LEWIS-tuhn or LEWIS-town? Learn how to correctly pronounce these Illinois place names

LEWIS-tuhn or LEWIS-town? Learn how to correctly pronounce these Illinois place names

Pronouncing Illinois place names can be a minefield for newcomers. There are Native American-based names that may be unfamiliar. And familiar-looking names may not be spoken as one would expect.

Some of the former are straightforward, lyrical and fun to say — Kankakee, Kaskaskia, Cahokia. Others are puzzlers. How would you pronounce Moweaqua? Or Loami?

But those names are understandably tricky: They’re derived from non-English languages.

It’s the latter category that truly confuses — well-known monikers like Cairo, Vienna and Versailles. They’re known around the globe. But in Illinois, pronouncing those place names the same as their counterparts just wouldn’t do.

Prairie State pronunciation

Even the state’s name itself can be mispronounced. Who doesn’t have an out-of-state relative who’s asked them how things were going in Ill-uh-NOYZ? Or Ell-uh-NOY?

Newcomers to Peoria face a test the first time they cross the Illinois River: TAYZ-well County? Nope. Or when they head upstream: Chill-uh-COATH? Again, no.

Sometimes, even Illinois residents don’t agree on how to pronounce the city they live in.

Similar:Peoria as Illinois’ biggest city? And Chicago in Wisconsin? Here’s how it almost happened

The Lewistown conundrum

Cindy Goddard (GOD-ard) is the Lewistown city clerk and secretary of the Lewistown Society for Historic Preservation. She has lived in the Fulton County community since 1968. (And yes, some people mispronounce her last name, as guh-DARD.)

Goddard says she personally uses both common Lewistown pronunciations: LEWIS-tuhn in casual conversation, but LEWIS-town when she needs to be more precise — for example, when giving her address.

She hears both variations used by residents. “Probably half say LEWIS-tuhn. It’s just easier to say.” And she adds a historical wild card. Goddard says the city was named by its founder, Ossian (OSH-uhn) M. Ross, after his oldest son, Lewis. So, arguably, it should be pronounced LEWISES-town. Goddard thinks the singular variations — LEWIS-town and LEWIS-tuhn — were also simpler to say.

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A newscasters guide

The University of Illinois’ agricultural communications program and WILL/Illinois Public Media maintains an Illinois Pronunciation Guide for names of counties, municipalities, landmarks and waterways. Conceived as a resource for radio and TV reporters, it lists the pronunciation preferred by local residents. Better yet, it has an audio feature that lets visitors hear the names pronounced.

Hear it here: Illinois Pronunciation Guide

More: Resource provides pronunciation of places, landmarks

Here are some highlights:

Athens (AY-thenz): You don’t pronounce the Menard County city the same as the Greek birthplace of democracy (ATH-enz).

Berlin (BER-lin): The village in Sangamon County shares a spelling but not the same stress as Germany’s capital.

Bourbonnais (buhr-BOHN-nis): The Kankakee County village sports neither a plural sound, like the condiment (may-oh-NAYZ), nor a silent S, like the state it’s found in. The broadcasters’ onus is pronouncing the “bonus.”

Cairo (KAIR-oh): The southernmost city in Illinois is spelled but not spoken like its namesake in Egypt (KEYE-roh).

Chenoa (shuh-NOH-uh): The McLean County city doesn’t rhyme with Genoa (JEN-oh-uh), the city in Italy.

Chillicothe (chil-uh-KAW-thee): The city just north of Peoria sports an “aw” sound and ends in a long E.

Cuba (KOO-buh): The Fulton County city mirrors the Spanish, not English, pronunciation of the island nation.

Des Plaines (dess-PLAYNZ): Iowans driving from their capital to the Cook County city may be confused by the unsilent S’s.

Eldorado (el-doh-RAY-doh): The city in Saline County (see below) sounds unlike the Cadillac or city of gold.

Embarras (AM-braw): You might AM-braw yourself if you pronounce this river the way it appears.

Genoa (juh-NOH-uh): The DeKalb County city is spelled but not stressed like its namesake in Italy.

Lewistown (LOO-is-tuhn): There is no “town” in the Fulton County city.

Lima (LEYE-muh): The Adams County village takes a nod from the bean, not the capital of Peru.

Loami (loh-AM-uh): The village in Sangamon County rhymes with grandma, not Grammy. Or foamy.

Louisville (LOO-iss-vil): The Clay County village starts with “Lewis,” not “Louie,” as most people pronounce the city in Kentucky (whose residents say “LOO-uh-vul”).

Lyons (LEYE-uhns): The Cook County village is pronounced like the felines, not the French city (lee-OWN).

Marseilles (mahr-SAYLS): The LaSalle County city sounds plural, with spoken L’s, unlike the city in France (mar-SAY).

McLean (mik-LAYN): The McLean County village rhymes with main, not with mean.

Milan (MEYE-lin): The Rock Island County village sounds like smilin’ and not like Italy’s second city (mill-AHN).

Minonk (mee-NUHNK): The Woodford County city rhymes with hunk, not with honk.

Moweaqua (moh-WEEK-wuh): The village in both Shelby and Christian counties rhymes with “seek ya,” not “sock ya.”

Okawville (OAK-uh-vil): The Washington County village was originally just Okaw, which rhymes with mocha, not with “oh, maw.”

Saline (suh-LEEN): The southern Illinois county doesn’t sound like the solution (SAY-leen).

San Jose (SAN JOHZ): Unlike its California counterpart, there’s no “ho-ZAY” in the village straddling Logan and Mason counties.

Schuyler (SKEYE-ler): The west-central county rhymes with Tyler.

Tazewell (TAZ-wel): The first E is silent in the central Illinois county.

Versailles (ver-SAYLZ): There is no “sigh” in the Brown County village, despite its shared spelling with the city in France.

Vienna (VEYE-EN-uh): The Johnson County city’s first syllable rhymes with try, not with tree.