List of irregularly spelt places in the United Kingdom: Difference between revisions

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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 – /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 – /ʃər/, /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 – /məθ/

Pronunciation of the following common prefix is variable depending on dialect:

Al- /ˈɒl/; /ˈɔːl/

Place names in England

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

Isleworth Ayezəlworth

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Counterintuitive pronunciations

Notes and references

Notes

^ Accordingly: Southwick, Hampshire - /ˈsʌðɪk/
Anomalies: Southwick, West Sussex is pronounced /ˈsaʊθwɪk/, 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 not adopting the hard G that features in Gifford (the forename, surname and part of a more populous place name).
^ Also a surname.
^ cf. Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A., which is intuitive (/ˈbɛlɪŋhæm/
^ Also an area of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and see Belvoir Park Golf Club^[5]
^ 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.
^ cf. 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
^ cf. 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
^ ^a ^b ^c P. H. Reaney (1969). The Origin of English Place Names. Routledge and Kegan Paul. pp. 44–5. ISBN 0-7100-2010-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au 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 3 April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Pronouncing British Placenames at BBC's Edited Guide Entry h2g2 site
^ Lycett Green, Candida. Unwrecked England. Oldie. p. 30. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
^ 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 /ɡrɪnɪtʃ/
^ Roach & Hartman, eds (1997) English Pronouncing Dictionary, 15th edition. (Cambridge University Press). p. 234

External links

[4] Accordingly: Southwick, Hampshire - /ˈsʌðɪk/
Anomalies: Southwick, West Sussex is pronounced /ˈsaʊθwɪk/, 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.

[7] This is doubly counter-intuitive not adopting the hard G that features in Gifford (the forename, surname and part of a more populous place name).

[8] Also a surname.

[12] . Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A., which is intuitive (/ˈbɛlɪŋhæm/

[13] Also an area of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and see Belvoir Park Golf Club^[5]

[14] Mirrors British "clerk", which is also irregular.

[15] The River Cam and sometimes Cambridge, Gloucestershire are pronounced with /kæm/; however, locals now pronounce the latter like the city.

[20] . nearby intuitive Uckfield

[22] Intuitive also heard, like Holborn, especially in relatively new residents.

[27] The adjacent village, Harewood, is pronounced intuitively. The other main stately home of broad architectural and historical note with an unusual pronunciation is: Cliveden

[29] . Islip, Oxfordshire identical but for the r with: Ruislip

[30] . Launceston, Tasmania, pronounced /ˈlɒnsəstən/)

[31] . Leominster, Massachusetts

[1] .g. City of Leicester which follows e.g. Towcester, Rocester and Alcester – /ˈɒlstər/ or /ˈɔːlstər/

[2] Well-known, large examples are Woolwich and West Bromwich cf. Nantwich and Droitwich Spa

[3] .g. Smethwick, Chiswick and Flitwick

[reaney-5] P. H. Reaney (1969). The Origin of English Place Names. Routledge and Kegan Paul. pp. 44–5. ISBN 0-7100-2010-4.

[wells-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 2nd ed. Longman. ISBN 0-582-36468-X.

[9] ttp://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/Bristol_and_Somerset/2000-01/0949053929

[10] Reflecting original "Beldesert" "Beaudesert and Henley-in-Arden Website | Warwickshire | Our Town|History|". Henley-in-Arden. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

[bryson-11] Bill Bryson (1991-09-01). The Mother Tongue. HarperCollins. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-380-71543-5.

[16] In south Oxfordshire; pronunciation varies in north Oxfordshire, see BBC Oxford How do you pronounce Cherwell?

[17] Wells, John (6 May 2010). "Chideock". John Wells's phoetic blog. Retrieved 6 May 2010.

[18] "Chop Gate". yorkshiremoors.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2014.

[C4Wauto-4855043-19] "History of Cowbit - Cowbit Village". cowbitvillage.co.uk. 2 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[h2g2-21] Pronouncing British Placenames at BBC's Edited Guide Entry h2g2 site

[23] Lycett Green, Candida. Unwrecked England. Oldie. p. 30. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)

[bbc-24] Pointon, G.E. (1983). BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-212976-7.

[25] "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.

[26] (as in Greenwich Mean Time and as in the US namesakes) or the more old-fashioned /ɡrɪnɪtʃ/

[28] Roach & Hartman, eds (1997) English Pronouncing Dictionary, 15th edition. (Cambridge University Press). p. 234

[1]

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 * [http://www.genealogymagazine.com/surnames2.html How Do You Pronounce That Name? on genealogymagazine.com]
 * [https://www.loc.gov/nls/other/sayhow.html A Pronunciation Guide to Names of Public Figures]
 * [[Debrett's]] [http://www.debretts.com/forms-of-address/surname-pronunciation/ Pronunciation of English surnames].
 {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Names In English With Counterintuitive Pronunciations}}