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!
- Fort Huachuca
Flickr/us_army_fort_huachuca 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.
- Nogales
Flickr/kenlund 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!
- Sonoita
Flickr/souljourney74 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.
- Mazatzal
Flickr/cogdog 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.
- Mogollon Rim
Flickr/coconinonationalforest 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.
- Tohono O’odham
Flickr/cindydevin 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.
- San Xavier
Flickr/ugardener 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.
- Casa Grande
Flickr/Peter 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.
- Tempe
Flickr/roncoleman 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.
- Prescott
Flickr/kenlund 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.
- Tlaquepaque
Flickr/alanenglish 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.
- Ahwatukee
Flickr/crackerbunny 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?
- Canyon de Chelly
Flickr/tsaiproject 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.
Flickr/us_army_fort_huachuca
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.
Flickr/kenlund
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!
Flickr/souljourney74
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.
Flickr/cogdog
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.
Flickr/coconinonationalforest
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.
Flickr/cindydevin
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.
Flickr/ugardener
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.
Flickr/Peter
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.
Flickr/roncoleman
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.
Flickr/alanenglish
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.
Flickr/crackerbunny
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?
Flickr/tsaiproject
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!
In addition to learning about Arizona word pronunciation, check out these fun facts about the Grand Canyon State too.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Arizona Word Pronunciation December 25, 2022 Marla S. 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. The town was named as one of the top places in Arizona to raise a family. There’s an old copper mine in town that you can visit. There’s a weekly outdoor market in Sahuarita.
What are some Arizona words that are hard to pronounce? Some Arizona words that are hard to pronounce are listed below.
Saguaro, suh-wah-roe Tucson, two-sawn Navajo, nah-vuh-hoe Aravaipa, air-uh-vai-paw
Learn more about these and other Arizona words in this piece.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Arizona Word Pronunciation
December 25, 2022
Marla S.
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. The town was named as one of the top places in Arizona to raise a family. There’s an old copper mine in town that you can visit. There’s a weekly outdoor market in Sahuarita.
What are some Arizona words that are hard to pronounce? Some Arizona words that are hard to pronounce are listed below.
Saguaro, suh-wah-roe Tucson, two-sawn Navajo, nah-vuh-hoe Aravaipa, air-uh-vai-paw
Learn more about these and other Arizona words in this piece.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
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.
- The town was named as one of the top places in Arizona to raise a family.
- There’s an old copper mine in town that you can visit.
- There’s a weekly outdoor market in Sahuarita.
What are some Arizona words that are hard to pronounce?
Some Arizona words that are hard to pronounce are listed below.
- Saguaro, suh-wah-roe
- Tucson, two-sawn
- Navajo, nah-vuh-hoe
- Aravaipa, air-uh-vai-paw
Learn more about these and other Arizona words in this piece.
