Can You Say These 50 Hard-to-Pronounce Michigan Streets?
When driving around Michigan, you'll find some pretty crazy street names. For those that have lived here all their lives, they don't think anything of the bizarre names. But when people visit Michigan from out-of-state, listening to them try to pronounce names like Schoenherr or Pewabic is incredibly entertaining.
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A late night host was recently quizzed by Keegan-Michael Key to see if he could correctly pronounce three major Detroit-area street. He got none of the three correct.
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We were able to come of with a list of 50 street names in Michigan that are hard to pronounce from Michigan.gov and Bridge Michigan. Visit Detroit, ClickOnDetroit and DetroitMoxie also contributed to this list.
50 Hard-to-Pronounce Michigan Street Names
| Street Name | Phonetic Pronunciation | City/Area |
|---|---|---|
| Gratiot Avenue | GRASH-it | Detroit |
| Dequindre Road/Cut | də-KWIN-dər | Detroit / Macomb |
| Cadieux Road | cad-JOO | Detroit (East Side) |
| Livernois Avenue | LIVER-noy | Detroit |
| Schoenherr Road | SHOEN-er / SHAY-ner | Macomb County |
| Kercheval Avenue | KER-sha-val | Detroit / Grosse Pointe |
| Lahser Road | LAH-sər | Southfield / Bloomfield |
| Vernier Road | ver-NEER | Detroit / Grosse Pointe |
| Moross Road | muh-ROSS | Detroit |
| Goethe Street | GER-ta | Detroit |
| Beaubien Street | BO-byan | Detroit |
| Mackinac Avenue | MACK-in-aw | Statewide |
| Bois Blanc Road | BOB-low | Mackinac area |
| Charlevoix Avenue | SHAR-lə-voy | Detroit / Charlevoix |
| Cheboygan Street | shə-BOY-gən | Cheboygan |
| Zilwaukee Road | ZILL-wah-kee | Saginaw |
| Tuscola Street | TUSS-co-la | Flint area |
| Pewabic Street | pee-WAH-bik | Detroit |
| Shiawassee Street | shy-ah-WAH-see | Lansing |
| Negaunee Street | neh-GAW-nee | U.P. |
| Sault Ste. Marie Rd | SOO Saint Marie | U.P. |
| L’Anse Avenue | lahns | U.P. |
| LaGrange Street | la-GRANJ | Various cities |
| Lachine Road | lə-SHEEN | Alpena County |
| Hiawatha Street | hī-ə-WAH-tha | Statewide |
| Kawkawlin Road | kaw-KAW-lin | Bay County |
| Keweenaw Drive | KEE-weh-naw | U.P. |
| Kitch-iti-kipi Road | kih-chee-tee-kih-pee | U.P. |
| Ocqueoc Road | oh-KEY-ock | Presque Isle |
| Tittabawassee Road | tih-tuh-buh-WAS-see | Mid-Michigan |
| Onekama Road | oh-NEK-ə-mə | Manistee County |
| Manistique Avenue | MAN-uh-STEEK | U.P. |
| Manistee Road | MAN-uh-stee | Northwest MI |
| Au Gres Road | oh GRAY | Iosco County |
| Au Sable Road | oh SAY-bull | Oscoda |
| Epoufette Road | EP-oo-FET | Mackinac County |
| Gogebic Road | GOH-geh-bik / go-GEE-bik | U.P. |
| Goetzville Road | GAYTZ-vill | Chippewa County |
| Koehler Street | KOY-ler | Various |
| Koegel Street | KOE-gel | Flint area |
| Seul Choix Road | suhl-SHWAH | Mackinac County |
| Chesaning Road | cheh-SAN-ing | Central MI |
| Cohoctah Road | ko-HOK-tuh | Livingston County |
| Au Train Road | oh-TRAYN | Alger County |
| Dowagiac Street | doh-WAJ-ak | Southwest MI |
| Ionia Street | ih-OH-nee-ə | Ionia |
| Houghton Avenue | HOW-tən | U.P. |
| Ishpeming Street | ISH-puh-ming | U.P. |
| Munising Avenue | MOO-nih-sing | U.P. |
| Presque Isle Road | presk-EEL | Presque Isle |
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