Pronunciation of words like Sammamish or Tulalip is difficult. When visiting Seattle, travelers should learn to say the Indian names of Washington State.Newbies have difficulty with the pronunciation of words like Snoqualmie and Sammamish because they didn’t grow up hearing the names. And, Puyallup is nothing like it's spelled. Say Salish, Snohomish, Issaquah, and more.
Even simple names can be mangled, but the following words are used often by Seattleites. Here is an explanation of why one needs to know these:
Pronunciation of Words, Native American Names
- Puyallup (pyoo-AL-up) is a charming small town east of Tacoma, home to the Puyallup Fair, and named for the Puyallup Tribe.
- Sammamish (suh-MAM-ish) is a newer upscale town east of Seattle, the name of a lake (Lake Sammamish) and a river (Sammamish River Trail), as well as the name of a park (Sammamish State Park).
- Snoqualmie (snow-KWALL-mee) is a totally new, fresh suburb east of Seattle, home to Snoqualmie Falls and the Snoqualmie Casino. Snoqualmie is also an area for skiing / snowboarding (Snoqualmie Pass) and is the name of the pass used to get to Eastern Washington.
- Snohomish (snow-HOME-ish) is a quaint city northeast of Seattle in Snohomish County which is directly north of Seattle's King County.
- Salish (SAY-lish) is the name of a swank hotel and restaurant (Salish Lodge) directly above the thundering Snoqualmie Falls.
- Issaquah (IZZ-uh-kwah) is the name of a fashionable suburb east of Seattle.
- Tulalip (tuh-LAY-lup) is a town north of Seattle, which is home to the Tulalip Casino and Resort, and the great Tulalip Premium Outlet mall.
- Ohanapecosh (oh-HANNA-p'kosh) is a favorite campground at Mount Rainier.
Pronunciation of Words
- Medina (muh-DIE-nuh) is not pronounced like the Arabian city of Medina (meh-DEE-nuh). Medina is the chi-chi Seattle suburb where Bill Gates built his primary residence.
- Puget (PYOO-jut): A "sound" is a long, wide body of water similar to a huge bay. This name is used in Puget Sound and the local utility company, Puget Power.
- Burien (BYUR-ee-un) is an up-and-coming city just south of Seattle.
- Duvall (do-VALL) is a farming town east of Seattle and the accent is on the SECOND syllable.
- Tukwila (tuck-WILL-uh) is a town south of Seattle and home to Southcenter Mall.
- Uwajimaya (oo-WAH-jeh-my-uh, with the "oo" like in "food") is the name of a cool Asian food (and other stuff) store in The International District and the City of Bellevue.
- Gregoire (GREG-WAHR) The name of the Governor of WA and also the name of a cool internet writer/author aka the artist formerly known as Wexler.
Anyone visiting Seattle for vacation, for a job interview, or before moving to Seattle, should learn the pronunciation of many of these words. People in Seattle can be a bit provincial and they expect outsiders to know most of these names. Knowing Uwajimaya will probably blow all the others out of the water.
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Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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