ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Northern Illinois has no shortage of town names that look simple on paper but can quickly reveal who’s local and who isn’t, when they’re said out loud.
From Winnebago County to DeKalb and McHenry counties, pronunciation quirks rooted in Native American languages, early European settlement, and decades of local tradition tend to slip up visitors and new residents.
Here’s a look at some of the most commonly mispronounced place names in the Rockford region:
Machesney Park
One of the most frequently mispronounced names in the Rockford area is Machesney…