Here are 11 Illinois town names that are known for making GPS systems—and visitors—have an existential crisis when trying to pronounce them:
Tough Illinois Town Names to Say
Benld
Pronounced “Ben-ELD,” named after Benjamin L. Dorsey, who contributed his initials to the town name.
Kaskaskia
Said as “kas-KAS-kee-uh,” named after a Native American tribe that once lived in the area.
Versailles
Pronounced “ver-SAILS,” unlike the French city’s “ver-SIGH”.
Cairo
Said “KAY-ro,” not like the Egyptian “KAI-ro”.
Bourbonnais
Pronounced either close to “Bur-bone-ay” or “Bur-bon-iss,” with locals varying in preference.
Mattoon
Correctly pronounced “MATT-toon,” often mispronounced as “Muh-toon”.
Eldorado
Pronounced “EL-do-RAY-do,” notably different from how it looks.
Athens
Pronounced with a hard “A,” as in “AY-thens,” not “Ah-thens”.
San Jose
Locally pronounced “San Joes,” unlike the West Coast “San Ho-say”.
LeRoy
Pronounced “Luh-ROY,” with emphasis on the second syllable.
Monticello
Said as “Mon-ti-CHEL-lo,” with a clear “chel” syllable not like the Italian “Mon-tee-CHELL-o”.
These tricky pronunciations come from Illinois’ mix of Native American, French, and European origins, making even local GPS sometimes hesitate before offering directions.
SOURCES
(https://secretchicago.com/benld-illinois-hardest-town-to-pronounce-mental-floss/)(https://www.rd.com/list/difficult-to-pronounce-towns/)
(https://979kickfm.com/11-of-the-most-mispronounced-towns-by-illinois-tourist/)(https://www.reddit.com/r/centralillinois/comments/wtcm7j/what_are_some_commonly_mispronounced_or_hard_to/)
(https://www.mentalfloss.com/geography/maps/hardest-to-pronounce-town-name-in-every-state-map)
