List of names in English with non-intuitive pronunciations

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:IPA notice

This is a list of personal and place names that are pronounced in a way not easily deducible from the spelling or in a way at variance with a better known name of the same spelling.

See International Phonetic Alphabet for English and IPA chart for English for guides to the IPA symbols used.

Contents:	Top - 0–9 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

A

• Aille, County Mayo — Template:IPA,
• Alcester — Template:IPA, Template:IPA
• Aldeburgh — Template:IPA
• Alnwick — Template:IPA
• Altrincham — Template:IPA, Template:IPA
• Arkansas — Template:IPA. Compare Kansas. However, the Arkansas River is pronounced differently in the two states.
• Assman (as in Dick Assman) — Template:IPA
• Athens, Kentucky, Athens, Illinois and New Athens, Illinois — Template:IPA
• Au Sable River in New York's Adirondacks — Template:IPA

B

• Barugh Barnsley, UK — Template:IPA
• Bellefontaine, Ohio — Template:IPA
• Belvoir — Template:IPA or Template:IPA
• Bergen, New York — Template:IPA
• Berkeley (bishop, philosopher) -- "barklee"
• Berkeley, California -- "birklee"
• Berlin, Connecticut, New Berlin, Illinois, Berlin, New Hampshire, and Berlin, Ohio — Template:IPA (stress on first syllable) Template:Audio
• Bicester — Template:IPA
• Billerica, Massachusetts — Template:IPA
• Blackley, Manchester — Template:IPA
• Boise, Idaho — Template:IPA (this is the standard local pronunciation, but most Americans, especially those far removed from Idaho, pronounce it Template:IPA)
• Boise City, Oklahoma — The "Boise" in this place name is locally pronounced Template:IPA[1], which is different from either pronunciation of the name of the Idaho city. The "s" sound generally merges with the same sound in "City."
• Boyounagh, County Galway — Template:IPA
• Bozeat, Northamptonshire — Template:IPA
• Breaghwy (County Mayo and County Sligo) — Template:IPA
• Brisbane, Australia — Template:IPA
• Buccleuch — Template:IPA

C

• Cahir, South Tipperary, Republic of Ireland — Template:IPA
• Cairo, Illinois and Cairo, Ohio — Template:IPA Template:Audio
• Caius (as in Caius College, Cambridge) — Template:IPA
• Calais, Maine Template:IPA Template:Audio (The town of Calais in France was formerly also pronounced Template:IPA in English; today Template:IPA, with initial stress in British English and final stress in American English, is the normal pronunciation.)
• Canyon de Chelly, Arizona — Chelly pronounced Template:IPA
• Chicago — Template:IPA or Template:IPA
• Chili, New York — Template:IPA
• Chiswick — Template:IPA
• Cholmondeley — Template:IPA
• Cirencester, now usually spelling pronunciation Template:IPA, but formerly and occasionally still pronounced Template:IPA *
• Cloghore, County Donegal — Template:IPA
• Clones, County Monaghan — Template:IPA
• Cockburn — Template:IPA
• Cogenhoe, Northamptonshire — Template:IPA
• Conneaut, Ohio (also Conneautville, Pennsylvania) — Template:IPA
• Connecticut — Template:IPA
• Corfu, New York — Template:IPA
• Cosham, Hampshire — Template:IPA
• Costessey, Norfolk — Template:IPA
• Crichton (as in Michael Crichton) — Template:IPA

D

• Dalyell and Dalziel (as in the UK television series Dalziel and Pascoe) — Template:IPA
• Davies - like "Davis"
• Delhi, New York — Template:IPA
• Des Moines, Iowa — Template:IPA

E

• Edinburgh, Scotland — Template:IPA
• El Dorado, Arkansas, El Dorado, Kansas and Eldorado, Illinois — Template:IPA Template:Audio
• Etobicoke, Ontario — Template:IPA

F

• Faneuil Hall, Boston, Massachusetts — Template:IPA
• Featherstonehaugh — Template:IPA, Template:IPA, Template:IPA, Template:IPA, or intuitively as Template:IPA *
• Frome, Somerset — Template:IPA

G

• Geogehan (Irish surname) — Template:IPA
• Gloucester (English city and Massachusetts city), both Template:IPA, Template:IPA.
• Greenwich, Connecticut and Greenwich Village in New York City — Template:IPA
• Greenwich, Greater London — Template:IPA or Template:IPA
• Greig (Scottish/English surname or forename) — Template:IPA
• Guildford, Surrey — Template:IPA
• Guisborough — Template:IPA

H

• Happisburgh, Norfolk — Template:IPA
• Hawarden, Flintshire — Template:IPA
• Holborn, Greater London — Template:IPA
• Hurricane, Utah and Hurricane, West Virginia — Template:IPA (The Template:IPA ending is standard in the British pronunciation of hurricane, but not in American English)
• Hockessin, Delaware — HOE-kess-in

I

• Illinois — Template:IPA
• Inistioge, County Kilkenny — Template:IPA
• Ironton, Ohio (ARN-tn)
• Islay (island of the Inner Hebrides, Scotland) — Template:IPA

J

• John — Template:IPA (RP) Template:IPA (GAm)

K

• Keighley, West Yorkshire) — Template:IPA
• Keswick, Cumbria — Template:IPA
• Keynsham, near Bristol — Template:IPA
• Kingussie, Scotland — Template:IPA
• Kiltimagh, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland — Template:IPA
• Kiribati (island nation in Pacific Ocean) — Template:IPA (spelling is regular in Gilbertese)
• Kirkby, Merseyside — Template:IPA
• Kirkcudbright, Scotland — Template:IPA

L

• Lancaster, Ohio (LANK-ster) vs. Lancaster, Pennsylvania (LAN-cas-ter)
• La Plata, Maryland — Template:IPA Template:Audio
• Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Template:IPA
• Launceston, Cornwall — Template:IPA or Template:IPA (but Launceston, Tasmania is Template:IPA)
• Lewes, Delaware Template:IPA
• Leap, County Cork, Republic of Ireland — Template:IPA
• Leicester, England and Leicester, Massachusetts — Template:IPA
• Leintwardine, Shropshire — Template:IPA, Template:IPA, or Template:IPA *
• Leominster, Herefordshire — Template:IPA. Compare Leominster, Massachusetts which is more intuitively pronounced Template:IPA
• Loughborough, Leicestershire — Template:IPA
• Lympne, Kent — Template:IPA

M

• Mackinac Island, Michigan — Template:IPA
• Magdalen(e) (as in Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalene College, Cambridge) — Template:IPA
• Manchaca, Texas — Template:IPA
• Mantua, Utah — Template:IPA
• Marjoribanks — Template:IPA
• McCaughey (as in the McCaughey septuplets) — Template:IPA ("McCoy")
• Medina in several American states — Template:IPA
• Melbourne, Australia — Template:IPA or Template:IPA
• Menzies (as in Menzies Campbell) — Template:IPA
• Meopham, Kent — Template:IPA
• Mexia, Texas — Template:IPA Template:Audio
• Miami, Oklahoma — Template:IPA
• Milan, Illinois, Milan, Indiana, Milan, Michigan, Milan, New Hampshire, and Milan, Tennessee — Template:IPA Template:Audio
• Minot, North Dakota — Template:IPA
• Moog — Template:IPA
• Mousehole, Cornwall — Template:IPA
• Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire — Template:IPA

N

• Naas, County Kildare, Ireland — Template:IPA
• Natchitoches, Louisiana — Template:IPA
• Neagh, Lough in Northern Ireland — Template:IPA
• Newark, Ohio (NURK) vs. Newark, Delaware (NEW-ark)
• Newfoundland — Template:IPA
• Nevada County, Arkansas and Nevada, Iowa — Template:IPA Template:Audio

O

• Olney, Milton Keynes — Template:IPA (local), Template:IPA (otherwise)

P

• Pedernales River, Texas — Template:IPA
• Pierre, South Dakota — Template:IPA
• Pflugerville, Texas — Template:IPA
• Plaistow, Greater London — Template:IPA
• Plymouth — Template:IPA
• Proulx (as in Marcel Proulx and E. Annie Proulx) — Template:IPA
• Puyallup, Washington — Template:IPA

R

• Ralph - Like "rafe"
• Refugio, Texas — Template:IPA Template:Audio
• Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire, UK — Template:IPA
• Riga, New York — Template:IPA
• Rio Grande, Ohio (RYE-oh grand)

S

• Salisbury, Wiltshire — Template:IPA, Template:IPA
• San Jose, Illinois — Template:IPA Template:Audio
• Sault Ste. Marie — first word pronounced Template:IPA
• Sean (first name) — Template:IPA (spelling Seán is regular in Irish)
• Siobhan (first name) — Template:IPA or Template:IPA (spelling Siobhán is regular in Irish)
• Shawangunk (Mountains, town and prison in Hudson Valley region of New York) — Template:IPA is preferred by residents of the area, although original pronunciation still used by visitors is more intuitive Template:IPA
• Sioux (e.g. Sioux Falls, South Dakota) — Template:IPA
• Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire — Template:IPA
• Slough, Berkshire — Template:IPA
• Smethwick — Template:IPA
• Southwark, Greater London — Template:IPA
• Southwell, Nottinghamshire — Template:IPA (the more intuitive Template:IPA is also used locally)
• Spokane, Washington — Template:IPA
• Strachan — Template:IPA, Template:IPA (although English TV presenters pronounce the name of Celtic F.C. manager Gordon Strachan as Template:IPA)
• Suir, River in Leinster, Ireland — Template:IPA

T

• Tal(l)iaferro (American place & family names) — Template:IPA
• Tallaght, County Dublin — Template:IPA
• Teignmouth, Devon — Template:IPA
• Thames (river in England), Thames River in Ontario, and Thames River and eponymous town and firth in New Zealand — Template:IPA (the Thames River in Connecticut is pronounced Template:IPA)
• Thibodaux, Louisiana — Template:IPA
• Tooele, Utah — Template:IPA
• Torpenhow, Cumbria — Template:IPA (locally) or Template:IPA (non-locally)*
• Towcester, Northamptonshire — Template:IPA
• Tucson, Arizona — Template:IPA

U

• Unadilla — Template:IPA Template:Audio

V

• Versailles, Illinois and Versailles, Kentucky — Template:IPA Template:Audio
• Vienna, Illinois — Template:IPA Template:Audio

W

• Warwick, UK — Template:IPA
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire — Template:IPA
• Woolfardisworthy — Template:IPA or Template:IPA
• Worcester, England and Worcester, Massachusetts, both pronounced Template:IPA. Compare Wooster, Ohio
• Wymondham, Norfolk — Template:IPA (locally) or Template:IPA (non-locally) *

Y

• Youghal, County Cork, Ireland — Template:IPA
• Youghiogheny, Pennsylvania (YOCK-uh-gainey)

References

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

Pronunciations marked with * are from:

• Template:Cite book

See also

• English spelling
• List of words of disputed pronunciation (includes names like Melbourne that are pronounced differently in different locations)