ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - How Missouri is pronounced depends on where you live. If you live in a urban area of the state, it's probably Missour-ee. If you live in a rural part of the state it's probably Missour-uh.
Saint Louis University decided to settle the debate once and for all which is the right pronunciation.
In Feb. 2023, the SLU /YouGov Poll interviewed 900 likely Missouri voters, asking how they pronounced the name of the state.
The poll results were a bit unsurprising. It found only 9.5 percent of Missourians say they live in Missour-uh. More than 90 percent of those polled say they live in Missour-ee.
"After growing up in Missouri, I was surprised so few Missouri voters used the Missour-uh pronunciation," said Steven Rogers, Ph.D., SLU/YouGov Poll Director and associate professor of political science at SLU.
Rogers say the pronunciation of Missouri-uh could stems from multiple factors, such as area they live on or age. Rogers thinks the divide is partly generational.
"Using Missour-uh appears to be partly generational. Sixteen percent of voters who are 65 years old or older said Missour-uh, but only 3 percent of voters below the age of 29 said Missour-uh," Rogers said.
If you want to see the full poll results you can click here.
