The Most Mispronounced Places in Michigan—Can You Get Them Right?

MICHIGAN (DDN) – You’ll remember this if you tried saying “Sault Ste. Marie” for the first time. Or the time you were mocked because you pronounced Charlotte the traditional way. (No, it’s not as you think.)

Fortunately, the state of Michigan maintains a comprehensive database of pronunciations for cities, townships, street names, and even notable people. It includes brief audio files so you may hear for yourself how things are spoken.

For our purposes, we selected 24 notable Michigan routes and attractions that you are probably not familiar with. Use this as a guide for your next Michigan road trip, or simply to impress your family and friends with your intelligence.

Mackinac

First, let’s address the obvious. Most people understand that the C is silent, and this is pronounced similarly to the name Mackinaw City: “Mack-in-awe.”

Ontonagon

This Upper Peninsula county, which includes the Porcupine Mountains, is pronounced “on-ton-ogg-on.”

Charlotte

No, it is not pronounced in the same way as in the children’s book or the North Carolina city. It’s “char-LOT.”

Dowagiac

This little city in southwestern Michigan, near the Indiana border, is pronounced “doe-wah-jak.”

Okemos

This Lansing suburb might easily trip you up: “Oh-kuh-muss.”

Sault Ste. Marie

Many people are taken aback by the name of this well-known Upper Peninsula town. The nickname is “Sue Saint Marie.”

Ypsilanti

If you say “yip” in the beginning, you’re doing it incorrectly. The pronunciation is “ip-sill-ann-tee.”

Kitch-iti-kipi Springs

Talk about a tongue twister! The first word is “Kitch-iti-kip-ee.” Don’t forget the extra “i” sound.

Dequindre

Now let’s look at street names! This route in metro Detroit is pronounced “duh-QUIN-durr.”

Lahser

Here’s another Metro Detroit street name that many people get wrong. It’s “lah-sir.”

Milan

Most people get this southeastern Michigan city name wrong by emphasizing “LAN.” It is actually pronounced “my-Lynn.”

Lake Orion

It isn’t like the constellation. It’s “Lake Oh-ree-en.”

Hamtramck

There is a concealed I sound in the name of this Polish city. It’s pronounced “ham-tram-ick.”

Houghton

Both the Upper Peninsula city and Michigan’s largest inland lake are pronounced as “ho-ten.”

Gratiot

This is another hard one. The street name and fort are pronounced “grash-it.”

Gaylord

You don’t say “lord” at the end of this northern Michigan city name. It is “gay-lerd.”

Lake Gogebic

The Upper Peninsula’s largest inland lake is pronounced “Goh-ghib-ick.”

Schoenherr

This main route in Detroit is pronounced “Shane-err.”

Ewing

This little township in Marquette County has a Y sound in the name: “Yoo-ing.”

Keweenaw

Place the long E sound in the first syllable, not the second. It’s called “kee-win-awe.”

Bois Blanc Island

Native metro Detroiters and those around Mackinac may be familiar with this one, but many outsiders will be confused: Bois Blanc is referred to as “Bob-low.” Yes, truly.

Ocqueoc

This northern Michigan township, which has the largest waterfall in the Lower Peninsula, is pronounced “ah-key-ock.”

Grosse Ile

The first word in this metro Detroit township is what you’d expect: “Gross.” But the second word is “eel.”

Onekama

This little village on Lake Michigan is called “Oh-neck-em-uh.”