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

Published On:
11 Alabama Town Names That’ll Make Your GPS Have an Existential Crisis

Alabama is famous for town names that confound both visitors and GPS systems. Here are 11 that will challenge anyone—pronunciation included!

Loachapoka – Pronounced “LOW-cha-POH-kah,” not as it’s spelled.

Arab – Locals say “AY-rab,” not like the Middle Eastern term.

LaFayette – Alabama prefers “La-FAY-it” instead of the French “La-fy-ETTE”.

Eutaw – It’s “Utah” to locals, not “You-taw”.

Opelika – Say “Oh-puh-LYE-kuh” or “Oh-peh-LIE-kuh,” not “Oh-peh-LEE-kuh”.

Sylacauga – “Silla-CAW-guh,” not “Sill-uh-cow-guh” or “Sill-uh-kooga”.

Conecuh – Say “Kuh-NECK-uh,” not “Cone-eh-cuh”.

Tallassee – Locally it’s “TAL-uh-see,” not “Talla-hassee”.

Hatchechubbee – Pronounced “Hatch-uh-CHUB-bee,” not how it’s spelled.

Dauphin Island – Actually “DAW-fin” Island, not “Dolphin”.

Guin – It’s “GYOO-in,” not “Gwin”.

Table: The Existential Crisis Alabama Towns

Town NameLocal PronunciationOutsider Guess
LoachapokaLOW-cha-POH-kahLow-a-cha-poka
ArabAY-rabUh-rab
LaFayetteLa-FAY-itLa-fy-ETTE
EutawUtahYou-taw
OpelikaOh-puh-LYKE-uhOh-peh-LEE-kuh
SylacaugaSilla-CAW-guhSill-uh-cow-guh
ConecuhKuh-NECK-uhCone-eh-cuh
TallasseeTAL-uh-seeTalla-hassee
HatchechubbeeHatch-uh-CHUB-beeHat-che-chubby
Dauphin IslandDAW-finDolphin
GuinGYOO-inGwin

These tongue-twisters are proof that in Alabama, spelling is just the beginning of the journey—true pronunciation is a local badge of honor.

SOURCES

(https://wtug.com/15-of-alabamas-hardest-to-pronounce-town-names/)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xbwyKHDJUE)
(https://1051theblock.com/alabama-town-name-deemed-the-absolute-hardest-name-to-pronounce/)(https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/saying-8-alabama-town-names-144416838.html)(https://www.reddit.com/r/Alabama/comments/xxhokg/alabama_cities_pronunciation_spelling/)

Leave a Comment