1. Dunbarton
At first glance, you might think it’s an easy one, but saying “Dunbarton” could leave your GPS wondering if it’s a “Dun-barton” or “Dun-bart-on.” Either way, the first guess will likely be wrong.
2. Moultonborough
The tricky part? It’s all in the vowels. “Moultonborough” sounds like a tongue-twister that could break a GPS voice’s brain. It’s pronounced “MOL-ton-bur-uh”, not “Moul-ton-borough”.
3. Exeter
This one will leave your GPS saying, “Wait, is it Ex-eter or Ex-tur?” It’s actually pronounced “Ex-eh-ter”, with a very specific pronunciation to catch you off guard.
4. Tilton
You may think this is an easy one, but “Tilton” will likely confuse your GPS into giving you directions to “Tilly-town” or some other non-existent place. It’s just “TIL-ton”, short and sweet.
5. Canaan
If your GPS could think, it would probably start questioning its existence when you ask it to navigate to “Canaan”. Is it “Cay-nan” or “Can-an”? The answer is “CAY-nan,” though it’s one of those names that looks way harder than it is.
6. Kearsarge
Kearsarge will send your GPS into an immediate spiral of confusion. Is it “Kears-arge” or “Keers-arj”? The right way to say it is “KEER-sarge”, with a very subtle emphasis on the first syllable.
7. Gilmanton
This one will definitely confuse your GPS voice when it tries to decide between “Gilmanton” or “Gil-man-ton.” But “Gilmanton” is pronounced “GILL-man-ton”, so there’s that.
8. Weare
Not to be confused with “we are,” “Weare” will make your GPS wonder whether it should be pronouncing it like “We-are” or something more exotic. It’s actually “WEH-er”, with just a hint of “air.”
9. Cohasset
You’ll hear your GPS try to wrap its circuits around “Cohasset”, with a slight hesitation as it attempts to decide if it’s “Co-hasset” or “Co-ha-set.” The correct answer is “Co-hass-et”, pronounced with a gentle emphasis on the second syllable.
10. Amherst
While this may look simple, “Amherst” could easily trip up your GPS. Is it “Am-herst” or “Am-murst”? It’s actually pronounced “AM-herst,” with the emphasis on the first syllable.
11. Pembroke
You might assume “Pembroke” is just like the name of the dog breed, but your GPS may have a fit deciding how to pronounce it. The correct way to say it is “PEM-broke”, with no extra syllables, even though it can sometimes sound more like “Pem-brook.”
SOURCES
[1] https://theworld.org/stories/2016/04/27/small-town-familiar-name-totally-unexpected-pronunciation
[2] https://shark1053.com/6-new-hampshire-towns-hardest-to-pronounce-in-america/
[3] https://www.rd.com/list/difficult-to-pronounce-towns/
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iup9sVlQvAk
[5] https://wjbq.com/7-new-hampshire-places-out-of-staters-cant-pronounce-correctly/
