List of places in England with counterintuitive pronunciations: M–Z

Updated on Jan 16, 2024

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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/

-combe – generally /kəm/, although /kuːm/ in some cases (e.g. Templecombe, Woolacombe) and in the standalone word 'combe' or 'coombe' (including in place names such as Castle Combe and Coombe Bissett).

-gh – silent

-ham – /əm/

-holm(e) – /hoʊm/, /əm/

-shire – /ʃɪər, ʃər/

-quay - /kiː/

-wich - /ɪtʃ/, /ɪdʒ/

-wick – /ɪk/

-mouth – /məθ/ in some cases (e.g. Bournemouth, Dartmouth, Weymouth), /maʊθ/ in others (e.g. Avonmouth, Lossiemouth, Tynemouth).

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

Al- /ˈɒl/; /ˈɔːl/

M

Magdalen Hill, Winchester, Hampshire – /mɔːn/

Manea, Cambridgeshire - /ˈmeɪni/

Marholm, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire – /ˈmærəm/

Marlborough, Wiltshire – /ˈmɔːlbrə/

Marske, Redcar and Cleveland - /ˈmæsk/

Marylebone, London – /ˈmɑːrlɪbən/, or /ˈmærɪlᵻbən/

Masham, North Yorkshire – /ˈmæsəm/

Meols:

Meols, the Wirral, Merseyside – /mɛlz/

Meols Cop, Southport – /miːlz/

Meopham, Kent – /ˈmɛpəm/

Mildenhall, Wiltshire – /ˈmʌldənhɔːl/ besides intuitive

Mousehole, Cornwall – /ˈmaʊzəl/

Mow Cop, Staffordshire – /ˈmaʊkɒp/

Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire – /ˌmaɪðəmˈrɔɪd/

N

River Nene, Northamptonshire – /nɛn/ (intuitive /niːn/ also heard)

Norwich, Norfolk – /ˈnɒrᵻdʒ/

O

Olney, Buckinghamshire – /ˈɔːni/ (local pronunciation); /ˈoʊlni/

Osbournby, Lincolnshire – /ˈɒzənbi/

Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire – /ˈɒzəltwɪzəl/ (local pronunciation);

Ovingham, Northumberland – /ˈɒvɪndʒəm/

P

Pall Mall, London – /ˈpælˈmæl/

Plaistow:

Plaistow, Greater London – /ˈplɑːstoʊ/

Plaistow, West Sussex – as above

Plymouth, Devon – /ˈplɪməθ/ as in early colony of today's USA of Plymouth, Massachusetts

Ponteland, Northumberland – /pɒntˈiːlnd/

Portesham, Dorset – /ˈpɒsəm/ (old-fashioned), currently /ˈpɔərtᵻʃəm/ or /ˈpɔərtsəm/

Postwick, Norfolk – /ˈpɔːzᵻk/

Poxwell, Dorset – /ˈpoʊkswɛl/ (as in Pokesdown in the same county)

Prideaux Castle, Cornwall – /ˈprɪdəks/

Prinknash, Gloucestershire – /ˈprɪnᵻʃ/

Prudhoe, Northumberland - /ˈprʌdə/

Puncknowle, Dorset – /ˈpʌnəl/

Q

Quadring, Lincolnshire - /ˈkweɪdrɪŋ/

Quernmore, Lancashire - /ˈkwɔərmər/

R

Rainworth, Nottinghamshire – /ˈrɛnəθ/

Rampisham, Dorset - /ˈrænsəm/

Ratlinghope, Shropshire – /ˈrætʃʌp/

Reading, Berkshire – /ˈrɛdɪŋ/

Rievaulx, North Yorkshire – /riːvoʊ/ (unusual equivalent to the French pronunciation)

Ruislip, Greater London – /ˈraɪslᵻp/

S

St Ives, Cornwall – /sənt ˈiːv/

St Teath, Cornwall – /tɛθ/

Salisbury, Wiltshire – /ˈsɒlzbri/, ˈ

Salle, Norfolk – /ˈsɔːl/

Sandwich, Kent - /sændwɪtʃ/, /sændwɪdʒ/ (as in food item named after its Earl)

Seighford, Staffordshire – /ˈsaɪfəd/

Shrewsbury, Shropshire – /ˈʃroʊzbri/ or /ˈʃruːzbri/

Shaftesbury, Dorset (and the associated earldom) – /ˈʃɑːftsbri/,or /ˈʃæfsbri/

Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire – pronunciation varies /ˈslæwɪt/, /ˈslæθwɪt/

Slaugham, West Sussex - /ˈslæfəm/

Snowshill, Gloucestershire – /ˈsnoʊzəl/ or /ˈsnɒzəl/

South Elmsall, West Yorkshire – /saʊθ ˈɛmsəl/

Southwark, Greater London – /ˈsʌðərk/

Southwell, Nottinghamshire – /ˈsʌðəl/ or intuitively.

Sowerby and Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire - /ˈsɔːbi/ (though Sowerby, North Yorkshire intuitively /ˈsaʊəbi/)

Sproxton, Leicestershire – /ˈsproʊsən/

Staithes, North Yorkshire – locally /stɪərz/

Stawell, Somerset – /stɒl/

Steyning, West Sussex – /ˈstɛniŋ/;

Stiffkey, Norfolk – /ˈstjuːkiː/ or intuitively /ˈstɪfkiː/

Stivichall or Styvechale, Coventry – /ˈstaɪtʃəl/

Stockingford, Warwickshire – /stɒkɪŋˈfɔːd/ or /stɒkɪŋɡˈfɔːd/ (final emphasis)

Streatham, London – /ˈstrɛtəm/

Stroxton, Lincolnshire – /ˈstrɔːsən/

T

Tacolneston, Norfolk – /ˈtækəlstən/

Teignmouth, Devon – /ˈtɪnməθ/

Teston, Kent – /ˈtiːsən/

Thame, Oxfordshire, and River Thame – /ˈteɪm/

River Thames and all names derived from it – /ˈtɛmz/

Theobald's Road, London – now usually intuitive /ˈθiəbəldz/ but traditionally /ˈtɪbəldz/

Threekingham, Lincolnshire – /ˈθrɛkɪŋɡəm/

Tideswell, Derbyshire – /ˈtɪdsəl/

Tintwistle, Derbyshire – /ˈtɪnsəl/

Todmorden, West Yorkshire – /ˈtɒdmədən/ .

Torpenhow, Cumbria – /trəˈpɛnə/ locally or an intuitive /ˈtɔərpənhaʊ/

Towcester, Northants – /ˈtoʊstə/

Trewoon, Cornwall – /ˈtruːən/

Trottiscliffe, Kent – /ˈtrɒzli/

U

Ulgham, Northumberland – /ˈʌfəm/

Uttoxeter, Staffordshire – /juːˈtɒksᵻtər/ (only British town commencing with /juː/ sound)

V

Vauxhall, London – /ˈvɒks.ɔːl/

W

Warwick (and -shire) – /ˈwɒrᵻk/

Wavertree, Lancashire – /ˈwɔːtri/ mostly obsolete

Little Weighton and Market Weighton, East Riding of Yorkshire – /ˈwiːtən/

Welwyn (and its Garden City), Hertfordshire – /ˈwɛlᵻn/

Wesham, Lancashire - /ˈwɛsəm/

Whittingham, Northumberland – /ˈwɪtɪndʒəm/

Widecombe, Devon – /ˈwɪdᵻkəm/

Wisbech, Cambridgeshire – /ˈwɪzbiːtʃ/

Witham, Essex – /ˈwɪtəm/

Wombwell, South Yorkshire - /ˈwʊmwɛl/

East Woodhay and West Woodhay – /ˈwʊdi/

Woolfardisworthy, Devon – /ˈwʊlzi/ or /ˈwʊlzəri/

Worcester (and -shire) – /ˈwʊstər/

Worstead, Norfolk - /ˈwʊstᵻd/

Wressle, East Riding of Yorkshire – /ˈrɛzəl/

Wrotham, Kent – /ˈruːtəm/

Wroughton, Wiltshire – /ˈrɔːtən/

Wybunbury, Cheshire – /ˈwɪnbri/

Wycombe, (High) and (West), Buckinghamshire – /ˈwɪkəm/

Wymondham, Norfolk – /ˈwɪndəm/

Y

Yeavering, Northumberland – /ˈjɛvəriŋ/

Yeaton, Shropshire – /ˈjɛtən/

Z

Zouch, Nottinghamshire – /ˈzɒtʃ/

Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire – /ˌdələˈzuːʃ/ (unusual equivalent to the French pronunciation)

References

List of places in England with counterintuitive pronunciations: M–Z Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Kimble Anders

Édison Preciado

Contents

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

References