If You Can Pronounce These 13 Words, You've Lived In Arizona For Far Too Long
By Katie Lawrence|Updated on December 25, 2022(Originally published December 22, 2022)
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Katie Lawrence
Author
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and began writing for OnlyInYourState in 2015.
Today, Katie writes, edits, and performs several other tasks for OnlyInYourState and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on with a hot cup of coffee, practicing yoga, baking, or exploring the beautiful Lone Star State (in particular, the vast and mystical West Texas desert).
Considering how many cultures have existed in Arizona over the years, it’s no wonder some of our towns and landmarks stem from other languages and are hard to pronounce. Test your skills and see how many of the following 13 words you know how to say (before looking at the answer!). When you’re ready, read on to learn all you need to know about Arizona word pronunciation!
Although the pronunciation of this Arizona word isn't up for debate, the name of this Army installation still causes some head-scratching. Nevertheless, it's wa-CHOO-kuh. Live it, learn it, love it.
You'll hear the name of this Arizona word said so many ways and it might sound different every time. Does it rhyme with Dallas or is it no-GAL-es? Fun Fact: There's also a Nogales on the other side of the border in Mexico!
The Arizona word pronunciation of this town should be obvious to anyone who knows the basic rules of Spanish, but it's been butchered for so many years that we don't even bother. Technically, it's so-no-ee-tah, but you'll get some strange looks for pronouncing it that way instead of so-noy-tah.
The U.S. Forest Service calls this mountain range mah-zaht-zahl; as the spelling would suggest. Locals seem to have another idea of how to pronounce this Arizona word. You'll hear ma-ta-zel around these parts, a pronunciation that we just can't seem to wrap our heads around. If you'd like to explore this area, check out this Arizona hike.
Although the Arizona word pronunciation of a place this breathtaking shouldn't be all that important, it's still worth noting that nobody can seem to agree how to say this popular destination. According to the National Park Service, it's moe-go-YONE. To area residents, it's either muggy-on or muggy-own.
It's completely understandable to be more than a little confused about the name of this Native American reservation. Even after extensive research, we still can't find a clear answer to how to pronounce this Arizona word. Is it Taw-haw-naw aw-aw-dham, Taw-haw-naw aw-aw-tham, or something else entirely? Feel free to enlighten us if you know in the comments section.
This one might look easy, but it's not what you think. Ex-zavier, right? Nope. Zavier? Wrong again. It's actually ha-vier. Not what you were expecting, is it? This attraction is also a few minutes from Sahuarita - one of the safest cities in Arizona. If you were wondering how to pronounce Sahuarita it sounds like saa - wuh - ree - tuh.
Okay, we know that coss-a grond-ay is technically correct, but nobody uses the right Arizona word pronunciation when saying this name. Just say cass-uh grand and move on if you want to fit in 'round these parts.
It should be simple. A single word can only be pronounced so many ways, right? Even still, some say TEMP-ee and others tem-PEE. A subtle change in enunciation, but different nonetheless.
It looks like PRESS-cot, and anyone who isn't from the Grand Canyon State would insist that's the correct Arizona word pronunciation is — but we know better (well, some of us, anyway.) It's an age-old argument, and City Hall settled it. Press-kit is the proper pronunciation, and that's final.
We don't blame anyone who has a hard time with this. It's tuh-LA-kuh-PA-kee, but luckily saying it right isn't a prerequisite to enjoying the shops in this charming part of the Grand Canyon State.
Residents of this upper-middle-class neighborhood are probably beyond tired of having to repeat the name of their subdivision to anyone who asks where they live! To save them a little effort, it's ah-wuh-TOO-kee. That wasn't too difficult, now was it?
The Arizona word pronunciation of this breathtaking canyon isn't anything like it looks. It's Canyon duh-SHAY, even though it looks like shell-ee. Hence, the more you know!
So, how did you do? Let us know your score out of 13 in the following comments section. Feel free to share if there are other Arizona words that are hard to pronounce too.
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Arizona Word Pronunciation
Marla S. |December 25, 2022
What are some interesting facts about Sahuarita, Arizona?
Before getting into interesting facts about this town in Southern Arizona, you might be wondering how to pronounce Sahuarita. The small town's name is said like saw - wuh - ree - duh.
In addition to knowing how to pronounce Sahuarita, here are some more interesting facts about this town.
Sahuarita is 20 minutes south of Tucson and 40 minutes north of the Mexican border.
