16 Minnesota Town Names Nearly Impossible For Out-Of-Staters To Pronounce

Minnesota is home to some really rich history and some rather confusing town names that only Minnesotan residents know how to pronounce.

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This land was home to numerous Native American tribes before it was colonized, and many of these unique town names are derived from their languages. On top of that, there is a very heavy Scandinavian presence in the state, which of course, contributes to some of the harder-to-pronounce town names.

Even some Minnesotans still struggle pronouncing these Minnesotan towns correctly!

16 Near Impossible Minnesota Towns To Pronounce

1. Aitkin

Common Mispronounce: Ate-kin.

Actual Pronunciation: Aye-kin.

2. Bemidji

Common Mispronunciation: Bee-midge-ee.

Actual Pronunciation: Buh-midge-ee.

3. Chokio

Common Mispronounce: Show-key-oh.

Actual Pronunciation: Sha-kie-oh.

4. Cosmos

Common Mispronounce: Cos-mos.

Actual Pronunciation: Cos-mus.

5. Edina

Common Mispronunciation: Ed-in-uh.

Actual Pronunciation: Ee-dine-uh.

6. Ely

Common Mispronounce: Ee-lie.

Actual Pronunciation: Ee- lee.

7. Faribault

Common Mispronounce: Fair-uh-balt or Fair-balt.

Actual Pronunciation: Fair-boe.

8. Gaylord 

Common Mispronunciation: Gay-lord.

Actual Pronunciation: Gail-erd.

9. Isanti

Common Mispronounce: Ee-san-tee.

Actual Pronunciation: Eye-San-tee.

10. Lutsen

Common Mispronounce: Lut-sen.

Actual Pronunciation: Loot-son.

11. Mahtomedi

Common Mispronounce: Mat-toe-me-die.

Actual Pronunciation: Mah-doe-me-die.

12. New Prague

Common Mispronounce: New Prog.

Actual Pronunciation: New Prag.

13. Osseo

Common Mispronunciation: Oh-see-oh.

Actual Pronunciation: Ah-see-oh.

14. Shakopee

Common Mispronounce: Sha-kope-ee.

Actual Pronunciation: Shock-ah-pee.

15. Wayzata

Common Mispronunciation: Way-zat-uh.

Actual Pronunciation: Why-zet-uh.

16. Winona

Common Mispronounce: Why-nona.

Actual Pronunciation: Wuh-nona.

If you're looking for a quick laugh, check out this video of Californians trying to guess the pronunciation of these challenging Minnesotan towns.

These towns may not provide us with any difficulties, but I am sure these volunteers disagree.