11 California Town Names That’ll Make Your GPS Have an Existential Crisis

Here are 11 California town names that will make your GPS have an existential crisis because of how hard they are to pronounce:

1. Tuolumne (too-aw-luh-mee)
   No “N” sound in there. It’s named after the Me-Wuk word for “cluster of stone dwellings.”
2. Camarillo (kah-ma-ree-yo)
   A Spanish name often mispronounced with a hard “c” and silent letters.
3. Lompoc (lom-poke)
   Not “lom-pock” as many say; it ends with an “oke” sound.
4. La Jolla (la-hoy-ya)
   The “J” sounds like an English “h,” and the double L sounds like a “y.”
5. Vallejo (va-yeh-ho)
   A Spanish name pronounced with a “yeh” sound where English speakers often say “lay.”
6. Suisun (suh-soon)
   Often mistaken for “Susan” or “swee-sun,” it has a soft “s” and “oon.”
7. Yosemite (yo-she-mi-tee)
   Not “vegemite” — pronounce the “s” as “sh.”
8. San Luis Obispo (san loo-ees oh-bis-poh)
   “Luis” is pronounced “loo-ees,” not “lou-ee.”
9. Paso Robles (pa-sow row-bles or row-bowls)
   Locals pronounce the last part different ways, both accepted.
10. Ojai (oh-hi)
    Not “OJ” like the juice, but more like “oh hi.”
11. Tulare (too-lair-ee)
    Three distinct syllables with a smooth “air-ee” at the end.

These names reflect California’s rich blend of Native American, Spanish, and English linguistic influences, causing regular pronunciation headaches for newcomers and GPS devices alike!

SOURCES

[1](https://californiacitynews.org/2022/07/most-mispronounced-places-california.html)
[2](https://www.jagranjosh.com/us/trending/list-of-hardest-town-names-to-pronounce-in-each-us-state-1860000816)
[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKeFfifOQVQ)
[4](https://www.reddit.com/r/California/comments/vqmrgq/the_most_mispronounced_places_in_california/)
[5](https://www.mentalfloss.com/geography/maps/hardest-to-pronounce-town-name-in-every-state-map)