Illinois
'Illi-noise'? Not quite. Illinois lands on top mispronounced states list
CHICAGO – Illinois is one of the top five most mispronounced state names in the country, according to a new study.
What we know:
The study by language learning platform Preply shows Illinois ranks fourth on the list of U.S. state names most often mispronounced.
Each month, an estimated 2,750 people across the U.S.—not counting Illinois residents—search online for how to say the name of the state.
The most common mistake? Saying Il-in-OYS, with a hard “s” at the end. The correct pronunciation is Il-uh-NOY, with a silent “s.”
Dr. Melissa Baese-Berk, a linguistics professor at the University of Chicago, worked with Preply and says part of the confusion stems from the spelling.
“State names like Illinois are cases where the spelling of the state name includes letters that are not pronounced, which creates a mismatch between spelling and pronunciation. The silent last ‘s’ at the end of the state name is likely a key source of confusion.”
The backstory:
According to Preply, the name “Illinois” comes from a French version of the Native American word “iliniwek” or “irenwewa,” which referred to a group of tribes known as the Illini. When French explorers first came to the area, they spelled it “Illinois,” following French grammar rules that often include a silent “s” at the end.
Illinois isn’t alone. According to the study, the most mispronounced U.S. state names are:
- Arkansas (AR-kuhn-saw)
- Nevada (nuh-VA-duh)
- Oregon (ORE-uh-gun)
- Illinois (il-uh-NOY)
- Massachusetts (mass-uh-choo-SITS)
Dig deeper:
And if you think “Illinois” is tricky, try Benld. It’s a city downstate pronounced Ben-ELD—and reportedly the hardest town name in Illinois to get right.
Preply also looked into which state names are the hardest to spell, and which state name each state struggles to say the most. To learn more about the study and its methodology, click HERE.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by Preply.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
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