Massachusetts is one of the hardest state names for Americans to pronounce, according to a recent study.
An analysis by language learning website Preply found that Massachusetts was the fifth hardest name for Americans to say correctly. It was also the fifth hardest state name to spell.
“A confounding muddle of syllables and tricky double consonants, Massachusetts (mass-uh-choo-SITS) is both a spelling and pronunciation minefield,” said the website. “Despite its spelling, when spoken, the tail end of this state name should be pronounced “SITS”, not “SETTS”.
It isn’t just pronouncing Massachusetts that’s hard for Americans, but its town names, too. Thanks to the state’s colonial roots, Massachusetts is home to many strange town names, from Leominster (“Lemon-ster”) to Gloucester (“Glawster”).
But which town is the hardest to pronounce?
Preply compiled a state-by-state list in June of the state names and individual town names across the country that Americans find the trickiest to pronounce by analyzing total search volumes from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and globally for pronunciation and spelling queries of each of the 50 states. They also used Google Trends and Google Keyword for deeper regional patterns.
What is the hardest town name to pronounce in Massachusetts?
The study found that Worcester is the most difficult town name to pronounce in Massachusetts.
More: How do you pronounce Worcester? Everyone has an opinion
It is tricky: much of the middle of the word is silent. Wuss-ter is the common pronouncation of the city name, but sometimes you’ll also hear locals call it Wuh-stah.
Worcester, Massachusetts, USA downtown skyline at twilight.
What is the hardest state name to pronounce?
According to Preply, here are the top 5 hardest state names for Americans to pronounce:
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Arkansas – “AR-kuhn-saw”
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Oregon – “OR-uh-gun”
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Illinois – “il-uh-NOY”
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Massachusetts – “mass-uh-choo-SITS”
The study found that data from the U.K., Australia and Canada found similar results. But British people tended to struggle more with Connecticut and Oregon, and less with Nevada.
Canadians had a harder time with Connecticut and Oregon, and Australians were tripped up more with Illinois and Connecticut than Oregon and Massachusetts.
What are the hardest state names for Americans to spell?
According to Preply, here are the top 5 hardest state names for Americans to spell.
What state name do Massachusetts residents most struggle to pronounce?
According to the website, Massachusetts residents most struggle to pronounce New York.
It found that Maine residents are likely to have most difficulty with Massachusetts.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: What’s the hardest Massachusetts town name to pronounce? It’s this one
