PRONUNCIATION OF
PLACE NAMES

Page 1 – A to K

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)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA		AL-buh-KER-kee (If you were in the habit of naming your domestic fowl, would rhyme with “Sal the turkey”) M. Johansson
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
Aslackby, Lincolnshire		Aze-ul-by Andrew Tooms
Barlestone, Leicestershire		Belsun (may just be locals though) Sian Mitchell
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
Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire		Barreronsor Sian Mitchell
Barwell, Leicestershire		Barrel Sian Mitchell
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
Bevere (village near Worcester)		Bevvery Andrew Brooke
Bicester		Bister Brenda Young
Billesdon, Leicestershire		Billsdon Phil
Biloxi, Mississippi		Bih-LUX-ee M. Johansson
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
Bovey Tracey, Devon		Buvvy Trasey
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
Burton Lazars, Leicestershire		Burton Lazzers not Laz-aars Sian Mitchell
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
Croxton Kerrial. Leicestershire		Crow Sun Kerry ull (bird not people) Sian Mitchelll
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 JÃ¶rg MÃ¼ller
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
Easebourne near Midhurst in West Sussex		‘Ezbun’ ‘Ezborn’, or ‘Ezbourne’ Penny Bell
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. Ivo Bouwmans
Gotham, Nottinghamshire		Goat’am Phil
Goudhurst, Kent		Gowdhurst Stephen Burgess
Greenwich		Grenich Grinnitch JD
Greenwith, South Australia		Grenith Belinda
Greysouthen		Graysoon Richard Tosswill
Groby		Grooby Sent in by Sheila Fox
Grosmont, North Yorkshire		Grow-mont Peter Draggett
Grosvenor, Adelaide, South Australia		Grove-ner Rachel
Guisborough		Gizbrur or geezbrur
Happisburgh (Norfolk)		Hazeborough Moray Smith
Harewood (between Leeds and Harrogate)		Harewood – locals Har-wood (upper class/gentry) Martin Underwood
Harrogate		Ha-rughget – locals Rod Bell
Hastings, Sussex		Haystings
Hawick (Scottish Borders)		Hoyk Peter Neale
Herstmonceux		Hurst-mon-soo Ken Dryden
Hertford (Hertfordshire)		Har-fud (by some) Janet Horton
Heather		Heether Sent in by Sheila Fox
Hele Bay, Devon		Heel Bay
Hellingly		Hellingl-eye Joan Hall
Hessle		Hezzle Philip
Heysham, Nr. Morecambe		Hee-Shum or Hee-Sham Andrew Moore
Highams Park (NE London)		Himes PAHk Gary Taylor
Hoddesdon (Hertfordshire)		Hods-dun Janet Horton
Holborn, Central London		Hoe-burn Claire Wright
Holme, Nottinghamshire		Home Phil
Horsted Keynes		Horsted Canes Faye Davies
Houghton, Cambridgeshire Tony points out there are several Houghtons in the UK, and several pronunciations.		Hoe-t’n although to outsider ears the locals seem to pronounce it more as “Hoot’n” Tony Chabot
Houghton, Leicestershire		Hoeton Jed Bland
Hunstanton (Norfolk)		Hunston Keith Lewis
Idridgehay, Derbyshire		Eye-drij-hay It’s great hearing people stumble over this one. When pronounced more locally the emphasis of the H disappears and it becomes ‘eye dri jay’. Les Kirk
Ightham		I-tem (Eye-tem) Ken Dryden
Keadby		Kidbee Contributed by Eric Bishop
Kedleston, Derbyshire		Ked-less-tun Jed Bland
Keighley (Yorkshire)		Keethley Jimbo
Keswick, Cumbria, England (information) Keswick, South Australia		Kezik Rachel
Kettering (Northamptonshire)		Ke’-rin Apostrophe indicated glottal stop* John Stolarski
Keynsham		Kaneshum
Kirdford		Curd-FORD Paul Haden I feel that the spelling used (Curd-ford) to indicated the pronunciation of Kirdford (W Sussex) doesn’t make clear where the accent falls. It falls on the second syllable, thus: KirdFORD, in the same way as Chandler’s FORD or Model T FORD. I’ve heard foreigners and incomers accent the first syllable, as rightly occurs in BEDford and STANford, but this pattern should not be imposed on KirdFORD. Ian Thompson

* 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“.

William Sitwell

PRONUNCIATION OF PLACE NAMES

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PRONUNCIATION OF
PLACE NAMES