List of places in the United Kingdom and Ireland with counterintuitive pronunciations
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
This is a sublist of List of names in English with counterintuitive pronunciations.
<templatestyles src="Template:TOC limit/styles.css" />
England
See:
- List of places in England with counterintuitive pronunciations: A–L
- List of places in England with counterintuitive pronunciations: M–Z
Oxford and Cambridge Colleges
- Balliol College, University of Oxford – /ˈbeɪliəl/[1]
- Caius College, Cambridge – /ˈkiːz/[1]
- Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalene College, Cambridge – /ˈmɔːdlɪn/[1]
Scotland
- Anstruther, Fife – /ˈeɪnstər/ beside intuitive /ˈænstrʌðər/
- Athelstaneford, East Lothian – /ˈæθəlsteɪnfərd/ or /ˈeɪlsənfərd/
- Auchinleck, Ayrshire – /ˈæflɛk/[2] or intuitively /ˈɔːkᵻnlɛk/ or /ˈɒxᵻnlɛk/[1]
- Avoch, Highland – /ˈɔːx/
- River Avon, Aberdeenshire - /ˈɑːn/
- Culross, Fife – /ˈkʊərɒs/[1]
- Culzean Castle, Ayrshire – /kəˈleɪn/[1]
- Dounreay, Highland - /duːnˈreɪ/[3]
- Findochty, Moray – /ˈfɪnəxti/
- Friockheim, Angus – /ˈfriːkəm/
- Garioch, Aberdeenshire – /ˈɡɪəri/[2]
- Gigha, Argyll and Bute – /ˈɡiːə/[1]
- Glamis, Argyll and Bute – /ˈɡlɑːmz/[1]
- Glenzier, Dumfries and Galloway – /ˈɡlɪŋər/
- Grandtully, Perthshire – /ˈɡræntli/
- Greenock, Inverclyde – /ˈɡrɛnək/[n 1]
- Gullane, East Lothian – /ˈɡɪlən/
- Hawick, Scottish Borders – /ˈhɔɪk/ alongside partly intuitive /ˈhɔː.ɪk/ [1]
- Islay, island of the Inner Hebrides – /ˈaɪlə/[1]
- Jarlshof, Shetland – /ˈjɑːrlshɒf/[3](same as Danish and Norwegian)
- Kilchurn Castle, /ˈkɪlərn/
- Kilconquhar, Fife – /kᵻnˈjʌxər/
- Kilncadzow, South Lanarkshire, Scotland – /kɪlˈkeɪɡeɪ/
- Kingussie, Highland – /kɪŋˈjuːsi/[1]
- Kirkcaldy, Fife – /kərˈkɔːdi/
- Kirkcudbright, Galloway – /kərˈkuːbri/[1] or /ˈkərkuːbri/
- Milngavie, Dunbartonshire – /məlˈɡaɪ/
- Loch Muick, Aberdeenshire – /ˈmɪk/[3]
- Murray Park, Glasgow and Moray, Morayshire – /ˈmʌri/[n 2]
- Penicuik, Midlothian – /ˈpɛnɪkʊk/[3]
- Ravenstruther, Lanarkshire – /ˈrɛnstri/ or /reɪnstri/
- Ruthven, Aberdeenshire – /ˈrɪvən/
- Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway – /ˈsæŋkər/
- Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow – /ˈsʌxihɔːl/
- Scone, Perthshire – /ˈskuːn/
- Strathaven, South Lanarkshire – /ˈstreɪvən/ [2]
- River Teviot, Scottish Borders, and all names derived from it – /ˈtiːviət/
- Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire – /tɪlɪˈkuːtrɪ/
- Udny, Aberdeenshire - /ˈwɪdnɪ/
- Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde – /ˈwiːmz/ [2]
The island of Ireland
The rules of Irish Gaelic spelling are different from those of English. Most Irish places have English names originating as anglicised spellings of Irish names. Placenames with gaelicised or unanglicised spellings (such as Cóbh, County Cork – /ˈkoʊv/ Cóbh[1]) are omitted.
Ending -ane is regularly pronounced /ɑːn/, with PALM vowel rather than FACE vowel, as in Ferbane, Portrane, Strabane, Teebane. -agh is pronounced /ɑː/, with a silent 'g'.
- Aghabullogue, County Cork – /æˈhæbʌlʌɡ/
- Ahoghill, County Antrim – /æˈhɒkɪl/ or /æˈhɒxɪl/
- Boyounagh, County Galway – /ˈbwiːnəx/
- Breaghwy, Connacht – /ˈbreɪfiː/
- Cahir, County Tipperary – /ˈkɛər/
- Cloghore, County Donegal – /klaɪˈhɔər/
- Clones, County Monaghan /ˈkloʊnᵻs/
- Cultra, County Down – /kʌlˈtrɔː/
- Comber, County Down – /ˈkʌmbər/
- Gort, County Galway – /ˈɡɒrt/
- Inistioge, County Kilkenny – /ɪnɪʃˈtiːɡ/
- Kiltimagh, County Mayo – /kɪltʃᵻˈmɒk/
- Leap, County Cork – /ˈlɛp/
- Leighlin[4][5] and Leighlinbridge,[6][7] County Carlow – /ˈlɒxlɪn/ or/lɒklɪn/
- Mweelrea, County Mayo – /mweɪlˈriːə/
- Naas, County Kildare, Ireland – /ˈneɪs/[1]
- Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland – /ˈneɪ/[1]
- Owenabue, river in County Cork – /oʊnəˈbwiː/
- River Suir in Munster, Ireland – /ˈʃʊər/
- Tallaght, County Dublin – /ˈtælə/
- Thurles, County Tipperary – /ˈθɜːrlɛs/
- Tuam, County Galway – /ˈtʃuːəm/
- Youghal, County Cork, Ireland – /ˈjɔːl/
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:
- Denbigh, Wales – /dɛnbi/[1]
- Goodwick, Pembrokeshire – /ˈɡʊdɪk/
- Hawarden, Flintshire – /ˈhɒrdən/[1]
- Holyhead, Holy Island, Anglesey – /ˈhɒlihɛd/[1]
- Laugharne, Carmarthenshire – /ˈlɑːrn/[1]
- Swansea – /ˈswɒnzi/
See also
- Grapheme
- English spelling
- Pronunciation of Chinese names in English - counterintuitive Q, X, C, Zh, etc. in words romanised in Pinyin.
Notes and references
- Notes
- References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Pronouncing British Placenames at BBC's Edited Guide Entry h2g2 site
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
