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

Here are 11 Kansas town names that can confuse your GPS (and locals) with their unique pronunciations:

1. Chautauqua – Shuh-TAH-qua (not CHAT-ah-qua)
2. El Dorado – El Dor-AY-doe (not dor-AH-do)
3. Louisville – Loo-iss-ville (not like Kentucky’s Louisville)
4. Nemaha – Knee-ma-HAW (rhymes with Omaha)
5. Neodesha – Knee-oh-duh-SHAY
6. Salina – Sah-LIE-na
7. Tecumseh – Te-come-SEE (named after the Shawnee chief)
8. Wamego – Wa-MEE-go
9. Arkansas City – Ar-KAN-sas (like the state’s pronunciation)
10. Hugoton – HUGH-go-ton (not huge-ton)
11. Garnett – GAR-net

These names reflect Kansas’s rich Native American heritage, French influences, and local pronunciations that differ markedly from their spelling or similar names elsewhere. Saying them correctly helps avoid confusion and shows respect for local culture.

SOURCES

[1](https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2021/09/30/you-know-youre-from-kansas-how-to-pronounce-these-words-cities-correctly/5898868001/)
[2](https://www.nameshouts.com/blog/pronounce-us-city-and-state-names)
[3](https://esirc.emporia.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/1309/Cover%20Vol%204%20Num%204.pdf?sequence=4)
[4](https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupid?key=ha000235228)
[5](https://www.reddit.com/r/kansas/comments/niwll9/a_pronunciation_guide_for_kansas_place_names/)