We Know You’re Not From Washington If You Mispronounce These 12 Names

Washington might be all mountains, moss, and meticulously brewed coffee—but if you think the names of our towns make sense, you’ve clearly never tried to pronounce Puyallup out loud. With roots in Native languages, a few French curveballs, and Pacific Northwest pronunciation rules that feel made up on the spot, our town names aren’t just a test—they’re a rite of passage. Say one wrong, and someone in flannel will correct you while gently judging your choice of umbrella.

1. Puyallup (Pew-AL-up, not Poo-yall-oop)

You can always spot a tourist by how confidently they butcher this one.

2. Sequim (Skwim, not See-quim)

No, we didn’t drop a vowel. It just ran away years ago.

3. Spokane (Spo-CAN, not Spo-KANE)

Mispronounce it, and someone will throw a craft beer at you—politely.

4. Des Moines (Duh-MOIN, not Day Mwah-nay)

Looks French. Isn’t. This is Washington, not Paris.

5. Tulalip (Too-LAY-lip, not Too-lah-lip)

Say it wrong and even the salmon will stop swimming upstream to hear it.

6. Camas (CAM-iss, not Kah-moss)

It’s a town, not a meditation retreat.

7. Colville (CALL-vill, not Coal-ville)

Yes, it’s cold. No, that doesn’t help you pronounce it.

8. Walla Walla (WALL-uh WALL-uh, not Wah-lah Wah-lah)

So good they named it twice—and still no one says it right the first time.

9. Snohomish (Snow-HOE-mish, not Snoo-hom-ish)

It’s fun to say when you get it right. Painful when you don’t.

10. Yelm (Yelm, not Yell-um)

It’s one syllable. That’s it. Don’t try to stretch it out.

11. Kitsap (KIT-sap, not Kit-zap)

It’s a county, a peninsula, and a pronunciation trap.

12. Washington (WAH-shing-tin, not Warsh-ing-tun)

We hear you adding that extra “R,” and we will talk about it later.

If you got them all right, congrats—you’ve probably eaten salmon you caught yourself, driven through five climates in one day, and know what kombucha pairs best with a rainy Tuesday. If not, that’s okay—we’re chill here in the Evergreen State. Just don’t say Spo-kane like you’re narrating a romance novel, or someone in a Subaru is gonna pull over and teach you a lesson—with hand-roasted coffee and passive-aggressive kindness.