Nevada. Is it Nuh-VAY-duh or Nuh-VAD-uh? Well, it depends upon whether you’re in Iowa or out west. Just as the difference between MAD-rid or Muh-DRID depends upon whether you’re in Iowa or in Spain.

Having cut my news writing teeth in radio, I have long been intrigued with the variances in the pronunciation of names of people and places. Iowa is ripe with difficulties for those who must pronounce geographical names. The central Iowa communities of Nevada and Madrid are classic examples.

More than once I’ve heard a broadcast newsperson stumble over the name of the Hancock County town of Kanawha. Those unfamiliar with the town sometimes pronounce it KAN-uh-wuh. Natives will tell you it’s Kuh-NAW-wuh.

Similarly, the west central Iowa town of Onawa – correctly pronounced ON-uh-wah – is often mispronounced Uh-NAH-wuh.

A friend was raised on a farm near the Mahaska County village of Peoria. As in Peoria, Illinois, right? Wrong! According to my friend, Peoria, Iowa, is pronounced PEER-ee, not to be confused with Perry, which is pronounced as it is spelled.

Forty-some years ago I drove through the Union County town of Lorimor for the first time. The sign at the edge of town, I thought, read LOHR-ih-mohr. Upon moving to Union County years later, I learned locals call it LAWR-uh-mer.

That’s not unlike the Hamilton County town where I spent my teen years. Kamrar was named after an attorney and judge, J.L. Kamrar. Officially, the town’s name is pronounced just like His Honor’s name: KAM-rahr. When I was a kid, however, many locals called it KAM-er which rhymes with hammer.

The Decatur County town of Lamoni is properly pronounced luh-MOWN-igh. Down in southern Iowa, however, you may also hear it called luh-MOWN-uh.

In northwest Iowa’s Sioux County, there’s a pretty little town along the Floyd River with the nice name of Maurice. Is it MOHR-ihs or Moh-REES? I’ve heard Des Moines television newscasters use the latter pronunciation but the locals use the former.

Not far from Maurice, in Plymouth County, you’ll find the hamlet of Oyens. “OY-uhns is an interesting burg,” you might say as you drive by on Iowa Highway 3. If you do, you’ll be wrong. Oyens is pronounced OH-wuhns, like Owens.

If you’ve ever sung the Marine Hymn you know our leathernecks have fought our country’s battles from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli (TRIP-oh-lee). Iowa also has a Tripoli. Unlike the Libyan capital, however, Bremer County’s Tripoli is pronounced Trih-POH-luh.

In a pretty valley in southeastern Madison County, not far from the Bridges of Desire, there’s a village named East Peru. I assumed it was pronounced peh-ROO – as in South America. Wrong again! It’s East PEE-roo.

When referring to Osceola – the town or the county – we Iowans say OH-see-OH-luh. Nebraskans, when referring to their town of Osceola, say AH-see-OH-luh.

The most puzzling geographical pronunciation in the state, in my opinion, is the little Buchanan County community of Quasqueton. I didn’t know how to pronounce the name of that town so one day a number of years ago I called the folks at the Bulletin-Journal newspaper in nearby Independence. The reporter who answered my phone call explained that KWAHS-kwuh-tuhn or kwahs-KWEE-tuhn are both acceptable. “Locals,” he added, “call it Quasqy (KWAHS-kee).”

Quasqy, by the way, is located on the Wapsipinicon River which some lazily call the Wapsie.

All of this phonetic frustration should not be surprising in the great state of Iowa. Even the name of our capital city befuddles some folks: dez-MOINZ? duh-MOINZ?

According to the Merriam-Webster folks, it’s “di-MOIN,” the vowel in the first syllable pronounced as the “i” in “trip.”

We’re not alone in our capital confusion. One might be led to pronounce South Dakota’s capital city, Pierre, with a French flair: pee-AYR. South Dakotans say PEER.

Go figure (FIG-yer)!