We Dare You to Say These 11 Arkansas Places Correctly on Your First Try (Spoiler: You Can’t)

Here are 11 Arkansas places that many people struggle to pronounce correctly on the first try, with their proper pronunciations:

1. Altheimer – Awl-TY-mer (with silent “h” and “e”)
2. Antoine – An-TWAN
3. Cabot – KAB-it
4. Chenal Valley – Shi-NAHL
5. Chicot – SHEE-ko
6. De Queen – Duh-KWEEN or Dee-KWEEN
7. Desha – Duh-SHAY
8. Dierks – Dirks (rhymes with works)
9. El Dorado – El dor-AY-do (not dor-AH-do)
10. Ouachita – Wah-SHEE-tah (not pronounced as spelled)
11. Prescott – Press-cut (not like Prescott, Arizona)

These names reflect Arkansas’s rich Native American, French, and Southern heritage, and often feature pronunciations that differ significantly from the spelling or from analogous names elsewhere. Learning these can help avoid common slip-ups and earn appreciation from locals when visiting or discussing Arkansas.

SOURCES

[1](https://www.secrant.com/rant/arkansas-sports/pronunciation-guide-to-arkansas-places/64362291/)
[2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Arkansas/comments/2y2bf8/what_mispronounced_arkansas_location_bothers_you/)
[3](https://www.markjamesmullins.com/arkansas/pronoun/)
[4](https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/place-names-4976/)
[5](https://onlyinark.com/culture/how-do-you-pronounce-arkansas-town-names/)