1. Casa Bonita
I have never heard any two Coloradans pronounce "Casa" the same (I pronounce it "cass-uh" and have friends who say "cause-uh"), but we must all agree that Bonita is pronounced "bone-eat-uh." If you hear ANYONE say "Bonnet-uh" or the like, they are a fake and must be corrected.
2. FoCo
A popular nickname/abbreviation for the equally popular city of Fort Collins is FoCo, which is pronounced "foe-coe" and not "fah-cah." (Trust me; I have heard it.)
3. LoDo and LoHi
Two of Denver's hippest and most trendy of neighborhoods are Lower Downtown and the Highlands, which are lovingly called LoDo ("low-doh," not "law-doh") and LoHi ("low-high" vs. "law-he").
4. Ouray
Did you know that there is such a place as the "Switzerland of America" and that it is right here in Colorado? To see this charming mountain town for yourself, head to Ouray ("yer-ay," which rhymes with hooray).
5. Gapers
Not to be confused with gappers, gapers ("gape-ers") are novice skiers who take up precious space by standing atop the hill, not knowing what to do.
6. Trustafarians
What in the world is a Trustafarian, you ask? Well, OBVIOUSLY, it is a mix between a trust fund baby and a rastafari, and is pronounced "trust-uh-farian."
7. Poudre
Arguably the most beautiful river in northern Colorado, the Cache la Poudre ("cash / la / pooh-der") is billed as being Colorado's only nationally designated "Wild & Scenic" river.
8. Blucifer
He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, and he knows if you will catch your flight on time as he stands guard outside of Denver International Airport! Who am I talking about? Why, the terrifying Blucifer ("blue-sif-fur), of course!
9. Chinook
Last but certainly not least on our list of hard-to-pronounce Colorado words is Chinook ("chin-nuke"), which, according to
Wikipedia , is "where the Canadian Prairies and Great Plains meet various mountain ranges, although the original usage is in reference to wet, warm coastal winds in the Pacific Northwest."