Top 10 Most Difficult To Pronounce Place Names in The UK

A market town named as Frome in Somerset, England is on the first position in the list of Top 10 most difficult-to-pronounce place names in the United Kingdom.

According to a team language learning app Babbel claim that Frome is the most mispronounced town in England. Some places that are also in the list of most difficult-to-pronounce place names in England are Beaulieu in Hampshire, Woolfardisworthy in Devon and Ballachulish in Scotland

Frome-voted-most-difficult-to-pronounce-place-in-england
Frome voted difficult-to-pronounce place in England

One of its editors and the makers of most difficult-to-pronounce place names list, Ted Mentele, said “British English was famous for some of the most confusing pronunciations on earth”.

The Top 10 ‘most difficult’ Pronounce Place names

  1. Frome, Somerset, England
  2. Ballachulish, Highland, Scotland
  3. Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, England
  4. Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
  5. Woolfardisworthy, Devon, England
  6. Beaulieu, Hampshire, England
  7. Bicester, Oxfordshire, England
  8. Ynysybwl, Cwm Clydach, RCT, Wales
  9. Rampisham, Dorset, England
  10. Quernmore, Lancashire, England

Residential people of these places in the UK, especially the local’s people of these areas, have grown up hearing these places names and naturally don’t find any difficulty in pronouncing the places name.

Also Read: 7 Adventurous Tourist Places To Explore Around The World

Woolfardisworthy
Woolfardisworthy – Most Difficult To Pronounce Place Names

Paul Wynne, of Frome Town Council, said: The name was most commonly mispronounced as rhyming with “home”,

He said: “We’re not a town that toes the line. Now it seems that even the way we pronounce Frome is different too. Ours is the right way, obviously. We always know who is new to the town by the way they pronounce Frome.”

How to pronounce the place names in England?

  1. Frome – “Froom”
  2. Ballachulish – “Ball – a – hoolish”
  3. Godmanchester – ‘Godmunchester’ (Gumster has also been offered as an alternative, but now little-used, pronunciation)
  4. Omagh – “Oh-ma”
  5. Woolfardisworthy – “Woolzery”
  6. Beaulieu – “Bew-lee”
  7. Bicester – “Bister”
  8. Ynysybwl – “An-is-abull”
  9. Rampisham – “Ran-som”
  10. Quernmore – “Kwor-mer”

Source: BBC and Babbel

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