Here are 11 New Jersey place names that challenge even locals, with suggested resident-approved pronunciations:
Tricky New Jersey Place Names
Boonton — pronounced “BOOT-in”
Closter — pronounced “CLO-stir” (not CLAW-ster)
Frelinghuysen — pronounced “FREE-ling-HIGH-sen”
Pequannock — pronounced “Peh-KWAH-nock”
Moonachie — pronounced “Moo-NAH-kee”
Old Tappan — pronounced “Old tuh-PAN”
Greenwich (3 towns) — pronounced “GREEN-which” (not GREN-itch)
Runnemede — pronounced “RUN-a-meade”
Buena Vista — pronounced “BYOO-nuh-VISS-tuh” (not Spanish)
Secaucus — pronounced “SEE-kaw-cus” (commonly mispronounced)
These tongue-twisters trip up visitors and even some New Jerseyans, making local introductions a bit more interesting.
SOURCES
(https://catcountry1073.com/ixp/942/p/new-jersey-mispronounced-town/)(https://www.reddit.com/r/newjersey/comments/17hando/weird_and_different_pronunciation_of_towns_but_why/)(https://wpst.com/heres-how-to-pronounce-these-tricky-nj-town-names/)
(https://943thepoint.com/difficult-nj-towns-to-pronounce/)
(https://catcountry1073.com/the-south-jersey-town-name-no-college-kid-can-pronounce/)