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On Nov. 21, North Cackalacky will turn 232 years young. We know: it’s our party and we’ll cry if we want to, but we’d rather not cry over mispronunciations of NC things. So today, we’re bringing you a guide on how to talk like a local.
Appalachia: ap-uh-LATCH-uh
- Arguably the number one offender here, some folks find the following helpful: “If you say appa-laysha, someone will likely throw an apple atcha.” You’re sure to get a lot of “Bless your hearts,” if you pronounce it any other way.
Angier: ANN-jur
- Angier is a small town located where Harnett County nudges up against Wake + Johnston counties. Though only a few letters, the spelling still trips outsiders up.
Beaufort: BOE-furt
- Write this one down — in NC, it’s BOE-furt. In SC, it’s BEW-fert. We’re not sure why, but we do know that it matters.
Fuquay-Varina: FEW-kway vuh-REE-nah
- While that pronunciation may look intimidating, think of Varina as rhyming with arena. Nothing grinds our gears more than hearing folks say FOO-quay.
Kerr Lake: CAR
- Yes, literally just like a car that you drive. You can find this lake about an hour or so north of Raleigh along the Virginia border.
Mebane: MEB-un
- Otherwise known as the place with the Tanger outlets, Mebane is ~50 minutes from Raleigh. Just head down I-40 toward Greensboro, and you can’t miss it.
Topsail: TOP-sul
- When you head to this beach, there’s no more obvious way to stick out like a sore thumb than to pronounce it TOP-sayl.
Uwharrie: you-WAHR-ee
- This national forest spans 52,000 acres and deserves the respect of a correct pronunciation. The name comes from an American Indian tribe indigenous to the area.
Zebulon: ZEB-yoo-luhn
- If you’re really NC-grown, it’ll come out more like ZEB-yoo-lin. But, under no circumstance, is it ever ZEB-yoo-lawn.
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