help with this challenge.
Unless you get these right, calling yourself a true Wisconsinite is a stretch!
If interested in hearing these place names pronounced, there are online tools and videos, including locals and even visiting celebrities struggling with these names.
Would you like me to provide audio links or a phonetic pronunciation guide for these?
SOURCES
(https://97zokonline.com/hardest-wisconsin-towns-to-pronounce/)
(https://www.wbanewsroom.org/wisconsin-pronunciation-guide/)
(https://www.sco.wisc.edu/2012/12/13/sco-releases-pronounce-wisconsin-an-online-pronouncing-gazetteer-of-wisconsin/)
(https://www.sco.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Pronounce_Wisconsin_2014.pdf)(https://misspronouncer.com)
