In the U.K. there are
many towns and villages with strange sounding names and, in some cases,
these names are not said as they are spelled, which causes a great deal of
confusion for visitors. Now I am sure this is not only a British
phenomenon, there must be similar examples around the world, so if you
know of any please send them to me so they can be added to this page.
There will obviously also be differences with
pronunciation from area to area, as there are always many different
dialects within any country.
In the U.K. one of the most common
differences is in words like "castle" and
"grass". Some areas say a short "a" sound (as in
the word "as") whereas others say a long "aaarrr"
sound (as in the word "chart"). This means that places
like "Bath" can be said as spelled or "Barth".
An example of this can be found with "Chippenham",
which one of my newsletter subscribers kindly sent to me as being
pronounced as "Chipnam". This, I feel, is the way it is
said in the West of Britain whereas, in the South I think we are more
likely to say it as it is spelled i.e., "Chip-en-ham".
The actual pronunciation is not going to be
easy to explain but I will try to do it phonetically, it will, however,
rely on visitors knowing a little about the English language.
As an added dimension to this page I have
decided to include some links to other sites giving specific information
on the places mentioned.
For ease of operation I have
endeavoured to keep this as one page but, due to its popularity and
visitor contributions, it has now become somewhat unwieldy and,
therefore, I had split it into two.
Spelling
Pronunciation
Adelaide
AD-laid
Rachel
Albany, Western Australia
Al-bany NOT All-bany.
Eric
Albany Creek (suburb of
Brisbane, Queensland)
All-bny
[it’s pronounced
this way in New Zealand as well)
Peter G Gleeson, BA (Macq)
Alciston, East Sussex
Aston
Stuart
Pennington
Aldinga, South Australia
All-dinga (not Al-dinga!!!) -
see comments below
Al-dinga (not All-dinga)
Belinda
Whoops,
another difference of opinion!
Aldinga
in South Australia is DEFINITELY pronounced ALL-dinga not AL-dinga (as
in pronunciation of Alan). In fact it was a running joke in south aust
because an interstate company were advertising land for sale there and
pronounced it as 'AL-dinga' - people couldn't believe an interstate
company that wanted to sell something to locals hadn't bothered to
check the pronunciation of the place name..
Holly
Aldinga - its not a difference of opinion. All residents of Aldinga
and South Australians generally pronounce it all-dinga. Only people
outside SA who take a stab at it might pronounce al-dinga. As an
ex-resident of the area, Aldinga was a regular holiday spot and
indeed I visited there again last Christmas.
Martin Woods
Alfreton
Olfreton
(although some disagree)
Ellena
Lyons
Alfriston, East Sussex
All-Friston
Stuart
Pennington
Allerton,
Bradford, West Yorkshire
Ollerton
Jeremy
Double
Alnmouth
Allenmouth
Martin
Capps
Alnwick
(Northumberland)
Anic
Martin
Capps
Alresford
Alls-fid
Peter
Althorp
(where Princess Diana is buried)
The
village is pronounced Olthorpe but the House is pronounced Orltrop (notice the
reversal of the O and the R!)
Martin
Underwood
Amlwch
- Anglesey
Am-look
Andrew
Moore
Ansty,
West Sussex
An-Sty
Stuart
Pennington
Ardingly
(Sussex)
Ardingl-eye
Joan
Hall
Arlesey
Arll-Zee
Andrew
Moore
Aspatria
Spi'atry (by some)
Richard
Tosswill
Averham,
Nottinghamshire
Air-rum
Phil
Bamburgh
(Northumberland)
Bambruff
Ben
Vizard
Bambro
Martin
Underwood
Barnoldswick (Lancashire)
Barlick
Mark Iliff
Barnoldswick (as spelled)
Martin Underwood
Barnoldswick is not pronounced Barlick. Barlick
is just a contraction of Barnoldswick.
Ken Ranson
Barrow-in-Furness
'Furness' is pronounced to
sound like 'furnace' not 'finesse'.
Gavin
Basket Range, South Australia
Basket
Range
(Bas - as in Cash not Barsket)
Belinda
You've written that it should be
pronounced bas as in cash not barsket. This is a very Victorian pronunciation.
In Australia, the eastern states
have a short 'a' and South Australia has a long 'ah' or 'ar' (branch, graph,
grass, dance, etc) as you've mentioned in the third paragraph at the top of the
page for England.
I live near Basket Range and some
of my friends like in Basket Range, and it's pronounced "barsket" range.
Rachel
Bawburgh, Norfolk
Bore-Bruh
Dominic
Beaconsfield
Bekonsfield
Bearsted
Beerstid
Stephen Burgess
Beaulieu
Bewley
Philip
Bedworth
Bedduth
Anna
Bland
Belvoir
Beever
Sheila Fox
Berwick
on Tweed
Berik
on Tweed
Bicester
Bister
Brenda Young
Billesdon,
Leicestershire
Billsdon
Phil
Bisham near Marlow,
Bucks
Bis-Um (NOT Bish-am)
Dave Bennett
Blackley,
Greater Manchester
Blakely
Peter
Draggett
Blidworth
(Nottinghamshire)
Blidduth
John
Stolarski
Blidworth, is
NORMALLY pronounced (by the vast majority of locals) as Blid-worth.
Phil
Bolsover
(Derbyshire)
Baa-zer
John
Stolarski
Boughton, Lincolnshire
Bootun
Jed Bland
Bozeat,
Northants.
BOHzhut
Mark
Wheaver
Bradley near Wolverhampton
Braid-Lee
Craig Wilson
Bradwell
Bradl
Liza
Hicks
Braughing
(Hertfordshire)
Braff-ing
Janet Horton
Brewood,
South Staffs near Wolverhampton
Brood
Keith
Sedgley
Brisbane (Australia)
Brizz-bn
Peter G Gleeson, BA (Macq)
Brough, East Yorkshire
Bruff
Burpham, Surrey or West Sussex
Ber-Fam
Stuart
Pennington
Cairns
(Queensland)
Cans
Rozzie Chapman
Canberra, Australia
CAN-bra
Rachel
Canowindra
(New South Wales)
Ca-NOWN-dra
Rozzie Chapman
Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia
Cassle-main
Peter G Gleeson, BA (Macq)
Chedzoy in
Somerset
Chedzee
Derek Appleyard
Chichester
Chidistr
Paul Haden
I
personally think maybe a case of local dialect as opposed to actual
pronunciation as I think many people would still say Chichester.
Chiddingly, East Sussex
Chidding-Lie
Stuart
Pennington
Chili, N.Y.
Cheye-lye (both
syllables rhyme.)
Karen
Zethmayr
Chippenham (see
comments at top of page)
Chipnam (locally)
Sent by Ann Cook
Chipenum
James Bruton
Chiswick, New South Wales, Australia
Chizzik
Peter G
Gleeson, BA (Macq)
Chiswick, London
Chizzik
Cholmondeston,
Cheshire
Chumston
Cholmondley
Chumly
Bob Moon
Chop Gate
(North Yorkshire)
Chopyat
Steve Watson
Cirencester
As
far as I know, this is the only "-cester" name to be pronounced as
spelled: bearing in mind Gloucester, Leicester and Towcester), though I
believe an obsolete pronunciation is Siss(i)ter (with or without the I in the
centre)
Martin
Underwood
Both my father and grandfather called it "Sissiter" as mentioned earlier, while
my less "rural" mother refers to it as you spell it.
Ron Gosling
Cley
(Norfolk)
Cly (as
in fly)
Philip
Cogenhoe
Cook-no
Jacqueline
Olford & Tony White
Congresbury
Congsbree
Simon
Coonsberry
Coober Pedy, South Australia
Coo-buh pee-dee.
It's not Coober Peddy.
Rachel
Costessey, Norfolk:
Coss-ee
Dominic
Cowbit,
Cambridgeshire.
Cubbit
Phil
Cranbourne (suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Cranb’n
Peter G Gleeson, BA (Macq)
Creswick, Victoria, Australia
Crezzick
Peter G
Gleeson, BA (Macq)
Croughton,
S. Northants.
Crowton (rhyming with cow) OR
Crowton (rhyming with crow)
Robert J.
Croton
Cuckfield, West Sussex
Cook-field
Alex Browning
Cuck-field (rhymes with
'luck')
This is one is contested a
lot locally.
Patricia Whiteside
Cuckfield is, in fact, local to
me (my children went to school there) and we have always called it
Cook-field - it seems like another one of those places where those born and
bred in a place pronounce it differently to 'incomers'.
Culzean, Ayrshire, Scotland
Cul-ain
Lionel Bell
Daresbury (Cheshire)
Darsberry
RS
Darwen,
Lancs
Darren
Peter Draggett
Derby
Darbie
Jörg Müller
Dewsbury,
West Yorkshire
Jewsbry
Victor
Doncaster, Victoria, Australia
Doncassta
Peter G
Gleeson, BA (Macq)
Duchally
(in Auchterarder,Scotland)
Duck-ley
Gayle Jones
Dulwich (South London and South Australia)
Dullitch
Rachel
Dun Laoghaire (Nr. Dublin, Ireland)
Dunn Leery (when speaking English)
Doon Lair-uh (Irish
pronunciation - but not generally by the locals)
Rhoda Draper
Dunwich (Suffolk)
Dunij
Jimbo
Eaglesfield
Egglesfield
Richard Tosswill
Earley,
Berkshire.
Erlee
Hamnet
Quinn
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinbruuh or Edinburruh
Edinburgh, (suburb of Adelaide, Australia)
Eddin-burruh
Peter G
Gleeson, BA (Macq)
eddin-bra
Rachel
Eltham, SE London
El-tum
Peter
Roberts
Erith, Kent
Eer-ith
C. Smith
Esher
Eesher
Philip
Etchilhampton
(near Devizes Wilts)
Eyeshalton
Keith
Lewis
Ewell
Yoo-all
Peter
Eyam
(Peak District)
Eem
Martin
Capps
Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Air Peninsula
Rachel
Flitwick
Flitick
Gary Ware
Forster,
New South Wales
Foster
Belinda
Fowey
(Cornwall)
Foy
Andrew
Nott
Fwoy (Cornish pronunciation)
Keith
Lewis
Fremantle,
Western Australia
Fre-MANTel, NOT FREE-mantel
Eric
Frome
Froom
Furneux
Pelham (Hertfordshire)
Fir-nooks pellum
Janet Horton
Gallipolis, Ohio
GAL-uh-puh-LEECE
Sounds like "Gal a police."
Gary
Rector
Gamaliel,
Missouri
Ga-mail-ya
Tyler
Pruett
Gillingham,
Kent
Jillingham
Gillingham, Norfolk & Dorset
Gillingham (hard sounding "g" as in
girl)
Rebecca
MacMillan
Glamis,
Angus
Glarms
John Butler
Gloucester
Gloster
Goatacre
near Lyneham, Wilts
Goadoccur
Keith
Lewis
Godmanchester
(Cambs.)
Gumster
(old pronunciation)
Philip
Robinson
Goonoo Goonoo (New South Wales)
Gunna Ga-NOO
Rozzie Chapman
Gorinchem (Netherlands)
Horkem
Andrew Nott
Actually, it's CHorkem, with CH as
in the Scottish pronunciation of "loch". There's no equivalent in
English, but the Germans, Spanish and Arabs are among the people who can
pronounce this.
* A
glottal stop is a speech sound articulated by a momentary, complete closing
of the glottis in the back of the throat. Glottal stops occur in many
languages and usually pattern as consonants.
A
BIT OF FUN AND OTHER INTERESTING SNIPPETS
The name "Devon" for the river in Nottinghamshire is not synonymous
in pronunciation with the county in Western England. The Nottinghamshire
river's name is pronounced "Deevon". Candida Lycett Green says so in her
book "Unwrecked
England".
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