NORTH CAROLINA - If you are driving through the Tar Heel State and ask a local for directions to the islands, you might end up in a rural community just north of Durham. North Carolina is famous for its shibboleths—words that immediately identify you as an outsider—, but one town stands out as the ultimate tourist trap.
NORTH CAROLINA - If you are driving through the Tar Heel State and ask a local for directions to the islands, you might end up in a rural community just north of Durham. North Carolina is famous for its shibboleths—words that immediately identify you as an outsider—, but one town stands out as the ultimate tourist trap.While the state has plenty of tongue-twisters like Fuquay-Varina (Foo-kway Vuh-ree-nuh) and Leicester (Les-ter), the crown for the most deceptive name goes to a small unincorporated community that looks easy but is almost always said wrong by visitors.
The Winner: Bahama, North Carolina
It looks exactly like the Caribbean nation known for white sandy beaches. If you say it like the islands (Buh-hah-muh), however, every head in the general store will turn.
How to Pronounce It: Ba-HAY-ma
The emphasis is hard on the second syllable, which rhymes with "hay."
Why Is It Pronounced That Way? Unlike the tropical islands, this town wasn't named after geography. It is actually a "portmanteau"—a word made by blending other words. The name was created in 1891 to honor three prominent local families: the Balls, the Harrises, and the Mangums. When you mash them together, you get Ba-ha-ma, but the local dialect flattened the vowel sound to a distinct "Hay."
Honorable Mentions: If you master Bahama, try your luck with these other North Carolina stumpers:
- Conetoe: It looks like "Cone-Toe," but locals say Kuh-nee-tuh.
- Mebane: Depending on who you ask, it's either Meb-in or Mee-bane.
- Topsail Island: It's not a boat sail; it's Top-sul.
