Every state has their own way of saying things, from a slight drawl to a thick accent. While dialects range from state to state, Indiana also seems to have our own set of rules for how to say certain, seemingly predictable words. Here are 8 words often mispronounced in the Hoosier state…and if you can say them correctly, you’ve lived in Indiana for far too long!
- Hoosier
Eric Allix Rogers/Flickr Pronounced “Who-zher” If you’re not from Indiana, you’ve probably never heard of this word. It’s what people from Indiana call themselves and please, please don’t ask why.
- Versailles
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr Pronounced “Ver-sails” You’re not in France, you’re in Indiana. None of that fancy talk here!
- Clowes Hall
Peetlesnumber1/Wikimedia Pronounced “Clues Hall” Because sometimes “o’s” sound like “u’s”.
- Peru
OZinOH/Flickr Pronounced “Pee-ru” Okay, maybe we do this just to mess with out-of-towners….
- Lebanon
Eric Fischer/Flickr Pronounced “Leba-nun” Don’t worry, only a seasoned Hoosier would get this.
- The Murat Theatre
IndyDina With Mr. Wonderful/Flickr Pronounced “The Mur-ah Theatre” What can I say? We don’t like hard stops on our words.
- Milan
Chris Flook/Wikimedia Pronounced “My-lin” Seriously, if it’s also the name of a fancy international city, you can rest assured we’ve altered the pronunciation.
- Sneakers
Mista.Boos/Flickr Pronounced “Tennis shoes” Probably the trickiest one of all!
How many of these words did you pronounce correctly? For more fun facts about Hoosiers, check out these 10 strange habits Hoosiers have.
Eric Allix Rogers/Flickr
Pronounced “Who-zher” If you’re not from Indiana, you’ve probably never heard of this word. It’s what people from Indiana call themselves and please, please don’t ask why.
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr
Pronounced “Ver-sails” You’re not in France, you’re in Indiana. None of that fancy talk here!
Peetlesnumber1/Wikimedia
Pronounced “Clues Hall” Because sometimes “o’s” sound like “u’s”.
OZinOH/Flickr
Pronounced “Pee-ru” Okay, maybe we do this just to mess with out-of-towners….
Eric Fischer/Flickr
Pronounced “Leba-nun” Don’t worry, only a seasoned Hoosier would get this.
IndyDina With Mr. Wonderful/Flickr
Pronounced “The Mur-ah Theatre” What can I say? We don’t like hard stops on our words.
Chris Flook/Wikimedia
Pronounced “My-lin” Seriously, if it’s also the name of a fancy international city, you can rest assured we’ve altered the pronunciation.
Mista.Boos/Flickr
Pronounced “Tennis shoes” Probably the trickiest one of all!
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