Spokane

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No cheating everyone. Don't say the answer to anyone. We want to see what everything thinks of how the name is pronounced.

Spock-Cane
it is not on the menu

I voted for Spoke-Can, because that's how I always hear it pronounced on TV.

Tim

Spo as in spoken
cane as in cane.

What do i win

So now, is Boise, Idaho pronounced:

Boy-zee?

or

Boy-see?

Tim

edit, guess I should read the OP a little closer. I know the answer but am not telling


boy see
BOYsee

Spoe-cane is how I would try.

Here's another fun one- Willamette. And no one else from Oregon, Washington or Idaho give the answer away.

Spock-ane

Silent 'c'

Or, for those who are locals - SPOH-can. The "-cane" ending seems to be common among those Americans from the East Coast, who are used to pronunciations that don't ignore letters for no readily-apparent reason (true reason having to do with the fact that NTs tried to do the transliteration from local Native dialects to English).

For more examples of names like this, see "Sequim" and "Puyallup".

(Hint: in Sequim, the "E" is silent.)

I always hear it as "Spoke-can" on TV. Local cable TV here in Edmonton carries the US network stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS) from Spokane, and I've visited there a few times.

Spoke-can is how I pronounce it.

I'm curious as to why some of the members here are fascinated with Idaho. Most people I know don't think about it very much, or if they do they find it boring.