List of places in England with counterintuitive pronunciations: A–L
This is a sublist of List of names in English with counterintuitive pronunciations.
Pronunciations for the following common suffixes are regular pronunciations, despite being counterintuitive at first glance:
- -b(o)rough and -burgh – /bʌrə/, /brə/
- -bury – /bʌri/, /bri/
- -cester – /stə/, /stər/[1]
- -combe, -coombe, -comb and -cambe – /kəm/ (often). As standalone words always /kuːm/ (including in place names such as Castle Combe and Coombe Bissett)
- -gh – silent (usually, as 'f' in a considerable minority of northern English place names and in Woughton, Milton Keynes)
- -ham – /əm/
- -holm(e) – /hoʊm/, /əm/
- -on as first syllable is usually as in London, Coningsby or Tonbridge (see Middle English handwriting preventing 'un' and 'um'); excludes a few such as intuitive Lonsdale
- -shire – /ʃə/, /ʃər/, /ʃɪə/, /ʃɪər/ (rhotic or semi-rhotic r in 'er' as final syllable non-existent in some English dialects such as Kentish and Cockney), /ʃaɪər/(esp. in Yorkshire and Scotland)
- -wich - /ɪtʃ/, /ɪdʒ/[2]
- -wick – /ɪk/[3][n 1]
- -mouth – /mᵿθ/
Pronunciation of the following common prefix is variable depending on dialect:
- Al- /ˈɒl/; /ˈɔːl/
Place names in England
A
- Aigburth, Liverpool – /ˈɛɡbərθ/
- Aldeburgh, Suffolk – /ˈɔːlbrə/
- Alnwick, Northumberland – /ˈænɪk/,[4] but nearby Alnmouth is usually /ˈælənməθ/
- Althorp, Northamptonshire – /ˈɔːltrəp/ beside intuitive /ˈɔːlθɔərp/ [4]
- Altrincham, Greater Manchester – /ˈɒltrɪŋəm/ [4]
- Alresford, Essex – /ˈɒlsfərd/ or /ˈeɪlsfərd/
- Alresford, Hampshire – /ˈɒlzfərd/ or /ˈɔːlzfərd/
- Alsager, Cheshire – /ˈɒlseɪdʒə/
- Alverdiscott, Devon – /ˈɒlskɒt/ or /ˈɔːlskɒt/
- Ardingly, West Sussex – /ˈɑːrdɪŋlaɪ/
- Aslackby, Lincolnshire – /ˈeɪzəlbi/
- Averham, Nottinghamshire – /ˈɛərəm/
- Aveton Gifford, Devon – /ˈɔːtən ˈdʒɪfərd/[n 2]
- Ayscoughfee Hall, Lincolnshire – /ˈæskəfiː/
B
- Barham, Kent – /ˈbærəm/[4]
- Barholm, Lincolnshire – /ˈbærəm/
- Barnoldswick, Lancashire - local pronunciation is /ˈbɑːrlɪk/
- Barugh, South Yorkshire – /ˈbɑːrk/
- Great Barugh and Little Barugh, North Yorkshire – /bɑːrf/[4]
- Basford (including New Basford and Old Basford), Nottingham – /ˈbeɪsfəd/
- Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire - i/ˈbɛkənzfiːld/
- Beauchamp Roding, Essex – /ˈbiːtʃəm/[n 3]
- Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset - /ˈbiːtʃəm/[5]
- Beauchief, Sheffield – /ˈbiːtʃɪf/
- Beaudesert, Warwickshire – commonly until recently /ˈbɛlzər/[6][7]
- Beaulieu, Hampshire – /ˈbjuːli/[4]
- Beaminster, Dorset – /ˈbɛmᵻnstər/
- Bellingham, Northumberland – /ˈbɛlɪndʒəm/[4][n 4]
- Belvoir: Belvoir Castle and village, and Vale of Belvoir, Leicestershire – /ˈbiːvər/ [n 5]
- Berkeley (all English towns) – /ˈbɑːrkli/[4][n 6]
- Berkshire – /ˈbɑːrkʃər/[4]
- Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland – /ˈbɛrɪk/[4]
- Bicester, Oxfordshire – /ˈbɪstər/[4]
- Bideford, Devon – /ˈbɪdɪfərd/
- Billericay, Essex – /ˌbɪləˈrɪki/[4]
- Blackley, Greater Manchester – /ˈbleɪkli/[4]
- Blidworth, Nottinghamshire – /ˈblɪdəθ/
- Bosham, West Sussex - /ˈbɒzəm/
- Bozeat, Northamptonshire – /ˈboʊʒət/
- Bradley, West Midlands – /ˈbreɪdli/[4]
- Brant Broughton, Lincolnshire – /ˈbrænt ˈbruːtən/
- Breaston, Derbyshire – /ˈbriːstən/
- Brewood, Staffordshire – /bruːd/
- Bridestowe, West Devon – /ˈbrɪdɪstoʊ/
- Brougham, Cumbria – /bruːm/
- Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire – /ˈbrʌf/
- Browsholme Hall, Lancashire – /ˈbruːzəm/
- Bungay, Suffolk – /ˈbʌŋɡi/
- Burgh le Marsh, Lincolnshire – /bʌrə/
- Burgh by Sands, Cumbria – /brʌf/[4]
- Bylaugh, Norfolk - /ˈbiːlə/
C
- Caldmore, West Midlands – /ˈkɑːmər/
- Cambois, Northumberland – /ˈkæməs/
- Cambridge – /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/[4][n 7]
- Caterham, Surrey – /ˈkeɪtᵊrəm/
- River Cherwell, river – /ˈtʃɑːrwɛl/[4][8]
- Cheshunt, Hertfordshire – /ˈtʃɛzənt/
- Cheylesmore, Coventry – /ˈtʃɑːlzmɔːr/
- Chideock, Dorset – /ˈtʃɪdək/[9]
- Cholmondeley, Cheshire – /ˈtʃʌmli/[4]
- Cholmondeston, Cheshire – /ˈtʃʌmstən/
- Chop Gate, North Yorkshire - /ˈtʃɒp ˈjæt/[10]
- Cirencester, Gloucestershire – now usually /ˈsaɪrənˌsɛstər/ but traditionally /ˈsɪsᵻtər/[4]
- Claughton, Lancashire – /ˈklæftən/[4]
- Claughton on Brock, Lancashire – /ˈklaɪtən/[4]
- Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire – /ˈklɪbəri/[4]
- Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk – /ˈklaɪ/ alongside intuitive /ˈkleɪ/
- Cogenhoe, Northamptonshire – /ˈkʊknoʊ/
- Colerne, Wiltshire - /ˈkʌlərn/
- Coleshill, Warwickshire – /ˈkoʊzəl/ or /ˈkoʊzɪl/
- Colney Hatch, Greater London – /ˈkoʊnɪ/
- Congresbury, Somerset – /ˈkɒŋzbri/
- Costessey, Norfolk – /ˈkɒsi/[4]
- Cowbit, Lincolnshire – /ˈkʌbᵻt/ [11]
- Cowden, Kent - /kaʊˈdɛn/ - unusual secondary stress
- Cowpen, Northumberland – /ˈkuːpɛn/
- Cradley and Cradley Heath, West Midlands – /ˈkreɪdli/
- Croxton Kerrial, Leicestershire - /ˈkroʊsən ˈkɛrᵻl/
- Cruwys Morchard, Devon – /ˈkruːz/
- Cuckfield, Sussex – /ˈkʊkfiːld/[4][n 8]
- Cudworth, South Yorkshire – /ˈkʊd.ərθ/
D
- Darwen and Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire – /ˈdɑːwɪn/[12]
- Daventry, Northamptonshire – now usually /ˈdævəntri/ but traditionally /ˈdeɪntri/
- De Beauvoir Town, London - /də ˈbiːvər/[n 9]
- Derby, Derbyshire – /ˈdɑːrbi/
- Devon (county) – /ˈdɛvən/; but Devon (river in Nottinghamshire) – /ˈdiːvən/[13]
- Didcot, Oxfordshire – /ˈdɪdkət/[12]
- Dodworth, South Yorkshire – /ˈdɒd.ərθ/
- Durham – /ˈdʌrəm/
E
- Edensor, Derbyshire – /ˈɛnzər/
- Edenham, Lincolnshire – /ˈɛdnəm/
- Elham, Kent – /ˈiːləm/
- Elsecar, South Yorkshire – /ɛlsɪˈkɑːr/
- Ely, Cambridgeshire – /ˈiːli/
- Esher, Surrey – /ˈiːʃər/[12]
- Eton, Berkshire – /ˈiːtən/
- Euxton, Lancashire – /ˈɛkstən/[4]
- Ewell, Surrey – /juːl/
- Eyam, Derbyshire – /iːm/[4]
- Eynsham, Oxfordshire – /ˈɛnʃəm/
F
- Farcet, Huntingdonshire/Cambridgeshire – /ˈfæsət/
- Flitwick, Bedfordshire – /ˈflɪtᵻk/
- Foleshill, Coventry – /ˈfoʊzəl/ or /ˈfoʊzɪl/
- Folkingham, Lincolnshire – /ˈfɒkɪŋəm/
- Fowey, Cornwall – /ˈfɔɪ/[4][12]
- Frithsden, Hertfordshire – /ˈfrɪzdən/
- Frome, Somerset and the rivers Frome in Dorset, Somerset and South Gloucestershire – /ˈfruːm/[4]
G
- Gateacre, Liverpool – /ˈɡætəkər/ [4]
- Gillingham, Dorset – /ˈɡɪlɪŋəm/; but Gillingham, Kent – /ˈdʒɪlɪŋəm/)[14]
- Gloucester – /ˈɡlɒstər/
- Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire – now usually /ˈɡɒdmənˈtʃɛstər/ but traditionally /ˈɡʌmstər/[15]
- Gotham, Nottinghamshire – /ˈɡoʊtəm/[4]
- Greenwich, Greater London – /ˈɡrɛnᵻtʃ/[4][16]
- Greysouthen, Cumbria – /ˈɡreɪsuːn/
- Groby, Leicestershire – /ˈɡruːbi/
- Guildford, Surrey – /ˈɡɪlfərd/[4]
- Guisborough, Redcar and Cleveland - /ˈɡɪzbrə/
H
- Happisburgh, Norfolk – /ˈheɪzbrə/[4]
- Lower Hardres and Upper Hardres, Kent – /ˈhɑːdz/
- Harewood House, West Yorkshire, – /ˈhɑːrwʊd/ [n 10]
- Haverholme, Lincolnshire – /ˈhævrəm/
- Little Hautbois, Norfolk – /ˈhɒbɪs/
- Haverhill, Suffolk – /ˈhævrɪl/
- Heather, Leicestershire – /ˈhiːðər/[4]
- Herstmonceux, East Sussex – /ˌhɜːrsmənˈzuː/ or /ˈsuː/[17]
- Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire – /ˈhɛzəl/[4]
- High Wycombe see Wycombe below.
- Holborn, London – /ˈhoʊbən/ [4] (intuitive also heard)
- Holnicote, Somerset – /ˈhʌnᵻkɒt/
- Holywell, Lincolnshire – /ˈhɒliwɛl/
- Hough-on-the-Hill, Lincolnshire – /hɒf/
- Hougham, Lincolnshire – /ˈhɒfəm/
- Houghton-le-Spring – /ˈhoʊtən lᵻ ˈsprɪŋ/
- Hunstanton, Norfolk – /ˈhʌnstən/ (intuitive also heard)[4]
I
- Ide, Devon – /iːd/
- Isleworth, Greater London – /ˈaɪzəlwərθ/
- Islip, Northamptonshire - /ˈaɪzlɪp/[n 11]
- Iwerne Minster, Dorset – /ˈjuːɜːrn/
J
- Jervaulx as in Jervaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire – /ˈʒɜːrvoʊ/
K
- Keadby, Lincolnshire – /ˈkɪdbi/
- Keighley, West Yorkshire – /ˈkiːθli/[4]
- Keynsham, Wiltshire – /ˈkeɪnʃəm/ [12]
- Kirkby, Merseyside – /ˈkɜːrbi/[4]
L
- Laughton, Lincolnshire – /ˈlaʊtən/
- Launceston, Cornwall – /ˈlɔːnstən/ or /ˈlɑːnstən/ [n 12][4]
- Leamington Spa, Warwickshire – i/ˈlɛmɪŋtən/
- Leasingham, Lincolnshire – /ˈlɛzɪŋəm/
- Leicester – /ˈlɛstər/[4]
- Leigh, Kent and Surrey – /laɪ/[4]
- Leominster, Herefordshire – /ˈlɛmstər/[4][n 13]
- Liskeard, Cornwall – /lɪˈskɑːrd/[4]
- Loose, Kent – /luːz/
- Lostwithiel, Cornwall – /lɒsˈwɪθiːəl/[4]
- Loughborough, Leicestershire – /ˈlʌfbrə/
- Lover, Wiltshire, – /ˈloʊvər/
- Ludgvan, Cornwall – /ˈlʌdʒən/
- Luxulyan, Cornwall – /lʌkˈsɪljən/ alongside intuitive /lʌkˈsʌljən/
- Lympne, Kent – /ˈlɪm/[4]
Map of counterintuitive places within London
Colney COney Hatch
De Beauvoir BEAver Town (usu.)
Marylebone MARlyb'n (alt.)
Plaistow PLAHsto
Ruislip RYslip
Greenwich GRENidge
Southwark SU-ðərK
Vauxhall VOK-sawl
Dulwich DULLidge
Chiswick CHIZick
See also
- List of places in England with counterintuitive pronunciations: M–Z
- Grapheme
- English spelling
- Pronunciation of Chinese names in English - counterintuitive Q, X, C, Zh, etc. in words romanised in Pinyin.
Notes and references
- Notes
- ↑ Accordingly: Southwick, Hampshire - /ˈsʌðᵻk/
Anomalies: Southwick, West Sussex is pronounced /ˈsaʊθwᵻk/, like Painswick, Gloucestershire, Prestwick and Hardwick as well as Pickwick a former village in Wiltshire through which the novel The Pickwick Papers got its title, but these by population represent a very small minority. - ↑ This is doubly counter-intuitive if adopting an exception re: G from the other place names named Gifford, the forename and the surname.
- ↑ Also a surname.
- ↑ c.f. Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A., which is intuitive (/ˈbɛlɪŋhæm/
- ↑ Also an area of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and see Belvoir Park Golf Club[4]
- ↑ Mirrors British "clerk", which is also irregular.
- ↑ The River Cam and sometimes Cambridge, Gloucestershire are pronounced with /kæm/; however, locals now pronounce the latter like the city.
- ↑ C.f. nearby intuitive Uckfield
- ↑ Intuitive also heard, like Holborn, especially in relatively new residents.
- ↑ The adjacent village, Harewood, is pronounced intuitively. The other main stately home of broad architectural and historical note with an unusual pronunciation is: Cliveden
- ↑ c.f. Islip, Oxfordshire identical but for the r with: Ruislip
- ↑ cf. Launceston, Tasmania, pronounced /ˈlɒnsəstən/)
- ↑ cf. Leominster, Massachusetts
- References
- ↑ e.g. City of Leicester which follows e.g. Towcester, Rocester and Alcester – /ˈɒlstər/ or /ˈɔːlstər/
- ↑ Well-known, large examples are Woolwich and West Bromwich cf. Nantwich and Droitwich Spa
- ↑ e.g. Smethwick, Chiswick and Flitwick
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 2nd ed. Longman. ISBN 0-582-36468-X.
- ↑ http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/Bristol_and_Somerset/2000-01/0949053929
- ↑ Reflecting original "Beldesert" "Beaudesert and Henley-in-Arden Website | Warwickshire | Our Town|History|". Henley-in-Arden. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
- ↑ Bill Bryson (1991-09-01). The Mother Tongue. HarperCollins. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-380-71543-5.
- ↑ In south Oxfordshire; pronunciation varies in north Oxfordshire, see BBC Oxford How do you pronounce Cherwell?
- ↑ Wells, John (6 May 2010). "Chideock". John Wells's phoetic blog. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- ↑ "Chop Gate". yorkshiremoors.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ↑ "History of Cowbit - Cowbit Village". cowbitvillage.co.uk. 2 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Pronouncing British Placenames at BBC's Edited Guide Entry h2g2 site
- ↑ Lycett Green, Candida. Unwrecked England. Oldie. p. 30.
- ↑ Pointon, G.E. (1983). BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-212976-7.
- ↑ "Oliver Cromwell's home; fields amid which his boyhood was passed. Villages in the neighborhood- where other great men were born-the boy Oliver saved.". nY Times. 1888-12-30. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
- ↑ (as in Greenwich Mean Time and as in the US namesakes) or the more old-fashioned /ɡrɪnᵻtʃ/
- ↑ Roach & Hartman, eds (1997) English Pronouncing Dictionary, 15th edition. (Cambridge University Press). p. 234
Further reading
- G. M. Miller (editor) (1971). BBC pronouncing dictionary of British names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-431125-2.
- Ordnance Survey of Ireland (1989). Gazetteer of Ireland. Government Publications Office. ISBN 0-7076-0076-6.
External links
- h2g2 guide to Pronouncing British Placenames
- How Do You Pronounce That Name? on genealogymagazine.com
- A Pronunciation Guide to Names of Public Figures
- Debrett's Pronunciation of English surnames.
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