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

Here are 11 Vermont places that most people cannot pronounce correctly on their first try:

1. Montpelier
   Often mispronounced as “Mon-pell-yay,” it is correctly said as “mawnt-PEEL-yer” or “mont-PILL-yer”—with a distinct emphasis and no French twist.
2. Calais
   Not “Cal-ay” but pronounced “CAL-iss,” a subtle yet common mistake for visitors.
3. Barre
   Locally pronounced “BARE-eee,” different from the ballet-like “bar”.
4. Rutland
   Vermonters often soften or drop consonants: it sounds like “RUH-lin,” not a hard-t sound at the end.
5. Bradford
   Has two common pronunciations in Vermont: “BRAD-furd” or “BRED-fud,” both accepted but far from the obvious.
6. Beebe Plain
   Pronounced straightforwardly as “BEE-bee plane,” yet few guess it on first try.
7. Quechee
   Pronounced “KWEE-chee,” combining a quick vowel sound with a soft ending.
8. Pownal
   Pronounced “POW-nul,” not “POW-nall” or anything with a heavy second syllable.
9. Vergennes
   Pronounced “vurr-JENzz,” with a French influence but Anglicized to a local sound.
10. Winooski
    Pronounced “wih-NOO-skee” in English, and “WE-noo-skee” in Abenaki, meaning “onion land”.
11. Worcester
    Pronounced “WUH-stir,” simplifying the syllables to a common New England style pronunciation.

These tricky names are steeped in French, Abenaki, and New England influences, making Vermont a challenge for outsiders aiming to speak like locals.

SOURCES

(https://www.vermontpublic.org/programs/2021-02-11/an-interactive-guide-to-pronouncing-vermont-abenaki-place-names)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHr2eWDJsGA)(https://www.reddit.com/r/vermont/comments/nbv0jr/how_do_you_say_insert_word_in_vermont/)(https://podcasts.apple.com/am/podcast/a-vermont-town-city-pronunciation-guide/id1132586596?i=1000508657082)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O–O29j4N5g)