words that have non-intuitive pronunciation

[brimfull]

like magdalene...who decided to pronounce it modlin or whatever it is.

There are loads of these words in UK.

Someone should make a board game of it.

Any good ones near you?

I can remember hearing a couple of toffs slagging off the hoi paloi for pronouncing the 'd' in 'cardboard' and the 'l' in 'almond'. Apparently it's meant to be 'cah-board' and 'ah-mond'.

okay...top marks for the correct pronunciations of the following placenames near me....

Fionnphort

Baile Mhor

Dun I

is fionnphort on mull?

Fionnphort-fin port

Baile Mhor - bally moor

Dun I- dunny

hands up if you're now sitting here going
cahboard-cardboard .. ahmond-almond ... which do I say?

I have a horrible feeling it's the cahboard / ahmond version

I say ahmond
and cardboard

IF you don't say the 'd' in cardboard, you are to close to saying cupboard.

Now, do you say the 't' in often?

chardonnay ("it's cardonnay actually"), featherstonehaugh is apparently pronounced "fanshaw".

ummmm who on earth told you it's pronounced cardonnay?

Fanshaw - blimey that's wonderfully ridiculous... always wondered about it cos I once had to phone someone as part of my job with that name and I was surprised when the secretary peed herself laughing at me for saying "Can I speak to Fiona Featherstone-how"

PMSL@Fanshaw. Blimey! That is a bloody nonsensical name! Surprised nobody has mentioned Ralph (as in Fiennes) being 'Raif'.

Here's a question related to place names: Is Plaistow in East London pronounced Play-stow or Plah-stow?

Oh, don't tell me you say almond, Twig!

Next you'll be telling me you say tumouric for turmeric.

in norwich there is a costessey (cossey)
also on the coast is happisburgh (haze burruh)

there are loads in norfolk!
apparently lowestoft is correctly pronounced low(e)s toft

Flitwick is near here - new newsreaders or traffic readers always pronounce the W - it is silent! (flit-ick) Very amusing when the following morning programme broadcasters are can't help but mention it!

also Berkhamstead - there is no P (berkhamPstead)

St Albans - is not Snore-bans

Oops, I can't even type now - it is Berkhamsted... silly me!

Keighley = keithley and not as one friend of mine surmised Kylie

Doesn't have to be restricted to place names and surnames though ...

I lived in a lovely village called Friockheim. Friends and relatives were astounded to find it was pronounced

'Freak-am'

And Menzieshill in Dundee is 'Mean(g)ishill' (not Ming-hill as might be suspected)

I couldn't remember how to spell Featherstonehaugh (pronounced Fanshaw) so I looked it up and founf THIS!

Talking of Irish names... a friend's brother has a baby called Sabhdh...

...which is pronounced 'Sive' to rhyme with 'five'

Wymondham nr Norwich

Even Leicester!

The hamlet I live in. It seems only those of us who actually live in the place can pronounce it correctly.

babypowder
I was just going to write about Menzieshill and Friockheim I grew up in Dundee

John Menzies (the stationers) was pronounces menzees, not ming. Don't think they exist anymore.

We now live in Germany and my German DH could not believe Friockheim, his friend in southern Germany lives in a village of the same name.

The branches of John Menzies in Scotland were always referred to as 'John Minghies'

We used to say Menzees in Dundee. Or perhaps that was just my parents?