How To Pronounce These Weird Wyoming Town Names
There are weird names for places in Wyoming. Some have weird spellings. One is pronounced wrong intentionally. Don't worry if you got it wrong. Here is a handy guide to help you out.
Kemmerer- Each time someone says it they feel the urge to throw in even more "M's" or "ER's." I just ad in several more each time I say it so people can see my frustration. It is actually pronounced KEM-ER-ER.
Dubois- Don't feel bad about getting that one wrong. The people of this town are saying the name wrong intentionally. They had applied for town status and so a senator from Utah showed up to help them file the paperwork. He hated the name they picked for the town so he named it after himself. His last name is French and is pronounced DU-BU-WAH! To get him back for this the people of the town, to this day, mispronounce it. They say DU-BOYS.
Bairoil- This place is in Sweetwater County. Even after hearing locals pronounce it I can't get this one right. BARE-OIL is as close as you will get.
Clearmont- Do they mean CLAIR-MONT or CLEAR-MONT? The "Mont" part is easy. It's just a matter of how they want to emphasize the first part. It is actually CLEAR-MONT! As a helpful caller from the town pointed out to us, it's easy to remember with Clear Creek so nearby.
Edgerton- This one is actually easy to say, but hard to look at. The spelling makes any brain go a little dyslexic. ED-GER-TON
Guernsey- Here again, is the problem of where you put the emphases. Too much "U" or "E" and you've got it wrong. It's pronounced GURN-ZEE!
Hulett- Not WHO-LET or HULL-ET. Think of the name HUE then ad a LET at the end.
La Grange- Yeah like the ZZ Top Song. But they did not mean La Grange Wyoming. Not a hard "A" on this one but a soft "A." Just imagine there is not an "E" and the end of the name. LA GR-au-NG
Meeteetse- To see this properly we have to spread it out a lot. ME-TEE-T-SEE.
Shoshoni- Not correct to say SHA-SHO-NEE. There are not any "A's" in this. It's pronounced SHO-SHO-NEE.
Wamsutter- A lot of people see "WARM" in there. But there is no letter "R" in it. WAM-SUT-TER.
Yoder- This is a long "O". Once again it is a matter of where you put the emphases. Y-OH-DER.
Hard to pronounce Wyoming Counties.
Niobrara- That one takes just a little practice but it is not too hard. N-EYE-OH-BRAA-RUH.
Unita- The "U" is long. The letter "i" is short. The letter "A" is soft. U-ENT-UH.
WASHAKIE- I always have a hard time with this one that's why I put it in all capital letters. Just imagine you had to wash your house or car key. WASH-A-KEY.
OPAL- This is another deceptive word, spelled just like the gemstone we all know as OH-PL. However, the town is actually pronounced with a short "a" so when you hear "PAL" think buddy or friend. OH-P-AHL.