We native Texans might not have a problem pronouncing even the weirdest, most non-phonetic town names in our state, but that's just because we're used to them. Out-of-staters, on the other hand, might as well be looking at a foreign language when they try to say some of them. Although it can be pretty funny to witness, we figured we'd help them out a bit by (literally) spelling out some of the harder ones for them. There are definitely a lot more, but these 11 hard to pronounce Texas towns get mispronounced more than any others.
1. Boerne
Nope, it's not pronounced "burn." It's not "born" either. It's "burn-ee." Fooled ya there, didn't we?
2. Waxahachie
A lot of people say "wax-ahachie" like a wax figure. It may appear to be the correct pronunciation, but it's not. The right way to say it is "walks-uh-hatch-ee."
3. New Braunfels
I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. This one might seem pretty straightforward, but you'd be surprised how many people mispronounce it. I've heard "New Braunsfels," "New Braunsfel," and even "New Brownsville." Come on, people! It's not that hard!
4. Burnet
It sounds like it would be "bur-net," but it's actually "bur-knit," like knitting a sweater.
5. Llano
Okay, I'll admit even I'm guilty of mispronouncing this town sometimes. I'm sure a lot of us Texans have made a Spanish speaker cringe after letting "lawn-oh" slip out of our mouths. It's actually "yawn-oh," but oh well. This is Texas, and we'll talk how we want, gosh darn it.
6. Humble
In my humble opinion, the "h" should be pronounced in this suburb's name. But, unfortunately, I don't make the rules, so it's still "uhm-bull" for now.
7. Bexar County
This county in the Texas Hill Country is pronounced, "bear," like the animal. Grrrr.
8. Gruene
I've heard out-of-staters try to pronounce this New Braunfels community to no avail. "Groo-in?" "Groon?" It sounds like a foreign language coming out of their mouth, and it's actually quite laughable. Nope, it's "green," guys. Like the color. Pretty simple.
9. Amarillo
This is another name that us Texans have continued to botch over the years. We all say "am-uh-rill-oh," but it's actually "am-uh-ree-yoh," the Spanish word for "yellow." But we have our own language, and we'll do whatever we want. The end.
10. Study Butte
It would be pretty awesome if it were pronounced, "study butt," but unfortunately, it's "study byoot."
11. Marathon
I know we all want to say we've been to "mara-thon" to make people think we're some kind of super-fit ultra runner, but it's actually "mara-thin." Oh well, we tried. Time to eat some tacos instead.
Have you ever heard anyone mispronounce any of these towns? What other places in Texas do people always pronounce wrong? This list of mispronounced Texas towns is certainly not complete. What other hard to pronounce Texas towns to do you know?
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