Californians Try To Pronounce Michigan Towns

How do you say Ypsilanti, Hamtramck, and Mackinac Island correctly? These Michigan cities and towns can be hard to pronounce, especially if you're not from the Midwest, but it's funny to watch people try. Watch as these Californians try, and fail, to pronounce some of our best Michigan city names.

[@edpaslaski9477]

I'm from Michigan and I still can't say half the damn towns correctly. 😂

[@Jilbo2001]

Me too, though I left in 90' but, I seen some of these and thought how the hell did they get that from that. I never even heard of some of these. Maybe because I was from Detroit and raised in Warren. My bro used to live in Ypsilanti. I may have passed through some towns/cities but, like you I still can't say what they are. lolz

[@erosive-gold1]

Same

[@zeuszo_o1593]

Sometimes I look at the road signs and wonder, how the hell is it even pronounced the way it is? And I live there

[@Qwsgwx]

I’m gonna be real, we do in fact pronounce the Y in Ypsilanti. I’m from SE Michigan, and I pronounce it yip-cil-anty

[@NW255]

I lived in Ypsilanti township for 13 years I say annie at the end or just ypsi mostly ypsi but goddamn what a dump. Or yippee ville which I’ve just come up with and is now what I will call it

[@BeverlyHighland]

Everyone pronounces it that way. You can tell whomever made this list isn’t from MI

[@zeuszo_o1593]

Im surprised Charlotte showed up on here because not many people care about that city it’s like 30 minutes away from every other city

[@davidmulvaineiii6433]

Sebewaing is pronounced seeb-wing.

[@seresga11]

Pretty sure the guy with the dreads was from Michigan. Got ypsi and Hamtramck right on the first try

[@Wabaanimkii]

Lol! Hamtramck, The Soo, and Ypsi are all hard. nobody got them all. Nobody said the Soo right. Most places in Michigan are either Algonquin, old french, and in some spots finnish, polish and dutch.

[@Acupofwater_WAW]

Around the great lakes region there are more french town names as it originally belonged to them.

[@DozerfleetProd]

Not everyone knows this, but for locals, in Grand Rapids, the D in Grand is silent. The D is Rapids is partially muted. So it's Gran Rapizz.

[@jakeslaughter7201]

Dowagiac being my hometown, this hurts a bit. It’s really not hard to pronounce Michigan towns. Just don’t overthink it, and also overthink it.

[@tayeverson3929]

Now try “Okemos”.

[@Deadman73330]

I'm from Ocqeoc I love seeing people try and say it.

[@victorialopez9717]

They didn't even attempt Ontonagon.

[@pkmcnett5649]

Ypsilanti from the Greek.

[@jennifereilts5474]

This was amazing! As a Michigander who gee up in California and can pronounce them all!!

[@BeverlyHighland]

There’s a small town called Mio that no one gets right. It’s pronounced My-oh. Also Pontiac is surprisingly hard for people.

[@jeffmorse645]

Pontiac should be easy given the car brand. I live on a Pontiac Lane in Florida and rarely have to spell it or repeat it for people - even if they're pretty young.

[@tedczarnecki7351]

ishpeming

[@FamilyStories011]

Well, the French had Michigan as a territory until the 1760s.. many Michigan towns and cities are named after French, Dutch, and Native Americans, even the state is named after native Americans so many of our cities have names that it’s own citizens can’t pronounce

[@Mr.Watermelon3]

Easiest town name north of Lansing:

[@FamilyStories011]

I’m from Michigan. Born in Grand Rapids, raised in Holland, and currently in Muskegon… and most of us from west coast Michigan pronounce Dowagiac like the first guy did 😆

[@lalalalalalalalalol]

as someone who has lived in michigan my whole life i didnt even know half of these existed

[@ochsj1971]

Hoosiers can't say "Dowagiac."

[@mutationplague7218]

Fort Gratiot (Grashit)

[@1949crewchief]

I grew up in sebewaing! Lmao

[@emilyc9380]

There’s people that live here that can’t say dowagiac 😂😂

[@TedsShoptips]

Ope, geez I'm from Wisconsin, and I can't say half the damn towns correctly.

[@jfeldman425]

Milan. Not mil an like in Italy But my land

[@samurailevi49]

It’s okay. We can barely pronounce them ourselves.

[@ronnie2115]

It's dog jack city dudes, geeze

[@VulcanLogic]

My favorite is the town of Pompeii. They pronounce it "POMP-ee-aye". It was named in the 19th century, before radio, so someone probably read it in a book and their bad pronunciation stuck.

[@bigdaddyrat7854]

Bete Grise, Charlevoix, Ontonagon.

[@kayrich4408]

Y’all Ham Tram ICK 😂

[@susansweeney7301]

I was in my teens before I found out Imlay City wasn't spelled Emily City.

[@cosmokramer1035]

Gotta do street names too

[@writerlisakaye]

Livernois, Gratiot and Dequindre

[@zeuszo_o1593]

Devereux Rd

[@Bangalangs]

Curran. Rhymes with burn.

[@NW255]

I absolutely hate that Charlotte is pronounced charLOT. It’s spelled like big Charlotte so I’ll pronounce it like big charlotte. Oh and pop is a stupid word.

[@reginabillotti]

I live in Michigan and I haven't heard of some of those (Dowagiac, Trufant, Ocqueoc)