ST. LOUIS – FOX 2 asked our followers which words that are distinctly St. Louis words are most commonly mispronounced by out-of-towners. Below are the responses from our followers.
We’ll give you some background on the noun in which the word is referring to and then we will tell you how St. Louisans pronounce the word versus how out-of-towners pronounce it.
City of Bellefontaine – A city in north St. Louis County. St. Louisans call this city Bell Fountain, while out-of-towners have a tendency to move towards the French pronunciation.
Chouteau Avenue – A road that runs East to West in the city of St. Louis. It begins at South Vandeventer Avenue and ends at South Wharf Street. Out-of-towners would pronounce this road with its true French pronunciation, but natives would call this stretch of road “show-toe.”
Florissant – A city in north St. Louis County. Out-of-towners may mispronounce this word and make it sound more like fluorescent. Like a fluorescent light bulb.
Mostaccioli – An Italian dish that is very popular in St. Louis. Many say it’s not a St. Louis wedding without mostaccioli. Out-of-towners may pronounce this word correctly, but St. Louisans tend to say “muskacholly”
Spoede Road – A road that runs parallel to Lindbergh Boulevard going North to South. Spoede starts at Olive Boulevard and ends at Clayton Road. St. Louisans pronounce Spoede, “Spadey” while out-of-towners might say “Spodey.”
Gravois – Highway 30 turns into Gravois at the 270 overpass in south St. Louis County. It turns into Historic Route 66 at Chippewa Street. St. Louisans call this road “Grav-oy,” rhymes with boy, while out-of-towners may lean towards the French pronunciation.
I-44 – This interstate runs southwest through the state of Missouri. St. Louisans call this “Farty-Far,” while out-of-towners the interstate Forty-Four.
