Missouri Mispronounces: A Rant

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It has bothered me ever since I was very young that the name of the state I live in is pronounced two very different ways. Is it Missouri-E or Missour-AH? That will forever be a question that will answered differently according to generational and regional differences, but it drives me insane that the people who live in the actual state can't agree on how to say it. If we can't figure it out, how is anyone outside the Midwest supposed to know what to call our state either? Some say that MoDOT made up the word Missourah to confuse our bordering states, but I'm not here to point fingers. I'm proud to live in Missour-E, but that's just me.

If Missourians' tendency to mispronounce important regional words stopped at that one word, I might not have such a pronunciation problem. But oh no, it doesn't stop with the name of our state. If you are visiting The Lou, it has to be hard to navigate since we can't figure out how to pronounce our own street names. Should you exit at Lee-may Ferry Road or La-may Ferry Road? I've heard it both ways, even on radio commercials and on the local news channels. And once and for all, the "s" on the end of Gravois is silent (just like Illinois and Arkansas).

And so it continues:

• If you order a tasty pasta in meat sauce at a restaurant on the Hill, it's possible that you could have ordered mostacholi. NOT musk-a-choli. Musky pasta? Come on now St. Louis.
• Louis and Clark are all over this Gateway to the West, so their Native American friend is often referenced. When talking about her, keep in mind her name is Sacajawea, NOT Sack-a-WAH-gee-uh. I hate hearing that one wrong.
• And if you actually say you're going to "warsh" your hands, please know ahead of time that I will laugh at you, not with you.

I'm not saying I pronounce every word in the English language correctly, because I certainly don't, but I think the least I can do is pronounce the name of my state right.

What mispronounced Missouri words are painful to your ears?