The Most Mispronounced Town Names In Mississippi Are Hilarious
Every state has their own collection of city names that no outsider would have a chance at pronouncing correctly on their first try, and Mississippi is no exception. Proud Mississippians like to do things their own way, and that goes for how they say the places that they live. From big cities to small towns, The Magnolia state is littered with names that boggle the brain.
Below you’ll find some of the most confusing names for outsiders who are visiting for the first time or maybe even just driving through. God fordid they listen to their GPS, there’s no telling how that thing is programmed to say it.
6. Biloxi
Starting us off with one people should know, but you’d be surprised how many people up north have never heard of Biloxi. People who’ve never heard it before usually pronounce it “Bi-LOCK-see”. They just need to relax a little bit, ya know. “Bi-luck-see”. So much better
5. Pass Christian
You can’t blame someone for messing this one up. My whole life I just read it how it looks until I actually met someone from the Bay St. Louis and learned me a thing or two. I would’ve never known that it’s actually “Pass Chris-chee-anne”.
4. Louisville
Another one that anybody from outside of Mississippi wouldn’t think twice about. While Kentucky wanted to embrace their french flare, the south keeps it simple. You say it just how it looks. “Lewis-ville” (but if you speak with a little southern drawl it’ll almost certainly by “vuhl” not “Ville”).
3. Gautier
Mississippi really can’t be bothered with french pronunciations. People who have never been to the gulf coast may say “GO-Tee-aye” or “GO-TEE-er” but neither of those are correct. Anybody for the southern part of the state will tell you it pronounced “go-shay” or “go-chay”. There’s still some debate but it seems as though it has two syllables, not three.
2. Belzoni
Another deceptive entry to this list, the correct way to say this one is “Bell-zone-uh” and just let the “I” at the end fall away. And while this town has less than 2,000 citizens, they make up for it with some of the best catfish on the planet.
1. Tupelo
Our last entry is the birthplace of The King, the one and only Elvis Presley. Feels like everyone should know how to say it, but you’ll still see people talk about how Elvis is from “TUH-pel-poh” and not “TWO-pel-oh”. It’s just like the number, people!
More From 97X
