It's "Missour-ee," not "Missour-uh." Anyone who says "Missour-uh"

[raccoon]

is just lazy. So quit doing it!

[Newsjock]

1. Is the capital of Kentucky pronounced ...

"LOU-ee-ville" or "LOU-ah-ville"?

#playingthestraightmanhere

[Scuba]

3. Frankfort.

[Newsjock]

4. Yay

Thank you, I'm here all week.

[Scuba]

2. When I was there, it was misery.

[all american girl]

9. After I got a speeding ticket for a cop how looked like he belonged in

Smokey and the Bandit movie, that has been the name for me...that same trip, I saw Bambi on top of a car...All I thought was if you can't borrow a pick up truck, maybe you shouldn't go hunting. A very strange state...And I'm from Iowa, so I know strange

[nevergiveup]

5. I was born in Hannibal "Missour-uh"

This is the way it was pronounced in those parts at the time and the way I have always pronounced it. Personally I think those who pronounce it "Missour-ee" are hiding something.

[IphengeniaBlumgarten]

8. And I was born in Columbia, Missouri-uh

I believe that the oldest settled areas, long the rivers, especially descendants of early settlers there, tend to use Missour-uh. Nouveau (since say 1900) Missourians are more likely to use Missour-ee.

[The Genealogist]

23. Born in Springfield, Missour-uh!

Which is about 100 miles from Miam-uh, Oklahoma.

[madmom]

6. same thing with ohi-O and ohi-UH. Around here they say you can

tell if a person is from ohi-O by the way they say it.

[tularetom]

7. My old boss was form Ohio

and he always pronounced it "Uh-hi-uh".

And he'd get pissed off at us when we asked him if that was anywhere near Ohio.

[hlthe2b]

10. My parents were MO natives... Depends on which side of the state...

As I recall those on the western side of the state (KC and elsewhere) say "Missour-ee" and those on the eastern, especially St. Louis and elsewhere say "Missour-uh"...

So, I grew up with this. Even though "Missour-uh" always grated on my own ear, I realized early on that it isn't just lazy it is a regionalism. Don't be so intolerant.

[raccoon]

12. Did you not see my emoticon? nt

[hlthe2b]

13. Yes, but I guess I missed your intended meaning...

[lastlib]

15. I thought it was the other way around.....

...As a 50+ yr. native, I've always tried to pronounce it "Mis-sou-rih" (short 'i'). There's no good reason to pronounce the 'i' as a long 'e', and it sure as heck ain't a 'uh'--that's just lazy. There is no clear evidence of how the Native Americans from whom the name is taken would have pronounced it, so I go with the short 'i', and that way I avoid the other two boo-boos.

[hlthe2b]

16. re: "Thought what was the other way around?" I'm afraid I don't follow your post at all.

However the geographic differences in pronunciation are correct to region.

[lastlib]

17. Folks in StLouis said "Missouree"; in KC it was "Missouruh"

I'm on the KC side, and that's what I hear.

[hlthe2b]

18. Maybe it is intermixed now then... Going back to great grandparents the area north of KC was all

Missour-ee, as it was with family/friends and acquaintances in KC to St. Joe and to the Kansas border. On my mother's side, relatives from Columiba and St. Louis were all Missour-uh...

There are a couple of articles that state that as well if you do a google on pronunciation of Missouri. My guess is there has just been enough missing to make it less clear.

[RC]

21. I live in KCMO now and I hear "Missouree".

I grew up in central Kansas and it was "Missouree". I spent 45 years in North Dakota and it is "Missouree" there also.

I only hear "Missouruh" by people that talk kinda funny anyway.

[HereSince1628]

11. I'd bet you think there is an "L" in Mawakee, Wizconsson, too.

znt az f th'shrt ctz usd n txtn rn't t'same thn' we do tspokn lanwag.

[kestrel91316]

14. My mom's granddad was from MO and he (and she) always pronounced it Missour-uh.

He was born in the 1880s so maybe it's different now.

[Mad-in-Mo]

19. I live in Missour-ah.

Sorry if you think it is lazy. How do you pronounce Arkansas?

[raccoon]

20. ARK-an- saw.

Looks like "Missouruh" is the norm, by the way the postings are going here.

I dare not be so bold as to suggest changing the name of the state, for instance, "East Kansas."

Like the expression "I could care less " and the spelling "loose" (as in, to loose one's mind),
Missouruh is becoming the norm....

[Gore1FL]

22. Missour-ee is how the Indian phrase that it came from was pronounced.

I agree with you.

[xmas74]

24. I remember reading an article years ago.

It used I 70 and 435 are major divides in the Missour-e/Missour-uh debate.

I've tried to find that article over the past few years but to no avail. If I ever find it I'll post it here. It was great how not only was there a divide throughout the state but an additional divide in the KC area.