How to Pronounce Nevada

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

Do you think that you know how to pronounce the name of the state of Nevada? It's possible you're pronouncing it wrong! There are two popular pronunciations, but one of them will cause native Nevadans to cringe. Here's how to say "Nevada" the way they do.

Steps

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/cd\/Pronounce-Nevada-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Pronounce-Nevada-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/cd\/Pronounce-Nevada-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid885304-v4-728px-Pronounce-Nevada-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    [1] That is the correct way to pronounce the state name. Put emphasis on the second syllable. Pronounce it so that the middle part rhymes with the “ad” sound in the words "sad" or "mad." Compare "Nevada" and "Nebraska." The corresponding vowels in the two names are pronounced the same. [2]
    • Break "Nevada" into syllables. There are three distinct syllables in the word "Nevada." Thinking of the word as having three parts will help you pronounce it correctly.
    • The “e” should be pronounced as in "pet" or "met." The “a” at the end of the name is pronounced like the “u” in "up." [3] [4]
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/11\/Pronounce-Nevada-Step-2-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Pronounce-Nevada-Step-2-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/11\/Pronounce-Nevada-Step-2-Version-3.jpg\/aid885304-v4-728px-Pronounce-Nevada-Step-2-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Some people pronounce the second syllable with an "AW" sound as in "paw." However, this is not how locals say the word. It's their state. They know how to pronounce it.
    • When one politician in Las Vegas suggested legislation granting official approval of both pronunciations, most Nevadans rejected the idea. That ex-legislator argued that “Ne-VAW-duh” is (almost) a Spanish pronunciation and should be allowed since so many non-locals use it. The Spanish word "Nevada" means “snowfall” or “covered in snow” and refers to the Sierra Madre Mountains that pass through the state.
    • Residents of Nevada do not use the “AW” pronunciation. For 150 years they've been using a "short a" sound in the second syllable of their state's name. [5] The common, mostly Eastern and Southern, mispronunciation of Nevada in English is not actually the authentic Spanish pronunciation.
    • Note that there are seven American states with names derived from the Spanish language, and yet none of them are pronounced as native Spanish speakers would say them.
    • A similar example is Gonzaga University in the state of Washington. Locals call it "Gawn-ZA-guh," with a "short a" sound in the second syllable (like "sad").
    Advertisement
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a5\/Pronounce-Nevada-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Pronounce-Nevada-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a5\/Pronounce-Nevada-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/aid885304-v4-728px-Pronounce-Nevada-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Office-seekers can run into trouble with Nevada's voters if they don’t pronounce the name with the “AD” middle sound. [6]
    • The state’s governor sent one politician a text advising him to say Neh-VADD-uh. [7] Other politicians have been booed for using the other pronunciation.
    • Most of us can expect to be merely corrected if we use the wrong pronunciation in front of someone who actually lives in "Neh-VA-duh."
    4. Advertisement


Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How Do You Roll Your “R”s? Quick Tricks to Achieve an Alveolar Trill
      How to
      Pronounce Saoirse
      How to
      Pronounce Siobhan
      How to
      Pronounce R's
      How to
      Read Phonetics
      How to
      Pronounce Nuclear
      How to
      Pronounce the Fear of Long Words
      How to
      Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
      How to
      Teach Vowels
      How to
      Pronounce Uranus
      How to
      Pronounce Hermione
      How to
      Recognize a New York Accent
      How to
      Teach English Pronunciation
      How to
      Tell the Difference Between an Irish Accent and a British Accent
      Advertisement

      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about pronunciation, check out our in-depth interview with Stephanie Jeret .

      References

      1. ↑ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/En-us-nevada.ogg
      2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXNKQW7QQFc
      3. ↑ https://www.pronouncenames.com/pronounce/nevada
      4. ↑ http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nevada/true-nevada/
      5. ↑ http://www.loweringthebar.net/2010/08/nevada-legislator-introduces-bill-on-how-to-pronounce-nevada.html
      6. ↑ https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/you-say-nevada-i-say-nevada
      7. ↑ https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/sandoval-tip-to-kasich-how-to-say-nevada/

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 109,934 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Heidi Sabol

        Aug 25, 2017

        "My head explodes when people pronounce Nevada wrong, now I can send them detailed instructions on how it is done."
        Rated this article:
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement