Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods and a rich history.
The latter point has led to several street and neighborhood names that may stumble even lifelong residents, let alone visitors and even autocorrect, writes Jim Smithton for Philly Bite Magazine.
There are four locations in particular that often stumbles people when it comes to its spelling.
First up, is Schuylkill. This name of both a river and expressway is Dutch, and was given by early settlers. It translates to “hidden river,” and common misspellings include “Skookil,” “Skuykill,” “Schoolkill,” and “Schoolkyll.”
Another one is Passyunk. The South Philadelphia avenue translates in Lenape to “in the valley.” The middle portion is what often confuses people with common misspellings including “Passayunk,” “Pasyunk,” “Passayonk,” and “Pashionk.”
Also in South Philadelphia is Moyamensing, another Lenape translation. This one translates to “place of pigeon droppings.” The specific challenge for many is where to place the “m” in the middle. Common misspellings are “Moyemensing,” “Moyamemsing,” and “Moyamensing.”
Last summer, a new sign on I-95 at the Cottman Avenue ramp misspelled “Central Phila,” and instead read “Cenrtal Phila.” This proved that even PennDOT sometimes makes spelling errors.
Read more about some of Philadelphia’s commonly misspelled locations at Philly Bite Magazine.
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