Michigan Names That Even Michiganders Have A Hard Time Spelling

Spelling is hard.

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That's probably why when kids spell really difficult words in spelling bees, we give them a trophy. That's also probably why we have some kind of spell check or auto correct on our laptops and phones.

Commonly Misspelled Words

Words like "lieutenant", "colonel", "necessary", and "restaurant" are all hard to spell. With the exception of the word "restaurant", I had to look up spelling for those other words. I even attempted to spell "necessary" without aid, and spell check had to step in and correct me.

But spell check can only get you so far, especially with more common words like those. However, when you are trying to spell a proper name, that's a whole other ball game.

Michigan and all its name are perfect of examples of how spelling has the potential to go very wrong.

Michigan Names That are Almost Always Spelled Wrong

So many Michigan names have origins from Michigan's Indigenous People as well as French from the fur traders and missionaries that came here. It's because of these unique origins that make spelling (and pronouncing) some of those same Michigan names so difficult.

Let's take a look at some of the most commonly misspelled Michigan names below.

7. Hamtramck

Some people want to spell this, "Hamtramick", but there's no "i" in this name.

6. Bois Blanc Island

You'd think it would be spelled like it's pronounced, but it's not. It's pronounced, "Bob-Low", by the way.

5. Lake Gogebic

This one has different vowels than the ones you were trying to spell it with.

4. Dowagiac

This one might throw you off because you spell the "i", but you don't say it.

3. Kitch-iti-kipi Springs

There are so many vowels and dashes that make up this word, it can be daunting.

2. Mackinac/Mackinaw

This one is difficult because the spelling will depend on what you're talking about. Mackinac Island ends with "nac", but Mackinaw City ends with "naw".

1. Sault Ste. Marie

The spelling and pronunciation of the first word (Sault) do not look like they would go together. You'd better pronounce it as "Sue", but spell it Sault.