Posted in Massachusetts
May 06, 2018
If You Can Pronounce These 11 Words, You’ve Lived In Massachusetts For Far Too Long
Living in Massachusetts endows you with a certain set of skills, such as successfully getting salt water taffy out of your hair and driving down frozen highways in the middle of a blizzard. But we’re also pretty good at pronouncing some seemingly unpronounceable words. Here are 15 words that basically only Massachusetts natives can say right.
A frappe is what other states call a milkshake. We shudder when we hear outsiders say "frap-AY". It’s really pronounced "FRAPP". Plain and simple.
Though your cousin from out of state will probably sprain his tongue trying to figure it out, this one is pronounced "mat-uh-POISE-et".
The tricky bit about this town name is that it appears to be pretty straightforward at first glance. You pronounce it like "TY-ring-ham", right? Nope. Locals will be able to tell you it’s actually "TIER-ing-um". Sigh.
Unlike many other town names in Massachusetts, Rehoboth actually has Hebrew roots. It’s derived from the word for "enlargement." Rehoboth is pronounced "ruh-HOE-bith."
Okay, so this one is actually a little tricky. Technically, this Native American word is pronounced just how it looks: "QUA-hog". However, almost all Massachusetts locals will go with the entirely different pronunciation of "KOE-hog", which rhymes with "go-dog". Basically, people will look at you funny if you use the dictionary pronunciation here.
Though it seems to make no sense, this word is pronounced "bill-RICK-uh." Where did that middle "e" go? It’s impossible to say.
Another case of the disappearing "c". The beautiful town of Scituate is actually pronounced "SITCH-yoo-it."
The last name of the Patriots’ longtime couch is kind of a tough one, unless you’ve spent years hearing it on Massachusetts radio and T.V. Fun fact: while most people pronounce this name "BEL-i-chick" or "BEL-i-check," the coach himself has often been captured on camera pronouncing it "bel-ICHIK." We may never know.
Tourists pretty much never get this one right. This Worcester County town is actually pronounced "LES-ter." Poor tourists.
Tourists call this place "gl-OW-sess-ter." Most locals call it "GLOSS-terr." Unless you’re actually from Gloucester, in which case you might call it "GLAH-stah."
This town name is actually pronounced "uh-KOOZH-net," though you’ve probably heard even locals saying something more like "ah-KUSH-net." The name is from the Wampanoag word meaning "peaceful resting place near water."
What other words do you think only Massachusetts natives can pronounce right? Let us know in the comments! If you want to know more about those strange Massachusetts town names, check out the meaning behind some of the most interesting town names in the state.
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