How do you pronounce MiMo? Tamiami? What about Havana, Lutz and other Florida places?
We know all about “tomato” and to-mah-toe.”
But what about MiMo?
Is it My-mo or Mee-mo?
It may be both.
The nickname for the Miami district filled with Miami Modern architecture is all about the “My,” according to the Miami Design Preservation League. But a story about the district from the Associated Press more than a decade ago went out of its way to join the “Mee” camp.
And if you listen to how it’s pronounced around town, you’ll hear it both ways. Same with Tamiami, although the “mee” in the middle is more common than the “my.”
So, is there a right way and a wrong way you say “MiMo?” In an international, multilingual city like Miami, maybe not. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when southerners in the Magic City pronounced their hometown as Miamuh.
We all have our own native tongues, which spit out names in various accents and flavors. (Just listen now to the sounds in Miami of people saying “Miami.”)
Then there is the Central Florida city outside of Orlando and on the way to Walt Disney World.
Kiss-SIM-ee? KISS-uh-mee?
What about Lutz? Matlacha? Dunedin?
And if you think the locals pronounce Havana, Florida, the same as Havana, Cuba, well...
Whether you’re a newcomer or a longtime Floridian, names of Florida cities sure can be confusing or even personal, with people pronouncing them all sorts of ways.
On that note, here is a guide to frequently mispronounced places in Florida, knowing that we may not settle the issue of MiMo:
(Take note that the capital letters indicate where the stress is pronounced.)
Alachua
About: City and the home county of Gainesville and the University of Florida.
Say it: Uh-LACH-ooh-ahh (Bless you)
Dunedin
About: Quaint city in the Tampa Bay area where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis grew up.
Say it: DUH-nee-den (Then clean the dishes)
Havana
About: North of Tallahassee.
Say it: HEY-Vanna (Need a vowel on “Wheel of Fortune”)
Immokalee
About: Farming area in Collier County area near Naples.
Say it: ih-MAH-kuh-lee (The stress doesn’t rhyme with “poke”)
Kissimmee
About: City near Walt Disney World.
Say it: Kuh-SIM-ee (Pronounce it wrong and you may get a smooch)
Lutz
About: The Tampa-area city.
Say it: Loots (Face-palm: We have been rhyming it with “putts” our whole life)
Matlacha
About: Southwest Florida fishing village damaged by Hurricane Ian.
Say it: Mat- la- SHAY (Fancy ... Who knew?)
Micanopy
About: Antique shop city near Gainesville.
Say it: MIK-i-NOH-pee (There’s a third-grade joke in here somewhere)
Monticello
About: Town east of Tallahassee.
Say it: Montu-SELL-o (Not the Thomas Jefferson way)
Ocoee
About: Central Florida city.
Say it: Oh-KOH-ee (Oh)
Rio
About: Martin County community.
Say it: Rye-owe (Not Brazilian)
Steinhatchee
About: On the Gulf Coast of Taylor County.
Say it: STEEN-hatch-ee (You say po-tah-to)
Tamiami
About: Historic route from Tampa to Miami.
Say it: TAM-ee-am-ee (Breaks logic)
MiMo
About: Historic area in Northeast Miami along Biscayne Boulevard, short for Miami Modern architecture.
Say it: Who knows?
This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
