Colorado is filled with place names that outsiders nearly always mispronounce, thanks to unusual spellings, Spanish or Native American origins, and local twists. Here are 11 notorious examples that even seasoned travelers struggle to pronounce correctly on the first try.
11 Colorado Place Names That Trip Up Outsiders
Arriba (AIR-i-buh), not ah-REE-bah.
Berthoud (BURR-thud), not “ber-THOUD” or like “cloud”.
Buena Vista (BYOO-nuh VIS-tuh), ignoring the Spanish “bweh-nah” pronunciation.
Cache La Poudre (kash la POOH-der), not “pood-ray” or “cash la pudd-er”.
Delhi (dell-HI), not like the Indian city “DEL-ee”.
Limon (LIME-on), not “LEE-moan” or “LEE-mun”.
Louisville (LEWIS-ville), unlike Kentucky’s “LOO-uh-vul”.
Olathe (oh-LAY-thuh), not “oh-LATH”.
Ouray (YOU-ray), not “OO-ray”.
Saguache (suh-WATCH), not “sag-wah-chay” or “sa-gwache”.
Uncompahgre (un-come-POG-ray), not “un-com-pah-gree”.
Mastering these pronunciations is a badge of honor for true Coloradans—nearly everyone else gets tripped up at least once.
SOURCES
(https://thegroupinc.com/our-communities/words-only-coloradans-can-pronounce/)(https://www.reddit.com/r/Denver/comments/19d6nok/what_are_some_places_in_colorado_that_no_one/)(https://newcountry991.com/you-know-youre-a-true-coloradan-if-you-can-pronounce-these-towns/)(https://kool1079.com/colorado-words-pronounce/)
(https://94kix.com/colorado-names-outsiders-can-never-pronounce/)
