You say HU-gee, I say u-GEE . . .

Every now and then I like to share with you a story that is just fun, no particular real estate market connection, just fun –

"South Carolina locations were named by a diverse array of early inhabitants, including Native Americans, Germans, English, and French. This can cause confusion for South Carolinians and visitors alike when they first encounter a new town, river, or street. Some mistakes are made mostly by non-natives, like saying Beaufort SC [BU-fort] like Beaufort NC [BO-fort]. However there are plenty of names that are confusing even if you're a "been-hyuh."

Sometimes even simple-looking names can be deceiving. Lancaster is often pronounced LAN-KASS-ter, much to the chagrin of those who know it's actually LANG-kus-ter. And that one seemed so easy . . .

Here are a few that are even trickier:

• Sans Souci (which is French for "worry-free") is the name of a town in Greenville and a street in Charleston. It's pronounced san SUE-see.
• The Cumbahee River, which runs through Colleton and Beaufort counties, is often pronounced KUM-buh-hee, but those more familiar with the waterway call it the KUM-BEE.
• Yemassee, which is in southern SC, and Tamassee in Oconee County look like they would rhyme, but they don't. The first is pronounced YEM-uh-SEE while the latter is pronounced tuh-MAH-see.
• Huger isn't HUG-ger or even HUGE-er (as in bigger). It's pronounced u-GEE in the Lowcountry, but HU-gee in the Midlands!
• Horry also defies its phonetic spelling – the "h" is silent. The correct way to say this county's name is OH-REE.

And the list goes on and on. That is why we are creating a comprehensive list of SC place names that can be tricky to pronounce. From Alcolu to Wisacky, we hope this resource will become an accurate guide for everyone to use.

To do this right, however, we'll need your input. Do people find your town's name, local plantation, or nearby river hard to pronounce? Or have you always wondered how to say Coosawhatchie [KOO-sa-HATCH-ee] but just didn't know who to ask? Email us at service@sciway.net with additions AND suggestions. We can't wait to get started, and we'll let you know what we learn!"

For the SCIway News, July 2007 article: http://www.sciway.net/sn/45.html#1