List of names in English with non-intuitive pronunciations

Encyclopedia : L : LI : LIS : List of names in English with non-intuitive pronunciations

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.

:	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

• Abiquiu, New Mexico — ['æ bə kju]
• Aille, County Mayo — /al/,
• Alcester — /ˈɒlstə(r)/, /ˈɔːlstə(r)/
• Aldeburgh — /ˈɔːlbrə/
• Alnwick — /ˈænɪk/
• Altrincham — /ˈɒltrɪŋəm/, /ˈɔːltrɪŋəm/
• Arkansas — /ˈɑrkənˌsɔ/. Compare Kansas. However, the Arkansas River is pronounced differently in the two states.
• Assman (as in Dick Assman) — /'ɒsmən/
• Athens, Kentucky, Athens, Illinois and New Athens, Illinois — /ˈeɪ.θn̩z/
• Au Sable River in New York's Adirondacks — /'aʊ 'seɪbəl/

B

• Barugh Barnsley, UK — /bark/
• Belen, New Mexico - /bə 'lɪn/
• Bellefontaine, Ohio — /bɛl.'faʊn.tɪn/
• Belvoir — /ˈbiːvə/ or /ˈbiːvɚ/
• Bergen, New York — /'bɝdʒən/
• Berkeley (bishop, philosopher) -- "barklee"
• Berkeley, California -- "birklee"
• Berlin, Connecticut, New Berlin, Illinois, Berlin, New Hampshire, and Berlin, Ohio — /ˈbɝlɪn/ (stress on first syllable) [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])
• Bicester — /'bɪstə(r)/
• Billerica, Massachusetts — /bɪl(ə)'rɪkə/
• Blackley, Manchester — /'bleɪklɪ/
• Boise, Idaho — /ˈbɔɪ.si/ (this is the standard local pronunciation, but most Americans, especially those far removed from Idaho, pronounce it /ˈbɔɪ.zi/)
• Boise City, Oklahoma — The "Boise" in this place name is locally pronounced /bɔɪs/[link], 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 — /ˈbwiːnəx/
• Bozeat, Northamptonshire — /ˈbəʊʒət/
• Breaghwy (County Mayo and County Sligo) — /ˈbreːfiː/
• Brisbane, Australia — /ˈbɹɪz.bən/
• Buccleuch — /bəˈkluː/

C

• Cahir, South Tipperary, Republic of Ireland — /ˈkeɪr/
• Cairo, Illinois and Cairo, Ohio — /ˈkeɪɹoʊ/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])
• Caius (as in Caius College, Cambridge) — /kiːz/
• Calais, Maine /ˈkælɪs/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info]) (The town of Calais in France was formerly also pronounced /ˈkælɪs/ in English; today /kæleɪ/, with initial stress in British English and final stress in American English, is the normal pronunciation.)
• Canyon de Chelly, Arizona — Chelly pronounced /ʃeɪ/
• Chicago — /ʃɨ.ˈkɑː.ɡoʊ/ or /ʃɨ.ˈkɔː.ɡoʊ/
• Chili, New York — /ˈtʃaɪlaɪ/
• Chiswick — /ˈtʃɪzɪk/
• Cholmondeley — /ˈtʃʌmli/
• Cirencester, now usually spelling pronunciation /ˈsaɪrənˌsɛstə(r)/, but formerly and occasionally still pronounced /ˈsɪsɪtə(r)/ *
• Cloghore, County Donegal — /klaɪˈhoːr/
• Clones, County Monaghan — /ˈkloːnəs/
• Cockburn — /ˈkoʊbɜːn/
• Cogenhoe, Northamptonshire — /ˈkʊknəʊ/
• Conneaut, Ohio (also Conneautville, Pennsylvania) — /ˈkɑniɔtˌ/
• Connecticut — /kəˈnɛtɪkət/
• Corfu, New York — /ˈkɔrfju/
• Cosham, Hampshire — /ˈkɒsəm/
• Costessey, Norfolk — /ˈkɒsi/
• Crichton (as in Michael Crichton) — /ˈkraɪtn̩/

D

• Dalyell and Dalziel (as in the UK television series Dalziel and Pascoe) — /diˈɛl/
• Davies - like "Davis"
• Delhi, New York — /ˈdɛlhaɪ/
• Des Moines, Iowa — /dəˈmɔɪn/

E

• Edinburgh, Scotland — /ˈɛdn̩b(ə)rə/
• El Dorado, Arkansas, El Dorado, Kansas and Eldorado, Illinois — /ɛldəˈɹeɪdoʊ/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])
• Elsecar, South Yorkshire — /ɛlsɪ'kɑː
• Etobicoke, Ontario — /əˈtoʊbɪˌkoʊ/

F

• Faneuil Hall, Boston, Massachusetts — /ˈfæn.əɫ/
• Featherstonehaugh — /ˈfænʃɔː/, /ˈfɛstənhɔː/, /ˈfiːsn̩heɪ/, /ˈfɪəstənhɔː/, or intuitively as /ˈfɛðəstənhɔː/ *
• Frome, Somerset — /fruːm/

G

• Geoffrey — /ˈdʒɛfri/
• Geogehan (Irish surname) — /ˈgeɪgən/
• Gloucester (English city and Massachusetts city), both /ˈglɒstə(r)/, /ˈglɔstə(r)/.
• Greenwich, Connecticut and Greenwich Village in New York City — /ˈgrɛnɪtʃ/
• Greenwich, Greater London — /ˈgrɛnɪtʃ/ or /ˈgrɪnɪtʃ/
• Greig (Scottish/English surname or forename) — /ˈgrɛg/
• Guildford, Surrey — /ˈgɪlfə(r)d/
• Guisborough — /ˈgiːzbrə/

H

• Happisburgh, Norfolk — /ˈheɪzb(ə)rə/
• Hawarden, Flintshire — /ˈhɑː(r)dən/
• Holborn, Greater London — /ˈhoʊbən/
• Hurricane, Utah and Hurricane, West Virginia — /ˈhɝɪkən/ (The /-ən/ ending is standard in the British pronunciation of hurricane, but not in American English)
• Hockessin, Delaware — HOE-kess-in

I

• Illinois — /ˌɪləˈnɔɪ/
• Inistioge, County Kilkenny — /ɪnɪʃˈtiːg/
• Ironton, Ohio (ARN-tn)
• Islay (island of the Inner Hebrides, Scotland) — /ˈaɪlə/
• Israel /ˈɪz.ri.əl/

J

• John — /dʒɒn/ (RP) /dʒɑn/ (GAm)

K

• Kalaloch, Washington — /ˈkleɪlɑk/
• Keighley, West Yorkshire) — /ˈkiːθlɪ/
• Keswick, Cumbria — /ˈkɛzɪk/
• Keynsham, near Bristol — /ˈkeɪnʃəm/
• Kingussie, Scotland — /kɪŋˈjuːsi/
• Kiltimagh, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland — /ˌkɪltʃɪˈmɒk/
• Kiribati (island nation in Pacific Ocean) — /ˈkɪribæs/ (spelling is regular in Gilbertese)
• Kiritimati (island in Pacific Ocean) — /ˈkɪrismæs/ (spelling is regular in Gilbertese)
• Kirkby, Merseyside — /ˈkɜːbi/
• Kirkcudbright, Scotland — /kɪrˈkuːbri/

L

• Lancaster, Ohio (LANK-uh-ster) vs. Lancaster, Pennsylvania (LAN-cas-ter)
• La Plata, Maryland — /ləˈpleɪtə/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])
• Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, /lɑː(r)n/
• Launceston, Cornwall — /ˈlɔːns(t)ən/ or /ˈlɑːns(t)ən/ (but Launceston, Tasmania is /ˈlɒnsəstən/)
• Lewes, Delaware /ˈluɪs/
• Leap, County Cork, Republic of Ireland — /ˈlɛp/
• Leicester, England and Leicester, Massachusetts — /ˈlɛstə(r)/
• Leintwardine, Shropshire — /ˈlɛntwə(r)daɪn/, /ˈlɛntwə(r)diːn/, or /ˈlæntədiːn/ *
• Leominster, Herefordshire — /ˈlɛmstə(r)/. Compare Leominster, Massachusetts which is more intuitively pronounced /ˈlɛmənstə(r)/
• Loughborough, Leicestershire — /ˈlʌfbrə/
• Lympne, Kent — /lɪm/

M

• Mackinac Island, Michigan — /ˈmækɪˌnɔː/
• Madrid, New Mexico — /ˈmæ.dʒrɪd/
• Magdalen(e) (as in Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalene College, Cambridge) — /ˈmɔːdlɪn/
• Manchaca, Texas — /ˈmæntʃæk/
• Mantua, Utah — /ˈmæ.nə.ˌweɪ/
• Marjoribanks — /ˈmɑːtʃbæŋks/
• McCaughey (as in the McCaughey septuplets) — / məˈkɔɪ/ ("McCoy")
• Medina in several American states — /mədaɪˈnə/
• Melbourne, Australia — /ˈmel.bən/ or /ˈmæl.bən/
• Menzies (as in Menzies Campbell) — /ˈmɪŋɪs/
• Meopham, Kent — /ˈmɛpəm/
• Mexia, Texas — /məˈheɪə/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])
• Miami, Oklahoma — /maɪˈæmə/
• Michael — /ˈmaɪkəl/
• Milan, Illinois, Milan, Indiana, Milan, Michigan, Milan, New Hampshire, and Milan, Tennessee — /ˈmaɪlən/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])
• Minot, North Dakota — /maɪnɑt/
• Moog — /ˈmoʊg/
• Mousehole, Cornwall — /ˈmaʊzəl/
• Mweelrea, County Mayo — /mweːlˈriːə/
• Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire — /ˈmaɪðəmrɔɪd/

N

• Naas, County Kildare, Ireland — /neɪs/
• Natchitoches, Louisiana — /ˈnækətəʃ/
• Neagh, Lough in Northern Ireland — /neɪ/
• Newark, Ohio (NURK) vs. Newark, Delaware (NEW-ark)
• Newfoundland — /ˈnuː.fən.ˌlænd/
• Nevada County, Arkansas and Nevada, Iowa — /nəˈveɪdə/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])

O

• Olney, Milton Keynes — /əʊniː/ (local), /ɒlniː/ (otherwise)
• Owenabue (river in County Cork) — /ˌoːnəˈbwiː/

P

• Pedernales River, Texas — /ˌpɝdəˈnæləs/
• Pierre, South Dakota — /pɪr/
• Pflugerville, Texas — /ˈflugɚˌvɪl/
• Plaistow, Greater London — /ˈplɑːstoʊ/
• Plymouth — /ˈplɪməθ/
• Pojoaque Pueblo, New Mexico — [pə 'wa ki 'pweb lo]
• Proulx (as in Marcel Proulx and E. Annie Proulx) — /pruː/
• Puyallup, Washington — /pjuˈæləp/

R

• Ralph — usually /rælf/, though some (e.g., Ralph Fiennes) prefer /reɪf/
• Refugio, Texas — /ɹəˈfjuɹioʊ/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])
• Regina — the female name is /ɹəˈdʒi.nə/, but in British and Canadian place names it is /ɹəˈdʒaɪ.nə/
• Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire, UK — /ˈɹi.vəʊ/
• Riga, New York — /ˈɹaɪgə/
• Rio Grande, Ohio (RYE-oh grand)

S

• St. John (surname) — /ˈsɪnʤən/ (as in Oliver St. John Gogarty); or intuitively /sɪnˈʤɒn/ or /saɪntˈʤɑn/ (as in Ian St. John).
• Salisbury, Wiltshire — /ˈsɒlzbrɪ/, /ˈsɔːlzbrɪ/
• San Jose, Illinois — /sæn ˈʤoʊz/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])
• Sault Ste. Marie — first word pronounced /suː/
• Sean (first name) — /ʃɔːn/ (spelling Seán is regular in Irish)
• Sequim, Washington — /skwɪm/
• Shawangunk (Mountains, town and prison in Hudson Valley region of New York) — /ˈʃɑŋgʌm/ is preferred by residents of the area, although original pronunciation still used by visitors is more intuitive /ʃɑˈwɑŋˌgʌŋk/
• Siobhan (first name) — /ʃɪˈvɔːn/ or /ʃəˈvɔːn/ (spelling Siobhán is regular in Irish)
• Sioux (e.g. Sioux Falls, South Dakota) — /suː/
• Skagit (name of a Native American tribe and various locales in Washington) — /ˈskædʒɪt/
• Skidegate, British Columbia — /'skɪd ɘ ˌgɘt/
• Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire — /slæ'wit/
• Slough, Berkshire — /slaʊ/
• Smethwick — /ˈsmɛðɪk/
• Southwark, Greater London — /ˈsʌðək/
• Southwell, Nottinghamshire — /ˈsʌðəl/ (the more intuitive /ˈsaʊθwəl/ is also used locally)
• Spokane, Washington — /spoʊˈkæn/
• Strachan — /strɔːn/, /ˈstraxən/ (although English TV presenters pronounce the name of Celtic F.C. manager Gordon Strachan as /ˈstrækən/)
• Suir, River in Leinster, Ireland — /ʃuːr/

T

• Tal(l)iaferro (American place & family names) — /ˈtɑlɪvɚ/
• Tallaght, County Dublin — /ˈtalə/
• Teignmouth, Devon — /ˈtɪnməθ/
• Thames (river in England), Thames River in Ontario, and Thames River and eponymous town and firth in New Zealand — /tɛmz/ (the Thames River in Connecticut is pronounced /θeɪmz/)
• Thibodaux, Louisiana — /ˈtɪbəˌdoʊ/
• Tooele, Utah — /ˌtuˈwɪlə/
• Torpenhow, Cumbria — /trəˈpɛnə/ (locally) or /ˈtɔːpənhaʊ/ (non-locally)*
• Towcester, Northamptonshire — /ˈtəʊstə/
• Tucson, Arizona — /ˈtuːsɑn/

U

• Unadilla — /junəˈdɪlə/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])

V

• Verdi, Nevada — /ˈvɚdaɪ/
• Versailles, Illinois and Versailles, Kentucky — /vɚˈseɪlz/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])
• Vienna, Illinois — /vaɪˈænə/ [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])

W

• Wahkiakum County, Washington — /wəˈkaɪəkəm/
• Warwick, UK — /ˈwɒrɪk/
• Willamette River, Oregon — (wil-AM-it) or /wɪlæmɨt/
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire — /ˈwɪzbi:tʃ/
• Woolfardisworthy — /ˈwʊlzi/ or /ˈwʊlzəri/
• Worcester, England and Worcester, Massachusetts, both pronounced /ˈwʊstə(ɹ)/. Compare Wooster, Ohio
• Wymondham, Norfolk — /ˈwɪndəm/ (locally) or /ˈwɪməndəm/ (non-locally) *

Y

• Yachats, Oregon — /ˈjɑhɑts/
• Youghal, County Cork, Ireland — /jɔːl/
• Youghiogheny, Pennsylvania (YOCK-uh-gainey)

References

Pronunciations marked with * are from:

See also

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

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