We Dare You to Say These 11 Nebraska Places Correctly on Your First Try (Spoiler: You Can’t)

Here are 11 Nebraska place names you’re almost guaranteed to mispronounce on your first try:

1. Beatrice — Pronounced “BEE-uh-triss,” not “Bee-AH-treece.”
2. Norfolk — Pronounced “NOR-fork,” not “Nor-folk.”
3. Auburn — Not to be confused with Auburn, Alabama; said as “AW-burn.”
4. Genoa — Pronounced “Jenn-oh-uh,” different from the Italian pronunciation.
5. Holdrege — Pronounced “HOLD-ridge,” avoiding the silent letters.
6. Nebraska — Locally pronounced with emphasis on the first syllable: “NEB-ruh-ska.”
7. Syracuse — Pronounced “SIR-uh-cuse,” distinct from New York’s “Syr-a-cuse.”
8. McCook — Pronounced “Mick-cook,” not “Mack-cook.”
9. Cairo — Pronounced “KAY-ro,” not like the Egyptian capital.
10. Elkhorn — Usually pronounced smoothly, without stressing the second syllable.
11. Tecumseh — Pronounced “Tek-um-see,” not “Tecoos-meh.”

Locals often tease outsiders for mispronouncing these names, and mastering the correct ways is a sure sign you’ve embraced Nebraska culture.

SOURCES

[1](https://wheninyourstate.com/nebraska/we-know-youre-not-from-nebraska-if-you-mispronounce-these-12-names/)
[2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Nebraska/comments/1jd28za/without_saying_the_name_of_your_town_city_where/)
[3](https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/la/article/download/22468/26125/34020)
[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL2IRaxsJrc)
[5](https://ne-ba.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Nebraska-Place-Names-Pronunciation-Guide-UNL-CoJMC.pdf)