When you consider how many Idaho cities, counties and landmarks have names tracing back to French, Spanish and Native American words, we’re not surprised that at least one would end up on a list of the hardest to pronounce cities in America. 

Idaho Names That Freak Out-Of-Towners Out

For better or worse, at times Idaho can appear to be the real life version of Dr. Seuss's cautionary tale The Sneetches. Except in the Gem State, it’s not about turning your nose up at someone without a star on their belly. No, it’s criticizing someone because they don’t have a birth certificate that was issued in the state of Idaho. 

READ MORE: 8 Places in Idaho With Surprisingly Dirty Sounding Names

Growth continues to be a touchy subject, but what’s revealing is the fact that according to the latest data available from the United States Census Bureau, about 77% of Idaho’s population was born somewhere that wasn’t Idaho. 

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Whether you moved here as a young kid or as an adult, the first time you saw these words on paper you were probably nervous to say them out loud because you had no idea how they were pronounced: 

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Once you learn the correct pronunciation, it’s hard to imagine someone screwing them up! 

What if we told you that NONE of the places ended up on a recent list titled “25 Hard to Pronounce Cities in the USA.” The list was put together by a car rental price comparison website called VroomVroomVroom.com and according to their list, an Idaho city is the #2 hardest to pronounce city in the entire country. Beat out only by Aquebogue, New York, the Idaho city that made the list is…

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Fair enough. Thanks to so many college sports announcers pronouncing Boise with a “zee” sound during the incredible BCS run that Boise State went on during the Kellen Moore era, we’re not surprised that so many people outside of the state can’t say our capital city’s name. 

For what it’s worth, Reader’s Digest, which might be slightly more credible than VroomVroomVroom DID pick Coeur d’Alene for their Top 50 list of hard to pronounce towns across America.

KEEP READING: 8 Places in Idaho With Surprisingly Dirty Sounding Names

Idaho has some pretty zany named places, but these just sound downright dirty. Some sound like they were named after actual filth. Others sound more lewd. Either way, they make us giggle.

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

There's No Way You've Heard of These 10 Obscure and Tiny Idaho Towns

While these might NOT be THE tiniest town in Idaho, they are pretty small in both size and population. Blink and you might miss them!

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

Eerie Video Shows What's Left of One of Idaho's Most Unique Ghost Towns

The back of one of these historic postcards describes Burke, ID like this "This quaint show-piece of the area’s early-day mining is jammed in a canyon with hardly room for its street, railroad and stream. Shoshone county is one of the world’s great mining regions and has produced over 2 billion dollars - mostly in lead, silver and zinc." Burke's mining operations came to a halt in 1991 and the remaining residents left town. Today, the structures that have survived look like the town that time forgot. Read more about the history of Burke HERE.

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

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