IN THE BEGINNING
Credit: GAMES Magazine - Feb. 2008
Raymond D. Love

What unusual characteristic do the following words have in common?

CANS
COLLAR
FLOOR
HEIRESS
KINETIC

HINTS:
1. MRS. could be added to the list.
2. It has to do with the sound of the words.

Answer:

Each word is phonetically (if somewhat imperfectly) the beginning syllable or syllables of one of the United States:

CANS / KANSAS
COLLAR / COLORADO
FLOOR / FLORIDA
HEIRESS / ARIZONA
KINETIC / CONNECTICUT
(MRS. / MISSISSIPPI)