GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — How well do you know your North Carolina county and municipality pronunciations?
Whether you’re a lifelong North Carolinian or you moved here from elsewhere, odds are you’ve been corrected on how you pronounced county or city’s name, or you’ve had to correct someone else.
Here’s a guide on many of the frequently mispronounced names you’ll come across in North Carolina.
- Advance: AD-vance
- Ahoskie: Ah-HOSS-kie
- Alleghany County: al-i-GAINY
- Angier: ANN-jur
- Bahama: bah-HAY-ma
- Beaufort (county and town): BOW-fort (South Carolina’s Beaufort is pronounced BYOO-fert)
- Bertie County: burr-TEE
- Bodie Island: body island
- Buies Creek: boo-ees Creek
- Buncombe County: BUNK-um
- Cabarrus County: kuh-BEAR-us
- Cashiers: KASH-urs
- Catawba County: kuh-TAW-buh
- Cherryville: CHAIR-ee-vil
- Chinquapin: chink-a-pin
- Chocowinity: chock-uh-WIN-uh-tee
- Concord: CON-CORD
- Conetoe: kuh-NEE-tuh
- Corolla: Ka-RAW-la
- Cullowhee: CULL-uh-whee
- Durham: DURR-um
- Duplin County: DOOP-LIN
- Forsyth County: for-SYTH
- Fuquay-Varina: FEW-kway vuh-REE-nah
- Harnett County: HAR-net
- Hickory: HICK-ree
- Hiddenite: HID-nite
- Icard: EYE-kurd
- Iredell County: EYE-ur-dell
- Kerr Lake: car lake
- Kure Beach: CURE-ee
- Lenoir County: la-NOR
- Mebane: MEB-un
- Ocracoke: OAK-ra-coke
- Pfafftown: POFF-town
- Pocomoke: POE-ka-moke
- Raleigh: RAH-lee
- Robeson: ROB-uh-sun (Remember, there’s no robe in Robeson)
- Rodanthe: roe-DAN-thee
- Rowan County: roe-WANN
- Salisbury: SAULS-berry
- Saxapahaw: SAX-uh-pa-haw
- Severn: SEV-ren
- Shallotte: sha-LOAT
- Uwharrie Mountains: you-WHAR-ee
- Watauga: wah-TAW-guh
- Wendell: wen-DELL
- Zebulon: ZEB-yoo-luhn
Last year, the North Carolina Museum of History shared on social media a series of videos about how to pronounce places throughout the state. Search for #PronouncingNC on Facebook or Twitter to see and hear more pronunciations.
