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* '''[[Holnicote Estate|Holnicote]]''', [[Somerset]] – {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ʌ|n|ɨ|k|ɒ|t}}
* '''[[Holnicote Estate|Holnicote]]''', [[Somerset]] – {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ʌ|n|ɨ|k|ɒ|t}}
* '''[[Careby Aunby and Holywell|Holywell]]''', [[Lincolnshire]] – {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɒ|l|i|w|ɛ|l}}
* '''[[Careby Aunby and Holywell|Holywell]]''', [[Lincolnshire]] – {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɒ|l|i|w|ɛ|l}}
* '''[[Hough-on-the-Hill]]''', [[Lincolnshire]] – {{IPAc-en|'|h|ɒ|f|.|ɒ|n|.|ð|ə|.|h|ɪ|l|}};
* '''[[Hough-on-the-Hill]]''', [[Lincolnshire]] – {{IPAc-en|'|h|ɒ|f|.|ɒ|n|.|ð|ə|.|h|ɪ|l|}}
* '''[[Houghton-le-Spring]]''' – {{IPA|'|h|oʊ|t|ən|.|l|ɨ|.|s|p|r|ɪ|ŋ}}
* '''[[Hougham,_Lincolnshire|Hougham]]''', [[Lincolnshire]] – {{IPAc-en|'|h|ɒ|f|ə|m|}}
* '''[[Houghton-le-Spring]]''' – {{IPAc-en|'|h|oʊ|t|ən|.|l|ɨ|.|s|p|r|ɪ|ŋ|}}
* '''[[Hunstanton]]''', [[Norfolk]] – {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ʌ|n|s|t|ən}} (intuitive also heard)<ref name=wells />
* '''[[Hunstanton]]''', [[Norfolk]] – {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ʌ|n|s|t|ən}} (intuitive also heard)<ref name=wells />


Revision as of 17:49, 19 November 2013

This is a sublist of List of names in English with counterintuitive pronunciations.

Place names of the UK and Ireland

England

Pronunciations for the following common suffixes are regular pronunciations, despite being counterintuitive at first glance:

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

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

W

Y

Z

Oxford and Cambridge Colleges

Scotland

The island of Ireland

This area has many hybrid Irish (gaelic), Scots and English names, however the most unusual are featured. Standard features of Irish gaelic are generally different vowel sounds for vowel letters from English and certain common consonant spellings, e.g. bh represents v.

As such places such as Cobh, County Cork – /ˈkoʊv/ Cóbh[4] are not included on this list.

Wales

Similarly, the Welsh language has its own rules, which a large proportion of Welsh settlements follow. Commonly mispronounced names, due to exceptions from either set of rules are:

See also

Notes and References

Notes
  1. ^ Accordingly: Southwick, Hampshire - /ˈsʌð[invalid input: 'ɨ']k/
    Anomalies: Southwick, West Sussex is pronounced /ˈsaʊθw[invalid input: 'ɨ']k/, 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.
  2. ^ This is doubly counter-intuitive if adopting an exception re: G from the other place names named Gifford, the forename and the surname.
  3. ^ Also a surname.
  4. ^ c.f. Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A., which is intuitive (/ˈbɛlɪŋhæm/
  5. ^ Also an area of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and see Belvoir Park Golf Club[4]
  6. ^ Mirrors British "clerk", which is also irregular.
  7. ^ The River Cam and sometimes Cambridge, Gloucestershire are pronounced with /ˈkæm/; however, locals now pronounce the latter like the city.
  8. ^ C.f. nearby intuitive Uckfield
  9. ^ Intuitive also heard, like Holborn, especially in relatively new residents.
  10. ^ The adjacent village, Harewood, is pronounced intuitively. The other main stately home of broad architectural and historical note with an unusual pronunciation is: Cliveden
  11. ^ c.f. Islip, Oxfordshire identical but for the r with: Ruislip
  12. ^ cf. Launceston, Tasmania, pronounced /ˈlɒnsəstən/)
  13. ^ cf. Leominster, Massachusetts
  14. ^ Wells also lists /ˈmærɪbən/ but that is obsolete.
  15. ^ Like Berwick, the fact of the "r" being pronounced with the last syllable negates an intuitive interpretation. Many people outside of its area/history would have a very low chance of guessing this.
  16. ^ Sometimes intuitive also.
  17. ^ Can be taken as a group with Beaminster, Leamington and Yeavering
  18. ^ c.f. St Ives in Cornwall and Cambridgeshire /ˈaɪvz/
  19. ^ Or /ˈzɔːzbri/ occasional, traditional, informal pronunciation
  20. ^ Many more variants are researchable, rarer, down to /sluːwit/ and /slaʊwit/
  21. ^ locally and in some dialects ˈsʌvək
  22. ^ Racecourse commentators always use former rather than the latter.
  23. ^ cf. Thames River (Connecticut) pronounced /ˈθeɪmz/
  24. ^ The family name Tideswell locally and in its senior branch pronounced /ˈtɪdzə/, e.g. 4crests.com Coat of Arms and A dictionary of English surnames Percy Hide Reaney & Richard Middlewood Wilson
  25. ^ The source notes only the BBC uses /ˈtɒdmɔːrdən/
  26. ^ likewise in road names and Warwickshire
  27. ^ Regional pronunciation.
  28. ^ Similar to Witham, Essex
  29. ^ Or per Gaelic (resembles kriənək)
  30. ^ Murray is also a common surname generally pronounced in this orthodox way.
References
  1. ^ e.g. City of Leicester which follows for 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. ^ e.g. Smethwick, Chiswick and Flitwick
  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 av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 2nd ed. Longman. ISBN 0-582-36468-X /. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  5. ^ Reflecting original "Beldesert" "Beaudesert and Henley-in-Arden Website | Warwickshire | Our Town|History|". Henley-in-Arden. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  6. ^ Bill Bryson (1991-09-01). The Mother Tongue. HarperCollins. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-380-71543-5.
  7. ^ In south Oxfordshire; pronunciation varies in north Oxfordshire, see BBC Oxford How do you pronounce Cherwell?
  8. ^ Wells, John (6 May 2010). "Chideock". John Wells's phoetic blog. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Pronouncing British Placenames at BBC's Edited Guide Entry h2g2 site
  10. ^ Pointon, G.E. (1983). BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-212976-7.
  11. ^ "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. 1888-30-12. Retrieved 2013-03-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ (as in Greenwich Mean Time and as in the US namesakes) or the more old-fashioned /ɡrɪn[invalid input: 'ɨ']tʃ/
  13. ^ Roach & Hartman, eds (1997) English Pronouncing Dictionary, 15th edition. (Cambridge University Press). p. 234
  14. ^ Mildenhall audio pronunciation
  15. ^ Olney Town Council Official Guide
  16. ^ a b Sangster, Catherine; Olausson, Lena (2006). Oxford BBC guide to pronunciation. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 300. ISBN 0-19-280710-2. This is correct for the Plaistows in London and West Sussex.
  17. ^ "See entry for 25th April". Phon.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  18. ^ William Farrer & J. Brownbill (editors) (1907). "Townships: Wavertree". A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 16 July 2011. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ Kenny, Colum (1998). Molaise: Abbot of Leighlin and hermit of Holy Island : the life and legacy of Saint Laisren in Ireland and Scotland. Morrigan. p. 50. ISBN 0-907677-67-3.
  20. ^ Burnand, Sir Francis Cowley, ed. (1940). "Kildare and Leighlin". The Catholic Who's Who and Yearbook (33rd ed.). Burns & Oates. p. 268. Leighlin is pronounced Lochlin, with loch sounded as in Scotland (ie with guttural aspirate).
  21. ^ Campbell, Georgina (2006). "County Carlow". Georgina Campbell's Ireland 2007-The Guide: The Best Places to Eat, Drink And Stay. Georgina Campbell Guides. p. 146. ISBN 1-903164-23-0.
  22. ^ Hutton, Eric (2007). "20th Century – 1999: Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Ireland (provisional name)". UK and Ireland Meteorite page. Retrieved 28 December 2009.

External links

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