How to say Puyallup, Snoqualmie, Sammamish

Pronunciation of words like Alki, Puget, Salish, Skagit, and Ballard

© Christina Gregoire

Feb 7, 2009

Seattleites lived in an isolated, provincial city before Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, and other local companies brought in thousands of outsiders. It is easy for a Seattle local to tell when a newcomer has landed in this interesting, but rainy, city when the visitor doesn’t use the same lingo. So, try to learn how to say: Puyallup, Snoqualmie, Sammamish, Alki, Puget, Salish, Skagit, Ballard, and other quirky names.

Correct Pronunciation of Words

• Alki: AL-kye (like eye)
• Ballard: BAL-erd (Bal is like balance)
• Duvall: do-VALL (vall is like fall)
• Green Lake: GREEN-lake (all one word)
• Issaquah: IZZ-uh-kwah (not ISS-uh-kwah)
• Oregon: OR-ee-gun (not OR-ee-gone)
• Puget (Sound): PYOO-jut
• Puyallup: pyoo-AL-up
• (Mt.) Rainier: ray-NEER
• Salish (Lodge): SAY-lish
• Sammamish: Suh-MAM-ish
• Seattle WA: SEE-attl WAH (Yes, hip Seattleites say "wah".)
• Skagit: SKAH-jit (The “A” is like cat.)
• Snoqualmie: snow-KWALL-mee
• Spokane: SPO-kan (like can)
• Washington: WAH-shing-ton (not WAR-shing-ton)
• West Seattle: WESS-ee-attl (all one word)

Nicknames of Places to Know When Visiting Seattle:

• Belltown: Area just north of Downtown (Seattle) with newer, hipper condos and restaurants.
• Sam: The Seattle Art Museum.
• South Lake Union: Area northeast of Downtown with lakeside restaurants.
• The Freeway: I-5 Freeway (Interstate-5), no other freeway unless one is outside the city.
• The Fountain: Huge fountain in the Seattle Center.
• The I.D.: International District (formerly known as Chinatown).
• The Market: Pike Place Market, in the northern part of Downtown Seattle, looking out over the water.
• The Pig: A Bronze pig statue (named Rachel) at The Market.
• The Sound: Puget Sound (bay).
• The Viaduct: Raised double-decker freeway next to The Waterfront.
• The Waterfront: Alaskan Way tourist area west of Downtown.

(Outside of Downtown Seattle)

• Burke-Gilman: The Burke-Gilman Bike Trail, which goes from North Seattle around “The Lake” to the “Eastside”.
• The Bridges: The two floating bridges (520 in north Seattle / I-90 in south Seattle) which cross “The Lake” to “The Eastside”.
• The Cascades: Mountain Range East of Seattle.
• The Cut or The Montlake Cut: Waterway which connects Puget Sound to Lake Washington.
• The Eastside: East of “The Lake”, usually referring to Bellevue, but also Kirkland, Issaquah, or Redmond.
• The Lake: Lake Washington
• The Locks: Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in the Ballard neighborhood.
• The Olympics: Mountain Range seen from Seattle when looking west, past “The Sound”.
• The Pass: Snoqualmie Pass.
• The U District: The University of Washington district.
• U Dub: Short for UW (University of Washington)
• The San Juans: A group of Islands north of Puget Sound - near Canada.

Know These Phrases When Visiting Seattle

• When referring to the general metropolitan area, one should say, “Around Puget Sound,” or, “Around the Sound,” or, “In the Puget Sound Area”. A local doesn't say,“In the Puget Sound,” unless he or she means actually in the water.
• “The Space Needle” is not called, “The Needle”.
• “Going UP to Vancouver,” means Canada. Going DOWN to Vancouver means Vancouver, Washington, near Portland, Oregon.
• One lives “in Sammamish” if one lives in the city of Sammamish. One lives “on Sammamish” if one lives on Lake Samammish.

Because there are so many Indian Names and nicknames in the Seattle area, it is nice to know some of them before visiting Seattle. PS A Seattleite is someone who lives in Seattle.

Alki

Puget Sound

Issaquah Wa

Puyallup Wa

How to Pronounce Alki

Print Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds