A Guide to St. Louis Pronunciations

Everybody knows St. Louis slaughters its French street names and accuses its main highway of flatulence. But there’s far worse than Show-toe Avenue and Highway Farty. We eat KAR-mehl SUHN-duhs and shakes called “concretes,” for God’s sake, and North Siders warsh dishes in the kitchen zink. Only strangers and satnav, though, fall far enough to say DEZ-per-EZ for the River Des Peres.

OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND PARKS

Bellefontaine

• We say: BEHL FOWN tuhn                  
• Should be: BEHL-fon-TEHN

Carondelet

• We say: kuh-ron-duh-LEHT            
• Should be: kah-RON-duh-LAY

Creve Coeur

• We say: KREEV-KOHR                        
• Should be: kreev-KER

Tower Grove

• We say: TAHR GROVE              
• Should be: TOW-er Grove

Ville

• We say: VIHL                              
• Should be: VEEL

OUR FORTS

Rocher

• We say: ROHCH-er                  
• Should be: roh-SHAY

Chartres 

• We say: CHART-ers              
• Should be: SHAR-truh

OUR RIVERS

Courtois

• We say: KUHT-ah-way                    
• Should be: kuur-TWAH

Cuivre

• We say: KWIV-er                      
• Should be: KWEE-vruh

Des Peres 

• We say: Duh-PAYR              
• Should be: day-PAYR

AND YES, OUR STREETS

Beethoven

• We say: BETH-oh-vaan          
• Should be: BAY-toh-vuhn

Bopp

• We say: BOP                      
• Should be: BOHP

DeTonty

• We say: DETT-a-nee                        
• Should be: duh-TON-tee

DeTonty

• We say: deh-TONEE                
• Should be: duh-TON-tee

Gravois

• We say: GRAA-voyz                
• Should be: grah-VWAH

Goethe

• We say: GOH-thee            
• Should be: GUURT-tuh

 Gratiot

• We say: GRAATCH-it                        
• Should be: GRAHSH-ee-o

Koskiusco

• We say: ko-SOO-kee-oh      
• Should be: ko-SHUS-ko

Lindell

• We say: lihn-DELL                    
• Should be: LIHN-duhl

Spoede

• We say: SPOHD                        
• Should be: SPAY-dee