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How to pronounce all 50 US state capitals
Most state capital names look phonetic on paper and are not. Boise is BOY-see, never BOY-zee. Pierre is PEER, one syllable, not the French pee-AIR. Half a dozen capitals borrow from French, Spanish, Latin or Native American languages, and the local pronunciation has often drifted far from the original. This guide walks through the ones that trip people up, then lists a phonetic version of all 50 in alphabetical order.
The ten capitals people get wrong most often
These are the names that give newscasters, quiz players and tourists the most trouble. Getting the local pronunciation right is often the fastest way to signal that you actually live in the state.
- Boise, Idaho, BOY-see. The soft 's' is non-negotiable. The name traces to French trappers who called the tree-lined river "les bois," meaning "the woods."
- Pierre, South Dakota, PEER. Rhymes with "ear." Named for fur trader Pierre Chouteau Jr., but the anglicized pronunciation locked in when the town became the capital in 1889.
- Montpelier, Vermont, mont-PEEL-yer. No French nasal. Named after Montpellier in southern France as thanks for French aid during the Revolution. With roughly 8,000 residents, it is the smallest state capital in the country.
- Concord, New Hampshire, CONK-erd, not CON-cord like the supersonic jet. The second syllable is almost swallowed.
- Frankfort, Kentucky, FRANK-fert, not Frankfurt (the German city). Local legend traces the name to a pioneer named Stephen Frank who was killed at a river crossing, which then became "Frank's ford."
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana, BAT-un ROOZH. "Rouge" rhymes with "luge." French for "red stick," recorded by explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville in 1699 after seeing a red cypress pole marking a tribal boundary.
- Des Moines, Iowa, duh-MOYN. The 's' at the end of both words is silent, following French convention. Named for the Des Moines River.
- Juneau, Alaska, JOO-noh. Two syllables. Named for gold prospector Joe Juneau, who struck it rich in 1880.
- Cheyenne, Wyoming, shy-ANN. The initial "Ch" is a "sh" sound. Named for the Cheyenne people.
- Tallahassee, Florida, tal-uh-HASS-ee. Four syllables, stress on the third. From a Muscogee (Creek) word meaning "old fields" or "old town."
Capitals with non-English origins
Nine state capitals come from French, Spanish or Native American names. The pronunciation almost always got anglicized once the town anchored a state government, which is why "Pierre" rhymes with "ear" and "Des Moines" ends in an "n" sound. A few capitals still hold onto their original phonetics.
- Santa Fe, New Mexico (Spanish), SAN-tuh FAY. Founded around 1610, it is the oldest state capital in the US. The Spanish "Fe" (faith) is kept mostly intact.
- Sacramento, California (Spanish), sak-ruh-MEN-toh. Named for the Sacramento River, itself named for the Blessed Sacrament by Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga in 1808.
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (French), BAT-un ROOZH. Kept the French vowel in "rouge" but flattened the rest.
- Des Moines, Iowa (French), duh-MOYN. From "Rivière des Moines," possibly a French corruption of an Algonquian word.
- Montpelier, Vermont (French), mont-PEEL-yer. Fully anglicized.
- Boise, Idaho (French), BOY-see. Anglicized long before statehood.
- Pierre, South Dakota (French), PEER. Fully anglicized.
- Tallahassee, Florida (Muscogee), tal-uh-HASS-ee.
- Topeka, Kansas (Kansa/Osage), tuh-PEE-kuh. Believed to mean "a good place to dig potatoes," a reference to the wild prairie potato harvested along the Kansas River.
- Cheyenne, Wyoming (from a French rendering of a Sioux name), shy-ANN.
- Honolulu, Hawaii (Hawaiian), hoh-noh-LOO-loo. Means "sheltered harbor" in Hawaiian.
- Juneau, Alaska (from a French Canadian surname), JOO-noh.
The full phonetic list of all 50 capitals
Alphabetical by state. Stressed syllables are in CAPS. Where the natural pronunciation is obvious (Atlanta, Boston, Denver), no phonetic is given.
| State | Capital | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Montgomery | mont-GUM-er-ee |
| Alaska | Juneau | JOO-noh |
| Arizona | Phoenix | FEE-nix |
| Arkansas | Little Rock | as spelled |
| California | Sacramento | sak-ruh-MEN-toh |
| Colorado | Denver | DEN-ver |
| Connecticut | Hartford | HART-ferd |
| Delaware | Dover | DOH-ver |
| Florida | Tallahassee | tal-uh-HASS-ee |
| Georgia | Atlanta | at-LAN-tuh |
| Hawaii | Honolulu | hoh-noh-LOO-loo |
| Idaho | Boise | BOY-see |
| Illinois | Springfield | as spelled |
| Indiana | Indianapolis | in-dee-uh-NAP-uh-lis |
| Iowa | Des Moines | duh-MOYN |
| Kansas | Topeka | tuh-PEE-kuh |
| Kentucky | Frankfort | FRANK-fert |
| Louisiana | Baton Rouge | BAT-un ROOZH |
| Maine | Augusta | aw-GUS-tuh |
| Maryland | Annapolis | uh-NAP-uh-lis |
| Massachusetts | Boston | BOSS-tun |
| Michigan | Lansing | LAN-sing |
| Minnesota | Saint Paul | as spelled |
| Mississippi | Jackson | JACK-sun |
| Missouri | Jefferson City | as spelled |
| Montana | Helena | HELL-uh-nuh (stress on first) |
| Nebraska | Lincoln | LINK-un |
| Nevada | Carson City | as spelled |
| New Hampshire | Concord | CONK-erd |
| New Jersey | Trenton | TREN-tun |
| New Mexico | Santa Fe | SAN-tuh FAY |
| New York | Albany | AWL-buh-nee |
| North Carolina | Raleigh | RAW-lee |
| North Dakota | Bismarck | BIZ-mark |
| Ohio | Columbus | kuh-LUM-bus |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | oh-kluh-HOH-muh |
| Oregon | Salem | SAY-lum |
| Pennsylvania | Harrisburg | HAIR-is-burg |
| Rhode Island | Providence | PROV-i-dens |
| South Carolina | Columbia | kuh-LUM-bee-uh |
| South Dakota | Pierre | PEER |
| Tennessee | Nashville | NASH-vil |
| Texas | Austin | AW-stin |
| Utah | Salt Lake City | as spelled |
| Vermont | Montpelier | mont-PEEL-yer |
| Virginia | Richmond | RICH-mund |
| Washington | Olympia | oh-LIM-pee-uh |
| West Virginia | Charleston | CHARLZ-tun |
| Wisconsin | Madison | MAD-uh-sun |
| Wyoming | Cheyenne | shy-ANN |
Two capitals with the same name and different pronunciations
South Carolina's Columbia and Ohio's Columbus both come from the same source (Christopher Columbus), but the endings differ. Columbia gets a soft "-bee-uh" ending (kuh-LUM-bee-uh). Columbus takes a hard "-bus" (kuh-LUM-bus). Charleston is another shared name: it is the capital of West Virginia, but there is also a famous Charleston in South Carolina (which is not a capital). Both are pronounced the same way, CHARLZ-tun. Springfield in Illinois is also unusual as a capital because there are 34 other Springfields in the United States, more than any other place name.
A final trap: Helena, Montana is HELL-uh-nuh with the stress on the first syllable. Outsiders often say huh-LEE-nuh, which is how the name Helena is normally pronounced elsewhere. Locals will correct you.
Learn the capitals by playing
Statedoku's daily puzzle uses "Capital starts with A" and "Capital city population under 100,000" as constraints. The names stick without flashcards.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce Boise, the capital of Idaho?
Boise is pronounced BOY-see, not BOY-zee. Locals are firm about the soft 's' sound. The name comes from the French 'les bois' (the woods), used by 19th-century fur trappers who found the tree-lined river valley a relief after crossing the treeless plains.
How do you pronounce Pierre, the capital of South Dakota?
Pierre is pronounced PEER, one syllable, rhyming with 'ear.' It is not pronounced the French way (pee-AIR). The city was named after fur trader Pierre Chouteau Jr., but the local anglicized pronunciation stuck when it became the capital in 1889.
How do you pronounce Montpelier, the capital of Vermont?
Montpelier is pronounced mont-PEEL-yer, with the stress on the middle syllable and no French nasal. It was named after Montpellier in southern France as a tribute to French aid during the American Revolution. With about 8,000 residents, it is the smallest state capital in the US by population.
Which state capitals are most often mispronounced?
The five most commonly mispronounced are Boise (BOY-see, not BOY-zee), Pierre (PEER, not pee-AIR), Montpelier (mont-PEEL-yer), Concord in New Hampshire (CONK-erd, not CON-cord), and Frankfort in Kentucky (FRANK-fert, not Frankfurt like the German city).
How do you pronounce Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana?
Baton Rouge is pronounced BAT-un ROOZH, with 'rouge' rhyming with 'luge.' It means 'red stick' in French, a name recorded by French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville in 1699 after seeing a red cypress pole marking a boundary between two Native American tribal hunting grounds.