Think You’re a True Idahoan? Try Pronouncing These 24 Tricky Towns Without Googling

Whether you’re a lifelong Idahoan, just moved here or are only in town for a sporting event, concert or conference, there’s one universal truth. Trying to pronounce the names of many Idaho cities will humble you.

Take it from me. A little over 15 years ago, I was wandering around my college campus in a tiny Pennsylvania town, proudly telling anyone who would listen about the job I’d just landed in Boise, Idaho. I’d spent the last four years driving between campus and my part-time job at another major radio company in my hometown. I was thrilled that I managed to land a full-time morning show gig before graduation!

READ MORE: 8 Places in Idaho With Surprisingly Dirty Sounding Names

But spreading the news served a dual purpose. Every time I mentioned the job, I was giving myself a pronunciation pop quiz. My soon-to-be coworkers were quick to tell me to get the city’s name right before I moved. I had to deprogram myself from saying “boy-ZEE” and make saying “BOY-see” second nature.

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Little did I know that pronouncing Boise correctly would be a breeze compared to some other Idaho locations. The Gem State is full of town names that look like someone lost a game of Scrabble. There’s a reason for that. Our state’s place names are a beautiful disaster of Native American origins, French explorer influences and pure Idaho stubbornness.

We sorted 24 of the trickiest town names into tiers from tourist-friendly to “don’t even try it.” How many of these can you say without cheating?

TIER 1: TOURIST FRIENDLY

Twin Falls: TWIN-fawls

• If you mess this one up, we can’t help you.

Sun Valley: SUN-val-ee

• Shockingly straightforward.

Nampa: Nam-puh

• Looks like Tampa with an “n,” said like Tampa with an “n.” Don’t slip and call it “Nawm-pah.”

Idaho City: Eye-du-ho City

• Might be the most redundant address when sending a Christmas card, but it’s one of the easiest town names to pronounce.

TIER 2: YOU PROBABLY LIVE HERE

Boise: BOY-see

• College sports announcers have conditioned America to pronounce our capital city’s name wrong. If you do it in Idaho, you’ll be corrected before you can finish your sentence.

Kuna: KYOO-nuh

• If you say “Coo-nuh,” it’s a sure sign that you weren’t around to party at Cowgirls.

Pocatello: poe-kuh-TELL-oh

• People get freaked out when they look at it and add extra syllables where they don’t belong.

Payette: Pay-ETT

• The city was named after Francois Payette, a French-Canadian trapper and explorer. The French would pronounce this “pie-yet” but Idaho said “nope,” we’ll do it our way.

TIER 3: LOCAL KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED

Moscow: MOSS-koe

• It was Hog Haven. Then it was Paradise Valley. Eventually the postmaster renamed it after his hometown in Pennsylvania. It may look like the Russian capital city’s name but if you say MOSS-cow, people will know you haven’t been in Idaho long.

Lewiston: LOO-is-ton

• Looks easy until you realize some out-of-staters insist on calling it “Lewis-town.”

Weiser: WEE-zer

• It sure isn’t Beverly Hills, but it’s pronounced like the band who wrote the song. Not “WHY-ser.” Not “WAY-ser” either.

Picabo: PEEK-uh-boo

• Yes, like the children’s game. Often mispronounced as PICK-uh-boo.

TIER 4: ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) IDAHO

Dubois: DOO-boyss

• You so want to pronounce this the French way. Don’t.

Buhl: BYOO-ull

• Two letters, two syllables, infinite confusion. It’s not “bull.”

Coeur d’Alene: kore-duh-LANE

• Outsiders break out in a cold sweat when they see this name for the first time. Just call it CDA.

Athol: ATH-ul

• Looks like it should rhyme with “atoll,” but it doesn’t. Idaho doesn’t play by your rules. Also, very scary to say on the radio. Slip up and you’re going to say a dirty word that the FCC doesn’t like.

TIER 5: GRADUATE LEVEL

Kamiah: KAM-ee-eye

• If we had a dollar for every time the “iah” at the end of this name tripped someone up, we may be able to afford a home in Boise.

Orofino: or-uh-FEEN-oh

• Sounds buttery smooth once you know it, but newbies panic and lose the “uh.”

Mackay: MACK-ee

• Looks like it should rhyme with “way” but most certainly does not.

Kooskia: KOOSS-kee

• Was originally named “Stuart” but apparently that was too easy.

TIER 6: THE FINAL BOSS

Keuterville: KYOO-tur-vill

• Looks German, sounds like a sneeze.

Weippe: WEE-ipe

• Don’t worry, the silent “p” has been tripping people up for 130 years.

Cocolalla: koe-koe-LAW-luh

• Could be a children’s song. Could be a cocktail. Either way, it’s nearly impossible to get it right the first time you see it.

Acequia: uh-SEEK-we-uh

• If you nail this on the first try, you’re either psychic, lying or the most Idaho Idahoan that ever lived.

Author’s Note: I know some of you will be critical that this was written by someone who’s only lived in Boise for 15 years, so I want to give a big high five to the Idaho Press Club for their incredibly helpful pronunciation guide that I wish I had found…15 years ago.

If you missed some of these, don’t feel bad. At least you weren’t these girls!