Pittsburgh certainly does have its fair share of places and words that are, well, difficult to pronounce. We’ve all probably heard non-Pittsburghers or newbies to the city trip over the pronunciation of names and words common in the Burgh. Here are eight of those words that long-time Pittsburghers can undoubtedly pronounce.
- Duquesne
Flickr/Brook Ward Chances are you’ve heard non-Pittsburghers pronounce (or butcher, if you prefer) Duquesne in a variety of ways. But, we natives know it’s doo-kane.
- Zelienople
Flickr/Jon Dawson The charming town of Zelienople sits 29 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. We, Pittsburghers, know it well and pronounce it zee-lee-en-o-ple. Or, to make it easier, we just call it Zelie.
- North Versailles
Flickr/Jon Dawson The Palace of Versailles (silent l’s and s) sits outside of Paris , France. The Western Pennsylvanian suburb of North Versailles is pronounced in its own Pittsburgh way: ver-sales.
- Monongahela
Flickr/Roy Luck It’s one of the three rivers - along with the Allegheny and the Ohio - so, of course, we know how to properly pronounce Monongahela (muh-nong-guh-hey-luh).
- Charleroi
Flickr/Jon Dawson Coincidentally, our next hard-to-pronounce name sits along the Monongahela River. Home to less than 4,000 residents, the town of Charleroi (shar-luh-roy) is only 30 miles from downtown Pittsburgh.
- Punxsutawney
Flickr/Doug Kerr It might be a bit easier to pronounce Punxsutawney (puhngk-suh-taw-nee) than it is to spell. But, that might be due to that lovable little fella, Phil, who has put the small Pennsylvania town on the map.
- Kielbasa
Flickr/Matt Pittsburgh’s a city rich in Polish heritage. That makes it easier for us to know how to properly pronounce kielbasa ( kiel-ba-sa).
- Jeet jet?
Flickr/Leimenide Let’s face it. We can’t talk about words and pronunciation without giving a shout out to Pittsburghese. If you ask others jeet jet and and understand what it means, you’ve definitely lived in Pittsburgh too long (not that that’s a bad thing, is it?).
What other words can only Pittsburghers pronounce properly? Share below to add to the list. Then, click here to read about the 16 words you’ll only understand if you’re from Pittsburgh.
Flickr/Brook Ward
Chances are you’ve heard non-Pittsburghers pronounce (or butcher, if you prefer) Duquesne in a variety of ways. But, we natives know it’s doo-kane.
Flickr/Jon Dawson
The charming town of Zelienople sits 29 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. We, Pittsburghers, know it well and pronounce it zee-lee-en-o-ple. Or, to make it easier, we just call it Zelie.
The Palace of Versailles (silent l’s and s) sits outside of Paris , France. The Western Pennsylvanian suburb of North Versailles is pronounced in its own Pittsburgh way: ver-sales.
Flickr/Roy Luck
It’s one of the three rivers - along with the Allegheny and the Ohio - so, of course, we know how to properly pronounce Monongahela (muh-nong-guh-hey-luh).
Coincidentally, our next hard-to-pronounce name sits along the Monongahela River. Home to less than 4,000 residents, the town of Charleroi (shar-luh-roy) is only 30 miles from downtown Pittsburgh.
Flickr/Doug Kerr
It might be a bit easier to pronounce Punxsutawney (puhngk-suh-taw-nee) than it is to spell. But, that might be due to that lovable little fella, Phil, who has put the small Pennsylvania town on the map.
Flickr/Matt
Pittsburgh’s a city rich in Polish heritage. That makes it easier for us to know how to properly pronounce kielbasa ( kiel-ba-sa).
Flickr/Leimenide
Let’s face it. We can’t talk about words and pronunciation without giving a shout out to Pittsburghese. If you ask others jeet jet and and understand what it means, you’ve definitely lived in Pittsburgh too long (not that that’s a bad thing, is it?).
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