PENNSYLVANIA - If you are typing an address into a GPS in Pennsylvania, good luck. The Commonwealth is a linguistic minefield, heavily influenced by Dutch settlers, Lenape Native Americans, and Welsh Quakers—none of whom agreed on how vowels should work.
From the "Skook" in the east to the French-defying pronunciations of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's street signs are famous for confusing visitors and delivery drivers alike.
Here are the most misspelled and confusing street names in Pennsylvania.
1. Schuylkill (Avenue / Expressway)
The Trap: The "Dutch Defense" How Locals Say It: "Skoo-kul" How Outsiders Spell It: Schoolkill, Skookil, Skuykill
This is the boss battle of Pennsylvania navigation. Whether you are driving on the "Schuylkill Expressway" (I-76) in Philadelphia or looking for Schuylkill Avenue, this Dutch word (meaning "Hidden River") is responsible for more typos than any other name in the state. The "uyl" combination is baffling to English speakers, leading most to type what they hear simply: "School Kill."
2. Passyunk Avenue (Philadelphia)
The Trap: The South Philly Slur How Locals Say It: "Pash-unk" How Outsiders Spell It: Passionk, Pasyunk, Pashunk
Technically, the Lenape word is pronounced Pass-ee-unk. However, if you are ordering a cheesesteak in South Philly, it is almost exclusively pronounced with two syllables: Pash-unk. When visitors hear a local give directions, they assume the street is named after the word "Passion," leading to navigation errors like "Passion Ave" or the phonetic "Pashunk."
3. Bala Cynwyd (Avenue / City Line)
The Trap: The Welsh "W" How Locals Say It: "Bala Kin-wood" How Outsiders Spell It: Bala Sin-wid, Bala Cinwid
Located just outside Philadelphia, this area (and the street names that bear it) is a relic of the "Welsh Tract" settlers. In Welsh, "Cynwyd" is pronounced with a hard K sound, and the y acts as a vowel. Outsiders invariably read the C as soft (like in "cylinder") and the w as a consonant, resulting in the robotic and incorrect "Sin-wid."
4. Duquesne Boulevard (Pittsburgh)
The Trap: The "Pittsburgh French" How Locals Say It: "Doo-cane" How Outsiders Spell It: Du-kwez-nee, Du-kane
Western Pennsylvania has a habit of taking French names and removing all the French from them (see: North Versailles being pronounced Ver-sales). Duquesne is the prime example. Named after a French governor, the spelling implies a complex pronunciation (Du-kwez-nee), but locals strictly say Doo-cane. If you ask Siri for "Dukwezne Blvd," you will get nowhere.
5. Bouvier Street (North Philadelphia)
The Trap: The Accent Test How Locals Say It: "Boo-veer" How Outsiders Spell It: Booveeay, Beauvier
If this were France (or a Jackie Kennedy biography), it would be Boo-vee-ay. In North Philly, that silent r is absolutely not silent. It is pronounced with a hard, rhotic ending: Boo-veer. Visitors trying to be polite often use the French pronunciation, only to be corrected by a local who spells it phonetically as "Booveer."
6. Conshohocken (State Road / Avenue)
The Trap: The Syllable Overload How Locals Say It: "Con-shy" How Outsiders Spell It: Conshahocken, Conchyhocken
This Lenape name is so long that locals gave up on it decades ago, simply referring to the town and its streets as "Conshy." The trap occurs when a visitor hears "Conshy" and tries to type that into Uber, or when they try to spell the full name and get lost in the sea of o's and h's.
7. Susquehanna (Road / Avenue)
The Trap: The Double "N" How Locals Say It: "Sus-kwa-han-na" How Outsiders Spell It: Susquehana, Susquhanna
One of the most common street names across the entire state (from Harrisburg to Scranton), Susquehanna is a spelling bee knockout round. The challenge is the que followed by the h, and finally the double n near the end. It is notoriously difficult to type correctly on a smartphone keyboard without autocorrect intervening.
Pennsylvania's street names are a history lesson that nobody studied for. The confusion generally stems from three sources: Dutch spellings that don't match English phonetics (Schuylkill), Welsh names that treat 'w' as a vowel (Bala Cynwyd), and Local Dialects that flatten sophisticated names into efficient slang (Duquesne becoming "Doo-cane" and Passyunk becoming "Pash-unk"). If you are driving in PA, it is usually safer to rely on landmarks than your ability to spell "Schuylkill" on the first try.
