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Archive for counterintuitive pronunciations

This is a set of lists of English personal and place names whose pronunciations are counterintuitive to their spelling, because the pronunciation does not correspond to the spelling, or because a better known namesake has a markedly different pronunciation. The latter are known as heterophonic names (the opposite of homophones, which are written differently but pronounced the same).

Excluded are the numerous spellings which fail to make the pronunciation obvious without actually being at odds with it: for example, the pronunciation /skəˈnɛktədi/^[1]^[2] of Schenectady is not immediately obvious, but neither is it counterintuitive.

See Help:IPA for English for guides to the IPA symbols used, and variations depending on dialect.^{[n 1]}

Place names of the UK and Ireland

See List of places in the United Kingdom and Ireland with counterintuitive pronunciations, and:

Place names in the United States of America

See:

Place names in Canada

Agassiz, British Columbia – /ˈæɡəsi/^[3]
Baie d'Espoir, Newfoundland – /ˌbeɪdɪsˈpɛər/^{[n 2]}
Delhi, Ontario – /ˈdɛlhaɪ/
Etobicoke, Ontario – /ɪˈtoʊbɪkoʊ/
Gaultois, Newfoundland and Labrador – /ˈɡɔːltəs/
Job's Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador – /ˈdʒoʊbz/ (after biblical Job)
Keremeos, British Columbia – /ˌkɛrɪˈmiːəs/
L'Ardoise, Nova Scotia – /ˈlɔːrdweɪz/
Osoyoos, British Columbia – /ɒˈsuːjuːs/ or /ɒˈsuːjəs/ and (originally) /ˈsuːjuːs/
Ossington Avenue, Toronto - /ˈɑːzɪŋtən/
Pouce Coupe, British Columbia - /ˈpuːskuːpiː/
Quebec – /kəˈbɛk/ or /kwɪˈbɛk/
Quesnel, British Columbia – /kwɪˈnɛl/
Fort Duquesne – /duːˈkeɪn/
Quidi Vidi, Newfoundland – /ˈkɪdiˌvɪdi/
Quirpon, Newfoundland and Labrador – /ˈkɑːrpuːn/
Saanich Peninsula and related place names in British Columbia – /ˈsænɪtʃ/
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – /ˈsuː seɪnt məˈriː/
Sechelt, British Columbia – /ˈsiːʃɛlt/
Skidegate, British Columbia – /ˈskɪdɪɡɪt/
Stouffville, Ontario – /ˈstoʊvɪl/
Summerland, British Columbia – /ˈsʌmərlænd/ (not /ˈsʌmərlənd/)
Thames River in Ontario – /ˈtɛmz/^{[n 3]}
The Pas, Manitoba – /ðəˈpɑː/
Tsawwassen, British Columbia – /təˈwɑːsən/
Verdun Avenue, Verdun, Quebec – /ˈvɜːrdən/^{[n 4]}
Waskatenau, Alberta – /wəˈsɛtnə/

Place names in Australia

Albany, Western Australia - /ˈælbəni/^{[n 5]}
Ballan, Victoria - /bəˈlæn/ , does not rhyme with Wallan, Victoria (/ˈwɒlən/ )
Barcaldine, Queensland - /bɑːrˈkɔːldɪn/ or /bɑːˈkɔːldɪn/, not /ˈbɑːrkəldaɪn/
Boroondara - /ˌbʊrənˈdærə/ (technically a mispronunciation, but most common) or /ˌbɔːrənˈdærə/
Brisbane, Queensland – /ˈbrɪzbən/^{[n 6]}
Cairns, Queensland - /ˈkænz/
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory - /ˈkænbrə/; /ˈkænbərə/ ^{[n 7]}
Capalaba, Queensland - /kəˈpæləbɑː/
City of Cockburn and Cockburn, South Australia – /ˈkoʊbɜːrn/^{[n 8]}
Dunedoo, New South Wales - /ˌdʌniˈduː/
Forster, New South Wales - /ˈfɒstə/
Geelong, Victoria - /dʒɪˈlɒŋ/
Gladstone, Queensland - /ˈɡlædstən/
Gumeracha, South Australia - /ˌɡʌməˈrækə/
Goondiwindi, Queensland - /ˌɡʌndəˈwɪndi/
Lalor, Victoria - /ˈloʊlə/ (local); /ˈlɔːlər/
Mackay, Queensland - /məˈkaɪ/^{[n 9]}
Mandurah, Western Australia - /ˈmændʒərə/
Manuka, Australian Capital Territory - /ˈmɑːnəkə/
Melbourne, Victoria – /ˈmælbən/ (local) or /ˈmɛlbən/
Michelago, New South Wales - /ˌmɪkəˈleɪɡoʊ/
Mukinbudin, Western Australia - /ˈmʌkənˌbuːdən/
Monaro, New South Wales - /moʊˈnɛəroʊ/, use with definite article and preposition "on", e.g. you live "on the Monaro"
Mount Kosciuszko - /kɒziˈɒskoʊ/ most common in Australian English^{[n 10]}
Mudgeeraba, Queensland - /ˌmʌdʒɪˈrɑːbə/
South Kolan, Queensland - /ˈkoʊlæn/, not /ˈkoʊlən/
Strahan, Tasmania - /ˈstrɔːn/
Tallangatta, Victoria - /təˈlæŋɡətə/
Tiaro, Queensland - /ˈtaɪroʊ/
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales - /ˈwɒɡəˌwɒɡə/
Wangi Wangi, New South Wales - /ˈwɒndʒiˌwɒndʒi/
Woonona, New South Wales - /wəˈnuːnə/

Place names in New Zealand

Blenheim – /ˈblɛnəm/
Bryndwr – /ˈbrɪndwər/
Charleston – /ˈtʃɑːləstən/
Dunedin – /dəˈniːdən/
Gisborne – /ˈɡɪzbən/
Kurow – /ˈkuːraʊ/
Levin – /ləˈvɪn/
Northcote – /ˈnɔːrθkət/
Point Chevalier – /ˈpɔɪntʃɛvəˈlɪər/
Thames and the Firth of Thames in New Zealand – /ˈtɛmz/

Place names in other English-speaking countries

Given names

Antawn – /ˈæntwɑːn/ (or per French: Antoine) ^{[n 11]}
Anthony - /ˈæntəniː/ (occasionally /ˈænθəniː/)
Caleb – /ˈkeɪlɪb/
Chloe standard, non-French variant sounds alike to Chloë with the diaeresis over the e /kloʊiː/
Geoffrey – /ˈdʒɛfriː/
Freda - /ˈfriːdə/ (historically Frida and Wilfrida)
Hermione - /hɜːrˈmaɪəˌniː/^[4]
Hugh - /ˈhjuː/
Isaac - /ˈaɪzək/
Isla /ˈaɪlə/
Kiki Cuyler – /ˈkaɪkaɪ/; cf. the more common /ˈkiːkiː/ as in Kiki Dee and Kiki Vandeweghe
Liza Minnelli – /ˈlaɪzə/; cf. the more common /ˈliːzə/
Magdalen(e) (as in Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalene College, Cambridge) – /ˈmɔːdlɪn/
Malachi - /ˈmæləkaɪ/

Michael – /ˈmaɪkəl/
Michellie Jones – /mɪˈkiːli/
Monta Ellis – /ˈmɒnteɪ/
Morgause – /mɔːrˈɡeɪz/
Naomi or Näomi - UK and most commonly /ˈnaɪoʊmi/
Ngaire - /ˈnaɪriː/
Penelope - /pəˈnɛləpi/^[5]^[6]
Phoebe - /ˈfiːbiː/
Ralph – traditionally /ˈreɪf/, as with Ralph Fiennes, Ralph Vaughan Williams; now usually the intuitive /ˈrælf/
Rise – occasionally /ˈriːsə/, after Risë Stevens: the diaeresis over the e of Risë indicates that it is not a silent e
Sonny – /ˈsʌni/
Stephen Curry – /ˈstɛfən/, instead of the more common /ˈstiːvən/
Theresa - /təˈriːzə/, U.S. /təˈriːsə/
Thomas - /ˈtɒməs/
Vaughan and Vaughn (found as both given names and surnames) - /ˈvɔːn/
Winona Ryder – /wɪˈnəʊnə/
Wynonna Judd – /waɪˈnoʊnə/
Zachary - /ˈzækəri/
Zoe sounds alike to Zoë with the diaeresis over the e /zoʊiː/

Emboldened names are traditional so while not intuitive, are among the most well-used.

Most commonly used of Irish and Welsh origin

Dylan – /ˈdɪlən/
Eithne – /ˈɛnjə/
Niall – /ˈnaɪəl/ also /ˈniːəl/
Niamh – /ˈniːv/ or Irish: [ˈniː.əv]
Rees/Rhys – /ˈriːs/
Seamus – /ˈʃeɪməs/ (spelling Séamas is regular in Irish)
Sean – /ˈʃɔːn/ (spelling Seán is regular in Irish)
Sian/Siân – /ˈʃɑːn/
Siobhan – /ʃɪˈvɔːn/; spelling Siobhán is regular in Irish

Surnames

Notes and references

Notes

^ For towns near the cusp of two dialect regions, both variants are usually heard, and wider still for important cities or even within them. Examples in that article include New York and Bath
^ French for "Bay of Hope", ironically pronounced "Bay Despair"
^ The Thames River in Connecticut is intuitive: /ˈθeɪmz/.
^ The town's name however is intuitive.
^ c.f. influential Duke of Albany and Albany, New York
^ Cf Brisbane, California, which is /ˈbrɪzbeɪn/
^ Canberra as /kænˈbɛrə/ is rare and deprecated
^ Same as the surname.
^ When spoken in the clipped way, the same as original Scottish surname McKay.
^ Polish-derived pronunciation /kɒˈʃʊʃkoʊ/ is sometimes used for the Australian example.
^ American English pronunciation of “Antoine" see the section on his name.
^ /oʊˈkwæn/ (e.g. Kevyn Aucoin), /oʊˈkwiːn/, /oʊˈkɔɪn/ (e.g. Bill Aucoin), to /ˈɔːkɔɪn/
^ Generally in Virginia
^ Variant of Copeland (surname)
^ Usually e.g. H. D. G. Leveson-Gower, Granville George Leveson-Gower
^ While generally keeping separate vowel sounds at the end (as though with a diaresis), 'er' in Olivier is never pronounced like Oliver
^ Scottish, e.g. William Smellie
^ Scottish, see Urquhart Castle

References

^ "Schenectady". Oxford Dictionaries UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
^ "Schenectady". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
^ "Agassiz". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
^ "Hermione". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
^ "Penelope". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
^ "Penelope". Oxford Dictionaries UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
^ "Voices Against Indifference Initiative". Echofoundation.org. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
^ Elsdon Coles Smith (1986-05-01). American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 296 /. ISBN 978-0-8063-1150-0.
^ ^a ^b Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 2nd ed. Longman. ISBN 0-582-36468-X.
^ Douglas Martin, James E. Fuchs, Innovator in the Shot-Put, Dies at 82, New York Times, October 18, 2010
^ "Biographies : GENERAL ANDREW P. IOSUE". Af.mil. Archived from the original on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
^ "Pronunciation Of Surnames". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
^ "Mclean | Define Mclean at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
^ "USA Today". 4 February 2000. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
^ "Pronunciation of Charlie Melancon : How to pronounce Charlie Melancon". inogolo. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
^ "Pronunciation of Randy Neugebauer : How to pronounce Randy Neugebauer". inogolo. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
^ "Set VII, texts and comments". Utm.edu. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

External links

[3] For towns near the cusp of two dialect regions, both variants are usually heard, and wider still for important cities or even within them. Examples in that article include New York and Bath

[5] French for "Bay of Hope", ironically pronounced "Bay Despair"

[6] The Thames River in Connecticut is intuitive: /ˈθeɪmz/.

[7] The town's name however is intuitive.

[8] .f. influential Duke of Albany and Albany, New York

[9] Cf Brisbane, California, which is /ˈbrɪzbeɪn/

[10] Canberra as /kænˈbɛrə/ is rare and deprecated

[11] Same as the surname.

[12] When spoken in the clipped way, the same as original Scottish surname McKay.

[13] Polish-derived pronunciation /kɒˈʃʊʃkoʊ/ is sometimes used for the Australian example.

[14] American English pronunciation of “Antoine" see the section on his name.

[19] /oʊˈkwæn/ (e.g. Kevyn Aucoin), /oʊˈkwiːn/, /oʊˈkɔɪn/ (e.g. Bill Aucoin), to /ˈɔːkɔɪn/

[20] Generally in Virginia

[21] Variant of Copeland (surname)

[26] Usually e.g. H. D. G. Leveson-Gower, Granville George Leveson-Gower

[32] While generally keeping separate vowel sounds at the end (as though with a diaresis), 'er' in Olivier is never pronounced like Oliver

[33] Scottish, e.g. William Smellie

[34] Scottish, see Urquhart Castle

[1] "Schenectady". Oxford Dictionaries UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.

[2] "Schenectady". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.

[4] "Agassiz". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.

[15] "Hermione". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.

[16] "Penelope". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.

[17] "Penelope". Oxford Dictionaries UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.

[18] "Voices Against Indifference Initiative". Echofoundation.org. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

[22] Elsdon Coles Smith (1986-05-01). American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 296 /. ISBN 978-0-8063-1150-0.

[wells-23] Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 2nd ed. Longman. ISBN 0-582-36468-X.

[24] Douglas Martin, James E. Fuchs, Innovator in the Shot-Put, Dies at 82, New York Times, October 18, 2010

[25] "Biographies : GENERAL ANDREW P. IOSUE". Af.mil. Archived from the original on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

[27] "Pronunciation Of Surnames". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

[28] "Mclean | Define Mclean at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

[29] "USA Today". 4 February 2000. Retrieved 8 May 2010.

[30] "Pronunciation of Charlie Melancon : How to pronounce Charlie Melancon". inogolo. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

[31] "Pronunciation of Randy Neugebauer : How to pronounce Randy Neugebauer". inogolo. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

[35] "Set VII, texts and comments". Utm.edu. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

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