Since moving to Farmington, I’ve immersed myself in Northwest Arkansas culture. Thus, I’d love to discuss some of the mistakes I’ve made over time — how to pronounce certain towns, abbreviations, and words. They’re not always as easy as they appear.
The first word you need to know before moving to Northwest Arkansas is “oz” from the Oz trails. “Oz” is a single syllabic word, not double as in “o-zee.” I also mispronounced Lowell, which is pronounced “loh-uhl,” not “lo-well.” Other commonly confused words include Siloam Springs and Gravette.
Continue reading this article to learn more about NWA-specific words you likely don’t pronounce correctly. Knowing these words before you move here can save you a lot of embarrassment.
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1. OZ Trails
The first one we need to discuss is the “oz” Trails.
When I first moved here, I wondered, what are these “o-zee” trails? What are they like? Then I mentioned that to a local who was confused with my pronunciation.
It’s the “oz” trails, a spinoff of the Wizard of Oz. The wonderfulness and the mysteriousness of Oz itself is a big branding thing.
Initially, I mispronounced it, thinking it was like “o-zarks,” so I articulated it the same way, “o-zee” trails. Hence, please don’t make that mistake when you come here as I did. The trails are extremely popular here, so you’ll likely hear about it a lot. It’s a massive biking paradise you can’t miss on I-49.
Despite its capitalization, it isn’t pronounced as individual letters but as one word.
2. Ouachitas
Sticking to an outdoorsy trail theme, a mountain range south of Fayetteville, almost in central Arkansas, is spelled the “ouachitas” Mountains but pronounced as “wah-cha-tahs.”
Guess what I thought it was? “ocho-watch-ou.” I butchered it hardcore.
Someone laughed at me and said, “you mean the wah-cha-tahs?” I was like, yeah, that one. That’s what I’m trying to say. That’s how I learned how to pronounce it.
So pronounce it as “wah-cha-tahs.” It starts with an “O” but sounds like a “W” to me.
I don’t make the rules for English (I wish I did), but you should pronounce it that way.
The Ouachitas is an enormous mountain range, almost part of central Arkansas, with Pinnacle and Nebo, a big mountain in the area. They spread across the state to Oklahoma.
3. WPS
Over to sports, a big deal around here. Fayetteville is a college town focusing on the Razorbacks with the whole of NWA, so everyone had “W-P-S” everywhere when I first rolled into town.
I had no idea what that meant. Over time, I realized it meant “Woo Pig Sooie.”
It is the chant, the call, for the Razorbacks, which is the sports team located in Fayetteville, NWA but interests all of Arkansas, honestly. Several people in Missouri, Oklahoma, and even parts of Texas follow the Razorbacks, so their fandom goes far and wide.
Sometime in 2022, someone sent me a video of the Razorbacks. The people who sent it to me were on a cruise in the Caribbean at the time, watching the Razorbacks on TV. In the video, people crowded the cruise with everyone going crazy for the Razorbacks, so that’s how extensive their fandom is.
4. Lowell
There are specific words that get mispronounced in different towns. One of the most common ones is Lowell — pronounced ‘loh-uhl.’
When I first moved here, I thought it was “lo-well,” so I’m trying to save you from the embarrassment that I went through.
Lowell is a small town wedged between Rogers and Springdale. It is almost on the offshoot close to JB Hunt and Tyson headquarters.
However, it’s pronounced “loh-uhl,” not “lo-well,” so watch out for that.
5. Siloam Springs
Siloam Springs is probably the most common one, misspoken and misspelled around the area, as I was also a victim of it. It is ‘sai-low-uhm’ Springs.
When I first moved here, I thought it was ‘so-lo-ma’ Springs. I’ve heard so many variations of it, but I am sure it is ‘sai-low-uhm-springz.’
Keep that in mind when you’re looking to buy in Siloam. Don’t say ‘sa-lo-ma’ Springs as I did.
6. Gravette
Heading to Bentonville, on the west side, is a small town named Gravette. When I first moved here, I thought it was “gro-vet.”
Instead, it is “gra-vette,” like “grab that.” That’s how I remind myself of the correct pronunciation. I’ve found that remembering little details like this make it easier for me to remember the correct pronunciation.
I don’t even know if anyone truly cares about this one per se, but I know people get upset about the “sai-low-uhm” Springs and some other ones like “loh-uhl” versus “lo-well.” Thus, I thought I’d save you some trouble and let you know how to correctly pronounce Gravette too.
7. NWA – Northwest Arkansas
You should know this last sometimes mispronounced location, NWA, if you’ve been following this blog which stands for Northwest Arkansas. In fact, for those who might be unaware, Arkansas is pronounced ‘ar-ken-saw,’ with the last “s” silent.
Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is an exceptional area in the world and America. It’s a diamond that no one knows, which is why I’ve made it my mission to let people know how incredible this area is.
8. 412 – 612
For a bonus round, I’ll talk about a blend of two major highways called 412 and 612.
Caveat: This is more of my mistake than a general one, maybe because I’m used to the California style, even though I’m from Chicago (like this family who also moved to NWA), but I started calling them the “four-one-two” and “six-one-two.”
However, that is not the correct way to say them. It is “four-twelve” and “six-twelve.” Only a few people say it differently, but I remember telling someone, “Oh, I’m gonna get in the four-one-two,” and they just cringed.
If you want to fit in with the local culture, keep that in mind to avoid making my mistake.
9. Fay-vull
Last but certainly not least is the abbreviation of Fayetteville. If you say Fayetteville (or Bentonville in some cases) very fast, it sounds like “fay-vuhl,” and that’s just a very native way to pronounce it.
When people say “fay-vuhl,” I get confused, but even I have caught myself pronouncing it like that more recently.
Some people, who have been here a little longer, pronounce Fayetteville like that or Bentonville as “Ben-vuhl.” In fact, shortening words seems to be a common trend in the area, with short forms like NWA, WPS, Fay-vuhl, Ben-vuhl, etc.
And that about wraps up this quick guide on getting you familiar with the NWA colloquial tongue. To learn more about the NWA culture and to keep up-to-date with the latest local news, I suggest you check out these podcasts.
