Do You Agree With Our List of the Most Mispronounced Maine Town Names?

A recent Best Life article listed the most mispronounced town and city names in the United States.

The only New England city on their list was Worcester, Massachusetts.  I completely agree with that choice.  Even though I like to consider myself an expert at pronouncing proper names, it took me a long time to get in the habit of saying Worcester correctly.

Other names on their list include Sequim, Washington, Duchesne, Utah, and Sonoita, Arizona.

What about Maine?

During the 18th and 19th centuries, our state was a major melting pot of cultures.  Our area was home to English, French, Germans, Native Americans, and others.  As a result, the names of our towns and cities were pulled from many cultures from around the world.

This has led to some difficult-to-pronounce town and city names.

The Most Mispronounced Maine Town & City Names

St. Agatha - Despite what you may think, the name of this Aroostook County town is not pronounced like the witch character from the MCU.  Nope!  It's actually pronounced Ah-Gat.

Mattawamkeag - The tiny Penobscot County town has a population of less than 600 and sprung up as a result of the railroads.  It is generally pronounced Mat-Ah-Wam-Keg.

Orono - Home to the University of Maine's flagship campus, Orono is located just north of Bangor.  As a native Mainer, you probably have no troubles pronouncing the name of this town, but many people do.  It is generally pronounced Orr-Uh-No.

Wiscasset - The former location of the Maine Yankee nuclear power plant, the town is mostly known as a tourist destination and for Red's Eats.  The town is generally pronounced Wiss-Cass-Et

Damariscotta - This is a tough one for a lot of people.  Even though I was born and raised in Maine, this was hard for me to say.  It is generally pronounced Dam-Uh-Riss-Cotta.

What other town names need to be on our list?  Let us know by sending us a message in our app.