7 Spots In West Virginia With Names That Only Locals Know How To Pronounce

It’s said that no matter where in the world you go, you can always spot another West Virginian. But when it comes to spotting someone who isn’t from West Virginia, there’s a handy trick that hearkens back to Old Testament times and the Ephraimites who were identified by their pronunciation of the word “shibboleth.” Of course, here in West Virginia, we don’t use the word shibboleth… we use words like Hurricane or Kanawha or any of a number of spots in the state that only locals know how to pronounce, like:

Tripadvisor/Mfclingan

There's a Canaan that also hearkens back to Old Testament times - Israel's promised land. But that Canaan is not this Canaan, and you can't pronounce it the same way... even if Canaan Valley is a little piece of heaven just like the promised land was!

Wikipedia/Marduk

A new T.V. show came out recently, and a main character is purportedly from West Virginia. Perhaps you've heard of her: Clarice. But as soon as she opened her mouth to let the audience know that she was from Kanawha County, we knew that the actress who plays Clarice has some more research to do if she wants to bill herself as an authentic West Virginian.

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Wikipedia/Tim Kiser

This one looks deceptively easy to pronounce, which is what makes it such an effective shibboleth. After all, everyone knows how to say hurricane, the violent wind storm that can cause so much damage if it veers inland like Hurricane Sandy did. But Hurricane Sandy is not the same in any way as the town of Hurricane, West Virginia, including how it's said.

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Reynold Mainse / Design Pics via Getty Images

With the recent upgrade of the New River Gorge to National Park status, tourists will be flocking to Fayetteville, West Virginia in even greater numbers than before. How long do you think it will take them to realize that Fayetteville isn't three syllables, but just two?

Flickr/Mike

We have some nice brick structures, sure, but West Virginia is not Egypt, and that's just all there is to say about it.

Tripadvisor/Chops1971

It's not that West Virginians pronounce this one differently than other states would...it's just that West Virginians pronounce it at all.

Tripadvisor/Dustin H

Wow, we really like to drop syllables, don't we, even ones that are clearly just begging to be pronounced?

Do you think you know how to say all of these place names like a local? What other West Virginia words do you get a kick out of hearing visitors to our beautiful state pronounce? Philippi is another fun one, and Pruntytown…

Even if you can’t say it like a native West Virginian would, you should still plan to visit some of these state favorite spots. Here’s more information on Canaan Valley, Cairo, and Cacapon, to start.