The Many, Many Ways People Say "Chipotle" In Utah

Not long ago I had a co-worker come into the radio studio totally pumped and sharing some good news.

With excitement in her voice she said, "Did you see that they just opened up a new CHIP-OT-LEE on Sunset Boulevard?!!"

When you hear someone from Utah say "Chipotle"

I was confused. "Huh?" I asked.

She repeated herself, this time even louder. "On Sunset Boulevard they just opened up a new Chipple-tee!"

"You mean a Chipotle?" I asked trying my best not to sound like a snob.

"Well, yeah, you know what I mean... that Mexican place that's really good."

Now before you accuse me of being a high-and-mighty know-it-all, I am NOT a master of foreign languages. A simple glance at my high school transcript will tell you that Spanish class was not my best subject.

In fact, the only reason I know that it's pronounced Chip-oat-lay is because other people made fun of me for the longest time for calling it "Chip-oh-tell".

The right way to say "Chipotle". Getty/Canva

With two Chipotle locations here in St. George Utah, I am hearing the word spoken even more often than usual. I would venture to say that no one butchers a Spanish word quite like a Utah gringo or gringa. And oooooh boy does Utah have a lot of us.

Below is a list of 10 ways I have personally heard people try to pronounce the world "Chipotle?.

NOTE: I would like to apologize in advance to anyone with any kind of Hispanic heritage. Heck, I'd like to apologize to any human being or animal who has ever eaten a taco. Buckle up, it's about to get loco.