Here are 11 South Carolina town names that are notorious for confusing GPS devices and visitors alike, along with their local pronunciations:
- Cayce – Pronounced KAY-see
- Chapin – Pronounced CHAY-pin
- Chappells – Pronounced CHAP-uls (like “chaples”)
- Guignard – Pronounced GIN-yard or GIN-yurd, depending on area
- Horry – Pronounced O-ree (drop the “h” sound)
- Irmo – Pronounced ER-moe
- Keowee – Pronounced KEE-wee or KEE-uh-wee
- Kiawah – Pronounced KEY-uh-wah or KEY-wah
- Lancaster – Pronounced LANK-uh-stur (not “LAN-cas-ter”)
- Newry – Pronounced NEAR-ree
- Sumter – Pronounced SUMP-ter (with a subtle “p” sound inserted)
Many of these names come from Native American, French, or English origins, so the pronunciations can often defy phonetic expectations. Locals usually instinctively know the right way, but outsiders’ GPS phonetics often stumble here.
SOURCES
(https://www.sciway.net/ccr/sc-pronunciations.html)(https://beaufortdistrictcollectionconnections.blogspot.com/2008/05/correct-mispronunciations-of-some-south.html)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsAyKqsObjc)
(https://www.southernthing.com/we-try-to-pronounce-south-carolina-town-names-2633688767.html)(https://uscpress.com/Correct-Mispronunciations-of-South-Carolina-Names)
