Native or newcomer? Here’s your pronunciation guide to places in WA state

Washington state is full of history , as made evident by its many unique city and county names. In fact, a large number of all types of locations in the Evergreen State have connections to its rich Indigenous history . But that leaves these places vulnerable to mass mispronunciation, as the languages of these location names are not widely known.

Other names come from family names of influential residents in history, or have origins from European languages.

Do you know how to pronouns these locations in Washington state, or the history behind their names?

Note that capitalization shows where emphasis should be.

Eastern WA location pronunciation guide

▪ Spokane

Spoh-CAN

‘Spo’ like the start of ‘spoke,’ CAN not cane

This city and county name comes from its original inhabitants