Not From Montana? Good Luck Trying to Pronounce These Town Names

Montana has some of the most interesting town names I've ever seen. I mean, just try and say Ekalaka five times fast. All jokes aside, there truly are some hard-to-pronounce towns in the Treasure State, and some of them kind of defy the English language in their pronunciation. Every Montanan will know exactly who is and isn't from Montana based on how they pronounce these town names. Let's dive right in.

Absarokee - ab-SOR-kee

Many towns in Montana are named after words in Native American languages, so they can be especially tricky to pronounce. The name Absarokee comes from the Native American name for the Crow Tribe.

Wibaux - WEE-boh

French is another big influence on Montana towns, with Wibaux being one of the most difficult to pronounce. That "X" will get you every time if you're not careful.

Havre - HAV-er

No, this town up on the high line in Montana does not rhyme with the name Brett Favre, as many people think. Just leave it to The Lords of Cut Bank below to show you how it's really pronounced.

Choteau - SHOH-toh

And, I'm not talking about Chouteau County, either. Yes, both the town and county exist in Montana, and yes, they each have different spellings. No typos here.

Chinook - SHI-nuk

This town is named after "Chinook winds" which is a phenomenon where the warm wind blows down over the mountains during the winter, which can lead to rapid temperature changes. Of course, Chinook winds are named as such from the Chinook Tribe of Native Americans.

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Hopefully, this pronunciation guide will help those who aren't from our great state get around or maybe even ask for directions. Tell us about the worst pronunciation you've heard from someone on social media.