Here are 11 New Mexico town names known for their tricky pronunciations that can easily confuse even the most confident GPS users:
Abiquiú — Pronounced “AB-ick-you,” not “Ab-ick-we”.
Arroyo Seco — Pronounced “Ahr-oi’-ya-say’-ko,” not just “aroyo seco”.
Caballo — Pronounced “Ka-vhah’-yoh,” not “Cab-ballo”.
Chimayó — Pronounced “Shee-my-yoh,” not “Chim-mayo”.
Lamy — Pronounced “Lay’-mee,” not “Lam-ee”.
Mogollón — Pronounced “Moh-GOY-yon’,” not “Mog-o-lon”.
Taos — Pronounced “Ta-os,” not “Tay-os” or “Tacos”.
Tucumcari — Pronounced “TOO-come-care-ee,” not “Tuck-um-car-ee”.
Tesuque — Pronounced “Teh-sue-keh,” not “Tess-uke”.
Bernalillo — Often mispronounced, should be said “Burn-uh-LEE-yoh”.
Cochiti — Pronounced “CO-shi-tee,” not “Coshitty”.
These place names reflect New Mexico’s rich cultural and linguistic heritage, blending Spanish, Native American, and local influences, which can make pronunciation a delightful challenge for outsiders.Here are 11 New Mexico town names that often confuse GPS and outsiders due to their tricky pronunciations:
Abiquiú — Pronounced “AB-ick-you”
Arroyo Seco — Pronounced “Ahr-oi’-ya-say’-ko”
Caballo — Pronounced “Ka-vhah’-yoh”
Chimayó — Pronounced “Shee-my-yoh”
Lamy — Pronounced “Lay’-mee”
Mogollón — Pronounced “Moh-GOY-yon’”
Taos — Pronounced “Ta-os”
Tucumcari — Pronounced “TOO-come-care-ee”
Tesuque — Pronounced “Teh-sue-keh”
Bernalillo — Pronounced “Burn-uh-LEE-yoh”
Cochiti — Pronounced “CO-shi-tee”
These names highlight New Mexico’s blend of Spanish and Native American influences, making them a fun challenge to say right.
SOURCES
(https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/state-pride/new-mexico/hard-words-nm)(https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/1hkwpu9/what_nm_townsnatural_sitesetc_are_frequently/)(https://www.rd.com/list/difficult-to-pronounce-towns/)
(https://klaq.com/most-mispronounced-cities-nm/)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWAeQ2IZjmc)
