New Hampshire is home to charming towns, beautiful landscapes, and a rich history. However, if you’ve ever tried pronouncing the names of some of its places, you know it’s not always as easy as it looks. From French influences to indigenous roots, the Granite State has a wide variety of tricky town names that will stump even the most seasoned traveler. Think you can pronounce them? We dare you to try!
1. Wonalancet
This small town sounds like it might be a tongue-twister, and it is! The correct pronunciation? Woh-nah-LAN-set.
2. Gorham
At first glance, you might think this is pronounced like “Gore-uhm,” but in New Hampshire, it’s pronounced GORE-um. Not exactly what you’d expect!
3. Laconia
This is one of those names that often gets mispronounced with extra emphasis, but the correct way to say it is Lah-KOH-nee-ah, not “Lake-OH-nee-ah.”
4. Tamworth
You might think this is just “Tam-worth” like it looks, but the locals say it TAM-uth, dropping the “w” sound entirely.
5. Exeter
It’s a famous town, but many outsiders trip over this one. The correct pronunciation is EKS-ter, not “Ex-e-ter.”
6. Epsom
It looks simple enough, but locals will tell you it’s pronounced EP-sum, not “Eps-om.”
7. Chocorua
A mouthful of a name, and trust us, it’ll take you a few tries to get it right. It’s pronounced CHOK-er-wah, not “Choc-or-oo-ah.”
8. Squam Lake
It might look like “Squam Lake” is simple, but the “Squam” is actually pronounced SKWAM, like the “squ” in “squash.”
9. Canaan
Another deceptively tricky one, it looks like it should be pronounced CAN-an, but locals say it CAY-nan (rhyming with “ran”).
10. Contoocook
This is a local favorite, but good luck getting it right the first time. The correct pronunciation is CON-toe-cook—sounds simple enough, but you’ll trip over the syllables at first!
11. Abenaki
Named after the indigenous Abenaki people, it’s pronounced AB-uh-nah-kee, not “Aben-ah-kee.”
New Hampshire is full of places with unique pronunciations that might make you feel like you’re learning a new language! So, don’t feel bad if you don’t get them all right on your first try—locals are used to helping people out.
SOURCES
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAmericans/comments/191jzdc/pronunciation_of_new_hampshire_vs_english_counties/
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iup9sVlQvAk
[3] https://wokq.com/top-mispronounced-towns-that-show-you-are-not-from-new-hampshire/
[4] https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLkdO1FuFcd/
[5] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/y0CYuZiH2ng
