Pronounce Oregon
If you haven't heard anyone say "Oregon" out loud before, you might not know how to pronounce it. Just remember that it's ORegon, not oreGON. Place the stress on the first syllable (Or) and keep the "g" hard, as in "gun". You can say "OR-ih-gun" or "OR-eg-un". Try putting the words "aura" and "gun" together. Say ORE and then GUN.
Steps
- Listen to someone say "Oregon". Visit the state, if possible, or speak with someone who has spent time there. Listen to an audio pronunciation sample:
- Emphasize the first syllable. The correct pronunciation uses three syllables: "OR", "ih" and "gun". The first syllable is long but the last two syllables are very short. Remember: it's "ORegon", not "orEgon" or "oreGON".
- The pronunciation of "or" is straightforward: say it like the word "or" or "for".
- Pronounce the middle syllable (the "e") the way you would pronounce the "i" in "it". You can also pronounce it like the "e" in "egg".
- Pronounce the last syllable ("gon") like the word "gun" or "gehn". Make sure to pronounce the hard "g" -- say it like "gun", not like "gin". Whatever you do, avoid pronouncing the "gon" like the last syllable in Greek words "decagon" or "polygon". Native Oregonians will be quick to tell you that it isn't "Or-e-gone". The ON sound in the French word Oregon is the same as the ON sound in "dragon" and also the same as next door Washington.
- Say "Oregon" quickly. Don't pronounce each syllable as distinctly separate; they should blend together smoothly, but keep the hard sounds coherent. Some Oregonians slur the middle syllable and pronounce "Oregon" as "Organ", but this is not the traditional pronunciation.
- Practice pronouncing "Oregon". Practice in front of a mirror until you get it right. Make sure that you get the pronunciation mostly right before you talk about the state in front of people, but don't worry too much: as long as people know which state you're talking about, you'll be okay. Just don't say "Or-e-gone".
Tips
- "Willamette" is pronounced "Will-AM-it", not "Will-um-et". If you want to sound like a native, you'll need to know how to pronounce more than just the name of the state.
- The "couch" in "Couch Street" in Portland is pronounced "Cooch".
- Glisan Street (in Portland) is pronounced "Glee-sun" or "Glee-son", not "GIS-son".
- The oldest historic district of Dayton, Ohio is called the Oregon District, but it's pronounced "Aura-gone". The word originally comes from "Wauregan", which was a New England Algonquian Indian word for "beautiful river". It was their name for the Ohio River, and no one knows exactly how the word was pronounced originally.
