As you look at a map of New Mexico, many town names may cause you to scratch your head. These town names are difficult to spell, but they are even harder to pronounce. If you’ve lived in New Mexico for years, you have hopefully learned the lingo and can properly pronounce all the interesting place names in our home state. Let’s see just how much you know when it comes to the Land of Enchantment! Here are nine hard-to-pronounce New Mexico cities – which ones did you get right?

1. Abiquiu
Abiquiu, NM 87510, USA
John Elk III/ The Image Bank Via Getty Images
This small town of fewer than 200 people is a popular tourist destination. However, don’t blend in with the crowd by pronouncing this town's name wrong. It is "AB-ick-you," not "Ab-ick-we."
2. Arroyo Seco
Arroyo Seco, NM 87580, USA
Kent Kanouse/Flickr
This town in Taos County may be small, but its name is a mouthful. True New Mexicans know to pronounce this town "Ahr-oi’-ya-say’-ko."
3. Caballo
Caballo, NM 87931, USA
Mona Makela Photography/ Moment Open Via Getty Images
It doesn’t matter if you are talking about the tiny town of Caballo located on Highway 187, the Caballo Mountains, Caballo Reservoir, or Caballo Lake State Park, you don’t want to pronounce the word "Caballo" wrong. Make sure you pronounce this word "Ka-vhah’-yoh" to prove you’re a true New Mexican — not a hopeful wannabe.
4. Chimayo
Chimayo, NM, USA
nik wheeler/Corbis Documentary Via Getty Images
Please don’t pronounce this beautiful area in Northern New Mexico "Chim-Mayo." This village and well-known sanctuary are pronounced "Shee-my-yoh’."

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5. Lamy
Lamy, NM 87540, USA
JannHuizenga/iStock Via Getty Images Plus
You’ve probably heard this rural town in Santa Fe County pronounced "lam-ee." Don’t make that mistake, especially if you’ve lived in the Land of Enchantment for long. This small town is pronounced "Lay’-mee."
6. Mogollon
Mogollon, NM 88039, USA
mlhradio/flickr
How do you pronounce this former mining town in Catron County? Is it "Mog-O-lon?" "Mo-gol-on?" If you pronounce this ghost town as one of these options, you would be wrong. This small town is pronounced "Moh-GOY-yon’."
7. Taos
Taos, NM 87571, USA
ShaniMiller/E+ Via Getty Images
Many people may pronounce this northern New Mexico town "TAY-os," "tah-os," or even "tacos." However, the true pronunciation is "Ta-os."
8. Tucumcari
Tucumcari, NM 88401, USA
Mark Williamson/Stockbyte Via Getty Images
As a popular stop on Route 66, this city’s name is constantly pronounced wrong. Tucumcari’s residents know you are a true New Mexican when you pronounce the town’s name "TOO-come-care-ee."
9. Tesuque
Tesuque, NM, USA
sgoodwin4813/ iStock Via Getty Images Plus
In the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is the Tesuque Pueblo. While it is one of the smallest pueblos in the Land of Enchantment, it also is one of the hardest to pronounce. Only long-term New Mexico residents will know that you pronounce this area "Teh-sue-keh."

How did you do? What other words would you add to this list? We’d love to see some hard-to-pronounce New Mexican places in the comments!

Keep your New Mexico knowledge flowing by reading our article, 18 Words You’ll Only Understand If You’re From New Mexico.

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More to Explore

Hard New Mexico Cities to Pronounce

Tori Jane | August 08, 2022

What are the names of some hard to pronounce New Mexican cities?  

New Mexico is a brilliantly vibrant place with all kinds of delightful things to do, experiences to be had, and new friends to meet. That being said, though, it’s a unique place with a few hard-to-pronounce towns peppered all over. Some of the hard-to-pronounce New Mexican cities include places like Alcalde, which is pronounced all-kall-day, Bosque, which is pronounced boz-que, Caballo, which is pronounced cah-vah-yo, and Chimayo, which is pronounced “shee-mai-yo". The towns with the toughest-to-pronounce names in standard American english have names that come from a mixture of cultures and places, though you’ll typically see Spanish and Native American words and phrases used most often.  

How do I pronounce “Taos”?  

Taos is easily one of the most beautiful small towns in New Mexico, and who knew the Land of Enchantment even HAD mountain towns? Taos tops them all with its awe-inspiring scenery and top-notch resort life, as well as its excellent selection of some of the best hikes in New Mexico. The name “Taos” is pronounced as “towws”, like the word “ow” with a ‘T’ added to the front. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town of Taos, New Mexico is 5,950, and there’s a sense of community here you just don’t find everywhere. No matter how you want to say its name, Taos is easily one of our all-time favorite mountain towns in New Mexico!  

What is the pronunciation of “Chimayo”?  

Chimayo is a New Mexico small town with a population of 2,779 as recently as 2020. It’s on that shortlist of hard-to-pronounce cities and towns in New Mexico. It’s pronounced as we stated above: shee-mai-yo, as opposed to chee-mai-yo, which is a popular mispronunciation. It’s found shared between Rio Arriba and Sate Fe counties in New Mexico. If you’re looking for a cute New Mexico small town getaway, you might want to give Chimayo a shot.  

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