Rhode Island pronunciation guide: 35 names that visitors and even some locals get wrong

Few things are more painful than listening to an out-of-towner stumble over the pronunciation of “Matunuck,” or hearing someone bring up “East Green-witch.”

And let’s be real: If you grew up in a different corner of the state, you may run into trouble trying to pronounce Cowesett or Neutaconkanut or Usquepaug.

Rhode Island has more than its fair share of difficult names. First, there are the ones that come from the area's original Native American inhabitants, often lengthy and featuring unexpected combinations of vowels, with a “Q” here and an “X” there for good measure.

Then, there are the more straightforward-seeming European ones, which can be deceptively tricky (see: Burrillville.)

So we've put together this guide to help you out.

Native American names

Before we go any further, a disclaimer: The way Rhode Islanders pronounce these names today would probably be unrecognizable to the indigenous Narragansett, Niantic, Nipmuc, Pequot and Wampanoag people.

Aquidneck

The island home to Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth is "uh-KWID-neck," and the middle syllable should rhyme with "squid."

Canonchet

With some Rhode Island place names, the stress isn't placed on the syllable that you would expect. This rural area of Hopkinton, for instance, is known as "cuh-NON-chet." (The same pronunciation applies in Narragansett, where you'll find the name on a street near the beach and at a farm-turned-nature preserve.)

Conanicut

The town of Jamestown is located on an island known as "ko-NAN-eh-kut."

Cowesett

There's no cow in Cowesett. The name of this Warwick neighborhood is pronounced "ko-WEE-set."

Escoheag

There is a hog in Escoheag. This rural part of Exeter (and its namesake hill) is "ES-ko-hog." But you'll also hear some Rhode Islanders call it "ES-ko-heag," with a long E in the final syllable.

Kickemuit

The river that flows through Warren and Bristol is known as the "kick-eh-MEW-it." The second-to-last syllable should rhyme with "new," not sound like "moo."

Matunuck

The first U is long, the second is short — so it should sound like "muh-TOO-nick."

Miantonomi

The park and street in Newport is "MY-ann-toe-no-me," not "ME-ann-toe-no-me."

Misquamicut

The name of the Westerly beach and the surrounding area is pronounced: "MISS-kwahm-eh-kut."

Moshassuck

Of the two rivers that converge downtown Providence, this one probably has the easiest name, although that isn't saying much. It's pronounced "MOE-shash-uck," and the middle syllable should rhyme with "slash."

Narragansett

Believe it or not, people do manage to mess this one up. The popular summer destination (and namesake beer) is correctly pronounced "neh-ruh-GAN-set."

Neutaconkanut

Opinions on how to pronounce the name of the Providence hill and its namesake park vary: Some people say "NEW-tah-kon-kuh-nut," which is probably correct. But plenty of others, including those who grew up nearby, call it "NEW-tah-kon-uh-kut."

Pascoag

Just ignore the last two letters. The village in Burrillville is typically known as "PASS-ko." However, you may also hear some people call it "PASS-kog."

Pawtucket

A classic mistake: Putting too much emphasis on the first syllable and pronouncing it like it rhymes with "saw." Locals call the city "puh-TUCK-it."

Pettaquamscutt

The name of tidal river that runs through Narragansett and Saunderstown is pronounced "pet-uh-KWAHM-skit," but most people just call it the Narrow River.

Potowomut

The name of this Warwick neighborhood, which is cut off from the rest of the city by East Greenwich, is pronounced "pot-uh-WAHM-ut."

Quonochontaug

The name of the salt pond and surrounding beach community is pronounced "KWAHN-uh-kon-tog," but no one will judge you if you just refer to both as "Quonnie."

Sachuest

The wildlife refuge is "SAT-choo-est," like a satchel.

Scituate

Pronounced "SIT-choo-et." The first two syllables should sound like you're saying "situate."

Tiogue

The name of this Coventry neighborhood looks like it would rhyme with "bog" or "frog," but it doesn't. The last two letters are silent, and the O is long (like you're exclaiming, "Oh my!") Locals tend to say "tie-OAK," but "tie-OAG" is also correct.

Touisset

The rural side of Warren is called "too-we-set."

Usquepaug

The village on the border of South Kingstown and Richmond, which is home to Kenyon's Grist Mill, is pronounced "US-ka-pog."

Watchemoket

The neighborhood at the center of East Providence is either called "watch-uh-MOE-ket" or "watch-uh-MAH-ket," depending on who you ask.

Woonasquatucket

The name of the second of Providence's two converging rivers is a mouthful: "woo-NAH-skwa-tuck-it." People sometimes just call it "the Woony."

Woonsocket

The name of the Northern Rhode Island city is pronounced "woon-SOCK-it," but the key is not drawing out the first syllable for too long — it should sound almost like "won."

Yawgoog

Just drop the final "g." The pond and Boy Scout camp are pronounced "YAH-goo."

General tips for pronouncing indigenous place names in R.I.

• If the name ends in -paug (for instance, Weekapaug or Mashapaug), that's pronounced "pog." Similarly, naug (as in Apponaug) is pronounced "nog."
• If it ends in -et (see: Chepachet or Sakonnet), that final syllable should rhyme with "set" and may even sound more like "it."
• If you see the letters "tun," that's usually going to be a long "u," like in "tuna." (Examples: Matunuck, Tunipus Pond.)
• The letter X can usually be replaced with "-ks." For instance, Pawtuxet is pronounced "PAH-tucks-it." Acoaxet is pronounced, "a-COKE-sit."
• The letter Q usually represents a "kw" sound, though there are times when it's pronounced like a K.
• Speaking quickly and enunciating poorly will help you sound like you've lived here all your life. Nothing says "out of towner" like carefully and methodically pronouncing every syllable in "Sachuest" (even if you're saying it right.)

Other commonly mispronounced names

Burrillville

Trying to pronounce both pairs of L's in the name of this northern Rhode Island town is a classic rookie mistakes. Locals drop the first and call it "BUH-reh-vil," which sometimes comes out more like "BRR-vuhl."

Chariho

A made-up name for the school district for Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton, sometimes used broadly to refer to the area covered by the three towns. It's pronounced "cha-REH-ho."

DePasquale

The name of the square on Federal Hill is pronounced "DEE-pass-skwahl," like you're talking about a squall at sea.

Gano

GPS navigation systems have been mispronouncing this street in Providence as "GAH-no" for years. It's actually "GAY-no."

Glocester

The name of this northern Rhode Island town is pronounced "GLOSS-stir," just like in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Greenwich

Whether you're talking about East Greenwich or West Greenwich, it's "GREN-itch," like the one in Connecticut. The first syllable should rhyme with "men."

Olneyville

It's common to hear people — including locals — mix up the first two consonants and call the Providence neighborhood "only-ville." So common, in fact, that you're unlikely to be judged for doing the same.

Thames

In London, it's "tems." But we're in Rhode Island, where most people call it "thaymz." That holds true in both Bristol and Newport, which each have a Thames Street.

Westminster

This is another one where native Rhode Islanders are some of the main offenders. You'll often hear people pronounce the second half of the name as "-minister," like the minister of a church. Technically, it should sound like "minz-tur."

Kingston or Kingstown?

The towns of North Kingstown, South Kingstown, and Charlestown all have names that end with "-town," which is pronounced the way you'd expect.

Confusingly, though, South Kingstown is also home to the villages of Kingston and West Kingston. Those names end in "-ton," and are pronounced accordingly.

You may hear people incorrectly claim that the University of Rhode Island is located in "Kingstown," or mistakenly refer to the town of "North Kingston." This irritates South County residents to no end — so if in doubt, just call the towns "NK" and "SK."

Bonus tips on sounding like a Rhode Islander

This guide is intended to help you avoid some common pitfalls, not to teach you to speak with a Rhode Island accent, which is another topic altogether.

But here are a few pronunciation tips that will help you blend in.

Coventry

Technically, it's not wrong to pronounce the name of this town as if the first syllable rhymes with "dove." But Rhode Islanders tend to pronounce it with a hard O, like in "odd."

Warwick

Again, pronouncing the second W isn't incorrect. But Rhode Islanders typically drop it and refer to the city where T.F. Green International Airport is located as "WAR-ick." (Spoken in a heavy accent, it sounds almost more like "WHOA-wick.")