Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

York friends, how do you pronounce Acomb?

51 replies

MorrisZapp · 20/05/2023 10:30

I'm a York lover and I want to retire there 😍

Google says that Acomb is a 37 minute walk from York railway station, so is it a suburb of York rather than a separate village?

And how do you pronounce it? Ta 😊

OP posts:
notsayingmuch · 20/05/2023 10:37

It's a lovely area. We stayed there this Easter. It's a bit far out to walk into the city centre, but we got the bus easily enough and we could drive in on wet days. There is a villagy feel to the older part and the bluebird bakery is lovely. We found it a nice quiet area but the students were away, so it might be noisier during term time. We pronounced it Ay-cum, but then we have Northern accents so you might not want to go with that!

TheApplianceofScience · 20/05/2023 10:41

Ay com.

SirSamVimesCityWatch · 20/05/2023 10:42

I would say ay-com.

Sort of. Hard to get it right phonetically!

It's a nice area overall but it has good bits and less good bits.

Softoprider · 20/05/2023 10:47

Ay com

ConstitutionHill · 20/05/2023 10:49

Yes. It's Ay cum.

I went to visit a friend there, decades ago, from London. Asking for directions I was pronouncing it ... a comb 😝

buckingmad · 20/05/2023 10:52

I live in York but am from Surrey and I pronounce it Ay-com. My husband is born and bred York and says it the same. It’s got good bus links to the centre, I’d class it as a suburb within York city rather than a village.

Northernlurker · 20/05/2023 10:54

I would say A cum.
You'll get a garden there. But pick your bit carefully.

buckingmad · 20/05/2023 10:55

York people (my FIL) love to catch out a non resident by testing out their pronunciation of the road Gillygate. It’s Jilly, not Gilly.

DustyLee123 · 20/05/2023 10:55

Ay-cum

EdnaMole · 20/05/2023 10:57

Ay-come. I’m a teacher and my very first job back in the early nineties was at Acomb Primary School. It was an old Victorian building right in the centre..I think it’s now a chemists and some housing, I should think a lot of younger people don’t even know it was ever a school. We moved with great fanfare to the new building further down the road in 1995 (I think) and it was opened by the opera singer Dame Janet Baker…any Acomb locals remember that?

Original poster
MorrisZapp · 20/05/2023 11:16

buckingmad · 20/05/2023 10:55

York people (my FIL) love to catch out a non resident by testing out their pronunciation of the road Gillygate. It’s Jilly, not Gilly.

Wait WHAT! Oh my goodness.
Right, Ay-cum and Jillygate.

Any advance?

OP posts:
EllieQ · 20/05/2023 11:28

Ay-com. It’s a suburb, and as said previously it has some good parts and not so nice parts. It has lots of local facilities - good shopping centre, doctors, library, etc.

Loverofoxbowlakes · 20/05/2023 11:34

Ay as in 'by' or Ay as in 'hey'?

SirSamVimesCityWatch · 20/05/2023 12:12

As in hey.

SpikyHatePotato · 20/05/2023 18:09

Ay as in hay - come.

And while we're on it, Rougier Street is Roo-Jeer

SirSamVimesCityWatch · 21/05/2023 12:16

SpikyHatePotato · 20/05/2023 18:09

Ay as in hay - come.

And while we're on it, Rougier Street is Roo-Jeer

@SpikyHatePotato I just noticed your user name and it reminded me of the hedgehog thread - brilliant!

Wilberthepig · 21/05/2023 12:35

A-com
Born and bred in york
I used to live in dringhouses (many moons ago)
Moved back to tang Hall (huge mistake) and finally to southbank before moving away

hoophoophooray · 21/05/2023 12:37

ay-cum

My Mum lives there, it's nice.

CreepingCrone · 21/05/2023 13:27

I live in Holgate, which is next to Acomb. It's Ay-cum.
Other weird York place names:
Alne = Awn
Huby = Hugh-by

PuffinsRocks · 21/05/2023 13:31

buckingmad · 20/05/2023 10:55

York people (my FIL) love to catch out a non resident by testing out their pronunciation of the road Gillygate. It’s Jilly, not Gilly.

How childish. In the 18 years I lived there literally no one ever did this.

PuffinsRocks · 21/05/2023 13:32

BTW OP Acomb is typically the "less naice" part of York especially now Tang Hall has been up and coming for a while.

Samphiredragonfly · 21/05/2023 13:39

Less naice ? Some of us can only afford to live in areas like that. We haven't all got ASBOs.

99point6 · 21/05/2023 13:53

Foxwood is less nice than Acomb.
Traffic can be an absolute nightmare that side of York (or all sides really). Walking probably quicker than driving.

VisionsOfSplendour · 21/05/2023 13:56

buckingmad · 20/05/2023 10:55

York people (my FIL) love to catch out a non resident by testing out their pronunciation of the road Gillygate. It’s Jilly, not Gilly.

What am I missing, isn't Jilly the normal way to pronounce Gilly?

I was at school with a girl who was called that and everyone said Jilly

Are all York people like that 😀

nonamey · 21/05/2023 13:58

Aycum

Swipe left for the next trending thread