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Episode: 177 - Pronunciation: The 50 U.S. State Capitals

Author: Sonoro | Shana Thompson
Duration: 00:37:28

Episode Shownotes

Today, we’re diving into an exciting and educational pronunciation practice where you’ll learn the names of all 50 U.S. state capitals! But we’re not stopping there—this lesson will also include one fun fact about each state, so you’ll walk away with the correct pronunciation and with a few fun tidbits

to impress your friends. For this episode, we recommend shadowing. Shadowing is when you listen carefully to a word or phrase and immediately repeat it out loud, mimicking the speaker as closely as possible. It’s an excellent way to improve pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation! As you follow along, listen to the pronunciation of each capital, repeat it after me, and pay attention to the flow of the word. Let’s practice together, state by state, and have some fun along the way. Ready? Let’s get started! //IMPORTANT LINKS// Read the Transcript: https://americanenglishpodcast.com/177-pronunciation-50-us-state-capitals/ Get all Premium Content for Season 4: https://bit.ly/3rF36k4 All Premium Content for Seasons 1, 2 and 3: https://bit.ly/44822TQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Full Transcript

00:00:04 Speaker_01
Hi everybody! My name is Shawna and this is the American English Podcast. My goal here is to teach you the English spoken in the United States.

00:00:13 Speaker_01
Through common expressions, pronunciation tips, and interesting cultural snippets or stories, I hope to keep this fun, useful, and interesting. Let's do it! Welcome back. How's it going?

00:00:28 Speaker_01
In today's episode, we're going to be diving into the correct pronunciation of U.S. state capitals. Sometimes U.S. capital cities are the most populous cities. In other words, the city with the most people in the state. Sometimes they're not.

00:00:48 Speaker_01
Whether you plan on traveling to the United States or you just want to improve your speaking skills, this episode will help you confidently pronounce the names of these places. They commonly come up in everyday conversations.

00:01:04 Speaker_01
If you're talking to people from the United States, you see them often on the news. I'll guide you through each of them. You'll also hear one interesting fact about each place, just to make it fun.

00:01:19 Speaker_01
In episode 64, which was also a pronunciation episode about the U.S. states, we went through all of the state names and shared a fun fact about the states. So that episode is pretty similar. Now we're focusing on the state capitals.

00:01:38 Speaker_01
As with every episode you hear on this podcast, there is an objective. To me, each episode is like a lesson. And in this one, as you can tell from the title, I highly recommend working on your pronunciation.

00:01:54 Speaker_01
And what I love about podcasts is that you can do this while you're out driving, If you're taking a walk in the park or cleaning house, it's not a hands-on activity that requires you to be sitting at a desk.

00:02:10 Speaker_01
However, you need to be attentive, you should be listening closely, and I recommend shadowing me. Are you familiar with the shadowing technique? Like the name, you will be my shadow.

00:02:26 Speaker_01
Right after I say something, you should repeat what I say, mimicking my rhythm, intonation, and really importantly, the way I link words. Pronunciation training involves cheek muscles. tongue placement and movement of your lips and mouth in general.

00:02:45 Speaker_01
So while just listening helps train your ears, you need to be actually moving your mouth, speaking out loud to train it. Now, just to be clear, I don't think it's necessary to sound like a native speaker. That is 100% your choice.

00:03:03 Speaker_01
But I think that as a language learner, we all want to be understood. Otherwise, what's the point of all the effort? So why not try shadowing?

00:03:14 Speaker_01
If you're not interested in working on pronunciation, you can also use my example sentences as dictation exercises. Just grab a notebook and try to write each sentence after I say it. There's one last thing.

00:03:30 Speaker_01
As you know, transcripts are included in premium content, but in every season there are a few episodes with a free, visible transcript. This is one of them.

00:03:43 Speaker_01
If you would like to read along and learn more about the places I've mentioned in this episode, be sure to check out the episode webpage at AmericanEnglishPodcast.com.

00:03:55 Speaker_01
If you would like the full downloadable PDF transcript, quiz, and more options to improve your English, be sure to sign up to premium content. Just follow the links in the episode notes. Without further ado, let's begin.

00:04:15 Speaker_01
Number one, repeat after me, Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks bus boycott began in Montgomery, Alabama.

00:04:33 Speaker_00
Montgomery. Repeat after me.

00:04:37 Speaker_01
Juneau, Alaska.

00:04:41 Speaker_00
Did you know that Juneau is accessible only by boat or plane? Juno. It sounds like did you know.

00:04:55 Speaker_01
Juno. Juno. Did you know? Did you know? Juno? Anyway. Number three. Repeat after me. Phoenix, Arizona.

00:05:06 Speaker_00
Phoenix is the hottest capital city in the U.S. Phoenix, Arizona. Repeat after me.

00:05:20 Speaker_01
Little Rock, Arkansas.

00:05:24 Speaker_00
Little Rock is home to the only diamond mine in the U.S. Little Rock.

00:05:37 Speaker_01
It's also where Bill Clinton, the 42nd U.S. President, was born. Two fun facts there. So next we have Sacramento, California. Repeat after me, Sacramento became a boomtown during the California Gold Rush. Sacramento, California I grew up near Sacramento.

00:06:08 Speaker_01
Old Sac, still looks like the Old West. It's also the western terminal point of the first transcontinental railroad, and you can actually see a lot of trains there in their train museum. Repeat after me, Denver, Colorado.

00:06:28 Speaker_01
Denver is called the Mile High City because it's exactly one mile above sea level. Denver, Colorado. One other fun fact, it has more sunny days than Miami. Hard to believe, right? Florida is so sunny. Repeat after me, Hartford, Connecticut.

00:06:59 Speaker_01
The oldest public art museum in the US, Wadsworth Athenaeum, is located here. Hartford, Connecticut. One other fun fact, it's pretty close to Bridgeport, which used to be the hometown of P.T. Barnum, the famous circus showman.

00:07:26 Speaker_01
He was actually once the city's mayor. Crazy! Repeat After Me Dover, Delaware Dover is known for the Dover International Speedway, nicknamed the Monster Mile.

00:07:48 Speaker_00
Dover, Delaware. Repeat after me.

00:07:53 Speaker_01
Tallahassee, Florida. Tallahassee has a 24-story Capitol building, one of the tallest in the U.S.

00:08:11 Speaker_00
Tallahassee, Florida.

00:08:13 Speaker_01
Some people say Florida as if it doesn't have an I. Other people say Florida. So take your pick. Number 10. Repeat after me. Atlanta, Georgia. The Coca-Cola Company was founded in Atlanta. Its world headquarters is still located in the city.

00:08:41 Speaker_00
Atlanta, Georgia. Number 11, repeat after me, Honolulu, Hawaii.

00:08:51 Speaker_01
Or if you're a local Hawaiian, you might say Hawaii. Honolulu is home to the only royal palace in the US, Iolani Palace, where Hawaii's monarchy once ruled.

00:09:12 Speaker_00
Honolulu, Hawaii. Repeat after me, Boise, Idaho.

00:09:20 Speaker_01
While Idaho is famous for its potatoes, Boise is also a hub for high-tech industries and outdoor activities.

00:09:38 Speaker_00
Boise, Idaho.

00:09:41 Speaker_01
Number 13, repeat after me, Springfield, Illinois. While most people go to Illinois to visit Chicago, Springfield is the hometown of former President Abraham Lincoln.

00:10:05 Speaker_00
Springfield, Illinois.

00:10:08 Speaker_01
His home is actually preserved and it's a popular tourist destination, so why not visit? Number 14, repeat after me, Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis hosts the famous Indy 500 race, the largest single-day sporting event in the world.

00:10:42 Speaker_00
Indianapolis, Indiana.

00:10:46 Speaker_01
Repeat after me. Des Moines, Iowa. Like Hartford, Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry.

00:11:02 Speaker_00
Des Moines, Iowa.

00:11:04 Speaker_01
Number 16. Repeat after me. Topeka, Kansas. Did you know that the landmark Brown versus Board of Education case originated in Topeka?

00:11:18 Speaker_00
Topeka, Kansas.

00:11:28 Speaker_01
If you don't know what Brown v. Board of Education is, it was a Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, and it was sort of the beginning of the civil rights movement in the U.S. Repeat after me.

00:11:48 Speaker_01
Frankfurt, Kentucky.

00:11:52 Speaker_00
Frankfurt is one of the smallest state capitals by population. Frankfurt, Kentucky.

00:12:05 Speaker_01
It's actually only about an hour away from the most populous city, Louisville, or as they say there, Louisville, which is home to the famous Kentucky Derby horse race. Number 18, repeat after me, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

00:12:28 Speaker_01
If you're not interested in visiting the tallest state capitol building in the U.S.

00:12:33 Speaker_00
in Baton Rouge, go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

00:12:50 Speaker_01
Yeah, Mardi Gras is one of the largest street festivals in the world. And, of course, that is French for Fat Tuesday. It's essentially our carnival. Number 19. Repeat after me. Augusta, Maine.

00:13:09 Speaker_00
Augusta, Maine is the easternmost U.S. state capital. Augusta, Maine.

00:13:22 Speaker_01
If you go, you have to try a lobster roll and get some blueberry pie. Number 20. Repeat after me. Annapolis, Maryland. The U.S. Naval Academy has been located in Annapolis since 1845.

00:13:38 Speaker_00
Annapolis, Maryland.

00:13:49 Speaker_01
A good way to remember that is Anna and Mary, two girls' names, Annapolis, Maryland. Some of you might have thought that Baltimore was the capital.

00:13:59 Speaker_01
It's not, but I did mention in a former episode that the Star-Spangled Banner, our national anthem, was written in Baltimore during the War of 1812. And so that was in Baltimore. Number 21, repeat after me, Boston, Massachusetts.

00:14:21 Speaker_00
Boston is home to the US's first public park, Boston Common. Boston, Massachusetts.

00:14:34 Speaker_01
That park was actually established in 1634. Number 22, repeat after me, Lansing, Michigan. While Detroit is known as the heart of the automotive industry, Lansing is home to several major car manufacturers, including General Motors.

00:15:06 Speaker_00
Repeat after me, St. Paul, Minnesota.

00:15:12 Speaker_01
St. Paul is known for its annual winter carnival, a celebration that includes ice sculptures, parades, and winter sports.

00:15:30 Speaker_00
Repeat after me. Jackson, Mississippi.

00:15:37 Speaker_01
Jackson, named after Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the U.S., hosts one of the world's largest gospel music festivals.

00:15:57 Speaker_00
Jackson, Mississippi.

00:16:00 Speaker_01
Jackson is also an important city if you're interested in the history of blues music. Repeat after me, Jefferson City, Missouri.

00:16:13 Speaker_00
Jefferson City was named after Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. president.

00:16:25 Speaker_01
Apparently, there's another city in Missouri called Kansas City, and it has more fountains than any other city in the world except Rome. Is that true? Sounds good. Number 26. Repeat after me. Helena, Montana.

00:16:45 Speaker_01
By the late 19th century, Helena was one of the wealthiest cities per capita in the U.S., thanks to the area's gold production. Helena, Montana. All right, we've made it halfway through.

00:17:06 Speaker_01
We're now at the letter N. Number 27, we have, yeah, 50 minus 27, 23 or 24 states to go. So far, what's your favorite capital city? Do you recognize some of these names? All right, let's continue. Number 27, repeat after me, Lincoln, Nebraska.

00:17:31 Speaker_01
Lincoln has a massive nature reserve, Pioneers Park, with bison, elk, and trails reflecting the Great Plains ecosystem.

00:17:49 Speaker_00
Lincoln, Nebraska. Repeat after me, Carson City, Nevada.

00:17:59 Speaker_01
Nevada is pretty big.

00:18:00 Speaker_00
Carson City is almost seven hours away from Las Vegas. Carson City, Nevada.

00:18:12 Speaker_01
It's also right next to California. Number 29. Repeat after me. Concord, New Hampshire. Concord is known for its history of granite production.

00:18:31 Speaker_00
Concord, New Hampshire.

00:18:34 Speaker_01
Did you know that New Hampshire's nickname is the Granite State? Makes sense, right? Repeat after me. Trenton, New Jersey.

00:18:45 Speaker_00
Trenton is the site of a major victory during the American Revolutionary War. Trenton, New Jersey.

00:18:59 Speaker_01
It was actually a crucial victory for George Washington's Continental Army. Number 31. Repeat after me. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

00:19:13 Speaker_00
Santa Fe or Santa Fe is famous for its vibrant arts scene. and has many galleries and festivals with Native American and Spanish influences. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

00:19:40 Speaker_01
My brother used to live there and loved it. Number 32. Repeat after me. Albany, New York.

00:19:50 Speaker_00
Albany is home to the first grand hotel in the U.S. Albany, New York.

00:20:02 Speaker_01
They also have New York City, which is home to more than 8 million people, and it's the most linguistically diverse city in the world. Repeat after me. Raleigh, North Carolina.

00:20:17 Speaker_00
Along with Durham and Chapel Hill, Raleigh forms part of the Research Triangle. a major center for research and education. Raleigh, North Carolina.

00:20:39 Speaker_01
This one can be confusing because it's spelled R-A-L-E-I-G-H. Number 34. Repeat after me. Bismarck, North Dakota. Bismarck was named after the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck to attract German investors.

00:21:07 Speaker_00
Bismarck, North Dakota. Repeat after me.

00:21:12 Speaker_01
Columbus, Ohio. Columbus is home to one of the largest universities in the U.S., Ohio State University.

00:21:30 Speaker_00
Columbus, Ohio.

00:21:31 Speaker_01
They actually have a huge football program. If I went there, I'd definitely try to get in on a tailgating party at a football game and then, of course, attend the game. Number 36, repeat after me, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

00:21:53 Speaker_01
Oklahoma City is home to one of the largest livestock markets in the world.

00:22:08 Speaker_00
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Repeat after me, Salem, Oregon. Salem was once known as the Cherry City due to the abundance of cherry trees and its annual cherry festival. Salem, Oregon. Repeat after me.

00:22:38 Speaker_01
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

00:22:41 Speaker_00
Harrisburg played a major role as a railroad hub during the Civil War.

00:22:52 Speaker_01
It's not too far away from Philadelphia, which is where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Repeat after me. Providence, Rhode Island.

00:23:10 Speaker_00
Providence is home to the first Baptist church in the United States. Providence, Rhode Island.

00:23:23 Speaker_01
Number 40. Repeat after me. Columbia, South Carolina.

00:23:31 Speaker_00
Columbia was named after Christopher Columbus. Columbia, South Carolina.

00:23:43 Speaker_01
Repeat after me. Pierre, South Dakota.

00:23:50 Speaker_00
Pierre is one of the least populous state capitals in the U.S. South Dakota's most populous city, though, is Sioux Falls.

00:24:04 Speaker_01
It was named after the Sioux tribe and the waterfalls of the Big Sioux River. S-I-O-U-X is the name of the tribe, Sioux. 42, repeat after me, Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville is known as a music city for its role in the country music industry.

00:24:38 Speaker_00
Nashville, Tennessee. Repeat after me. Austin, Texas. Austin was originally named Waterloo. Austin, Texas.

00:24:55 Speaker_01
And don't confuse Austin with Houston, H-O-U-S-T-O-N. You might recognize Houston. It was the first word spoken from the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Repeat after me, Salt Lake City, Utah.

00:25:18 Speaker_01
Salt Lake City welcomed guests around the world for the Winter Olympics of 2002.

00:25:31 Speaker_00
Salt Lake City, Utah.

00:25:35 Speaker_01
Actually, the Great Salt Lake nearby is one of the largest saltwater lakes in the Western Hemisphere. The next one is the only one I wasn't sure how to pronounce. Repeat after me. Montpelier, Vermont. Montpelier, Vermont.

00:25:58 Speaker_01
Okay, it's actually spelled Montpellier, but people say Montpelier. Montpelier is the smallest state capital by population with just about 8,000 people.

00:26:20 Speaker_00
Montpelier, Vermont.

00:26:22 Speaker_01
It's actually pretty close to Burlington, which is where Ben and Jerry's ice cream started in 1978. Number 46, Richmond, Virginia.

00:26:37 Speaker_00
Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Richmond, Virginia.

00:26:51 Speaker_01
Virginia Beach, the most populous city, has the longest pleasure beach in the world, according to the Guinness World Records. My question is, what's a pleasure beach? Hmm. Anyway, 47. Repeat after me. Olympia, Washington.

00:27:10 Speaker_01
Olympia is home to the only artesian well fountain in a U.S.

00:27:17 Speaker_00
state capital. Olympia, Washington.

00:27:28 Speaker_01
You might also want to go to Seattle when you're there. It's the most populous city and it's known for having the original Starbucks. Number 48. Repeat after me. Charleston, West Virginia.

00:27:46 Speaker_00
Charleston is home to one of the oldest fairs in the U.S. the West Virginia State Fair.

00:28:00 Speaker_01
Charleston, West Virginia. Number 49, repeat after me, Madison, Wisconsin. Madison is close to Milwaukee, which is known for its brewing traditions.

00:28:20 Speaker_00
It's home to Miller Brewing Company. Repeat after me, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

00:28:31 Speaker_01
Cheyenne hosts the world's largest outdoor rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days.

00:28:44 Speaker_00
Cheyenne, Wyoming.

00:28:47 Speaker_01
It was also a major stop along the first transcontinental railroad. Now that's it for the fun facts. How many of these state capitals have you been to?

00:29:02 Speaker_01
It's funny because so many of the capitals are not the major cities that we typically travel to on vacation. I just counted, and I've only been to six of the 50 mentioned. Can you guess the state I travel to if I tell you the capital?

00:29:21 Speaker_01
Let's see how much you remember. Austin. Austin is the capital of which state? Texas. Good. Austin, Texas. So Lucas and I spent the summer of 2016 there, right on South Congress.

00:29:41 Speaker_01
And so if you walked out of our apartment and onto the street, you could actually see the Capitol building. I highly recommend visiting Austin. It's a very fun place. Go to River Street, go to 6th Street. It's just a lot of fun. Denver.

00:29:57 Speaker_01
Denver is the capital of which state? Colorado! Lucas and I had two honeymoons after we got married. We decided to do two shorter trips rather than one really long one.

00:30:12 Speaker_01
And so we actually spent one in Colorado, in Denver, in Boulder, in the Rocky Mountains, and the other in Bahia in Brazil. So two very different places. Denver, they had a lot of good food there. Next we have Montpelier. We just went over this.

00:30:33 Speaker_01
Montpelier is the capital of which state? Vermont. Last year, we took a trip to see the changing of leaves in Vermont and to try their maple syrup. And we stopped in Montpelier while taking a road trip to Burlington.

00:30:53 Speaker_01
And no offense to the 8,000 people there, but there's not much going on. We just decided to head to Burlington. So I've been to Austin, Denver, Montpelier, Boston. Boston is the capital of which state? Do you know? Massachusetts.

00:31:14 Speaker_01
So Boston is 100% worth visiting if you haven't been there. It's so historical. I feel like everything is the first. Like you'll go to the MLB Stadium Fenway Park. It was the first baseball stadium in the U.S. It's the first restaurant.

00:31:35 Speaker_01
It's the first this and that. I just, everything was the first. Plus the Boston Tea Party took place there, which is just an epic part of U.S. history. I love Boston. Anyway, moving on to the next one, Honolulu. Honolulu is the capital of which state?

00:31:54 Speaker_01
Hawaii. You probably know this, but Hawaii is made up of multiple islands, and Honolulu is on Oahu. So if you plan on traveling to Waikiki, the plane will land in Honolulu. Last but not least, Sacramento. Sacramento is the capital of which state?

00:32:16 Speaker_01
California. Not many tourists I know who come from outside of the U.S. stop in Sacramento, but it's so cute. I grew up right next to Sacramento and San Francisco. Actually, smack dab in the middle of them. So we'd usually take trips up to Old Sac.

00:32:35 Speaker_01
Maybe on your trip up to Tahoe, you can stop in Sacramento. They have a big farm-to-table restaurant scene, which is pretty nice. Visiting Old Sac, sort of this old western part of town, is also fun. It's just nice. That's the end of this episode.

00:32:55 Speaker_01
I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions or if I made some mistake, please let me know. You can find me on Instagram at American English Podcast.

00:33:05 Speaker_01
And if you're interested in signing up to premium content once again, visit the website at AmericanEnglishPodcast.com or just check the episode notes. I always post the most important links there. Enjoy the rest of your day. Bye.

00:33:24 Speaker_01
Thank you for listening to this episode of the American English Podcast. Remember, it's my goal here to not only help you improve your listening comprehension, but to show you how to speak like someone from the States.

00:33:38 Speaker_01
If you want to receive the full transcript for this episode or you just want to support this podcast, make sure to sign up to premium content on AmericanEnglishPodcast.com. Thanks and hope to see you soon.