10 Horrible London Place Names
What is it about London place names that makes them so difficult to pronounce? So Big Ben /bɪg ben/ is pretty easy, and as long as you miss the first /t/ in Westminster /wesmɪnstə/ it should roll off the tongue nicely. But what if you need to go to Tottenham Court Road, or Leicester Square? Well, no need to worry any longer – here are Pronunciation Studio’s 10 horrible London place names and how to pronounce them:
1. Borough Market
The first stop in London for foodies, don’t let the OUGH spelling confuse you, that’s just a schwa.
/ˈbʌrə ˈmɑːkɪt/
2. Greenwich
Home to the Maritime Museum, some lovely river walks and the Cutty Sark /kʌti sɑːk/, of course. But don’t say the ‘w’ or you’ll be talking about witches!
/ˈgrenɪtʃ/
3. Leicester Square
Slap bang in the centre of London, we all end up there at some point. Don’t say the ‘ce’ in Leicester or the ‘r’ in Square:
/ˈlestə ˈskweə/
4. British Museum
It’s home to ancient artefacts from all over the world. The word ‘museum’ is also home to a /z/ sound!
/ˈbrɪtɪʃ mjuːˈziːəm/
5. Buckingham Palace
It wouldn’t be a trip to London without popping in to see the Queen, would it? But be careful not to say the ‘h’ or a /g/ in Buckingham.
/ˈbʌkɪŋəm ˈpælɪs/
6. Southwark
The Tate Modern art gallery is one of London’s most visited attractions. Unfortunately, it’s in Southwark and that is not pronounced ‘South walk’.
/ˈsʌðək/
7. Soho
It’s time for a night on the tiles, so you head on down to Soho, but it’s full of diphthongs!
/ˈsəʊhəʊ/
8. Tottenham Court Road
It’s actually deceptively simple to pronounce, but you’ve got to take control of the ‘t’s. Say TOT, but don’t release the second /t/, instead use a glottal stop /ʔ/. Then say NAM with a schwa sound. Forget about the third ’t’, the ‘en’ and the ‘h’, they are all just there to confuse you.
/ˈtɒʔnəm kɔːʔ ˈrəʊd/
9. Marylebone High Street
So you’ve decided to go upmarket and you head west, but oh dear! How on earth do you say Marylebone? Well, here’s a clue, don’t start with Mary:
/ˈmɑːlibəʊn ˈhaɪ striːt/
10. Trafalgar Square
Nothing too tricky about this name…. except for those ‘r’s and those ‘a’s. Say the first /r/, but don’t say the second or third ones. OK? And the first and third ‘a’s are schwas.
/trəˈfælgə ˈskweə/
[ssba]
