The most difficult to pronounce place names in the East Midlands, revealed by a language expert

From Towcester to Belvoir – it’s safe to say there are several difficult-to-pronounce towns and cities across the East Midlands.  

Not only that, the region is also home to various streets, villages, and rivers that even locals might have a difficult time pronouncing correctly.   

Sylvia Johnson, Head of Methodology at language learning platform Preply, comments “A key reason some streets, villages, and even rivers are more challenging to pronounce than others is the result of historical linguistic evolution.  

“Several place names often reflect a mix of old languages such as Old English, Norman, Norse, and Celtic which have unique letter combinations that don’t follow typical pronunciation rules.   “On top of this, variations in local dialects also contribute to the complexity of pronouncing certain place names, which make them tricky to pronounce correctly even for English speakers who are unfamiliar with the region.”  

As a platform that specialises in language, pronunciation, and cultural differences, the team at Preply set out to identify some of the most difficult-to-pronounce place names across the East Midlands, before compiling the below list that highlights their correct pronunciation:  

Belvoir Street, Leicestershire
Correct pronunciation – “Bee-ver Street”
Incorrect pronunciation – “Belv-wah Street”  

Belvoir Street, one of the busiest city centre streets in Leicester, is arguably one of the most difficult-to-pronounce place names in the East Midlands.    Thanks to its spelling, meaning ‘beautiful view’ in French, it’s common to assume the street is pronounced “Belv-wah”, but is actually “Bee-ver” like the animal.

Wyberton, Lincolnshire  
Correct pronunciation – “Wib-er-ton”
Incorrect pronunciation – “Why-berton”  

Someone unfamiliar with this village in Lincolnshire may be tempted to pronounce it as “Why-berton”, but if you pronounce the ‘y’ as an ‘i’ sound and put more emphasis on the first syllable, you will enunciate it much more accurately.

Heather, Leicestershire
Correct pronunciation – “Hee-ther”
Incorrect pronunciation – “Heh-ther”  

Famous for its scarecrow festival, Heather is a tricky one to pronounce as it shares its spelling with the popular girl’s name and plant, both of which are pronounced as “Heh-ther”, like “feather”.   However, this sleepy village in North West Leicestershire is pronounced “Hee-ther”, which often catches people off guard.

Crich, Derbyshire
Correct pronunciation – “Cry-ch”
Incorrect pronunciation – “Critch”  

Upon first inspection, this village in Derbyshire looks as if it should be pronounced “Critch”, but locals will agree it is pronounced “Cry-ch”, with a ‘y’ sound replacing the ‘i’.

Groby, Leicestershire
Correct pronunciation – “Grew-by”
Incorrect pronunciation – “Grow-by”  

Boasting cobbled streets and thatched cottages, Groby is another East Midlands village that is often mispronounced.   Confusingly, this village in Leicestershire is pronounced as “Grew-by” like “groovy” and not “Grow-by”, despite what its spelling would suggest.

Cauldwell Road, Nottinghamshire 
Correct pronunciation – “Cold-well Road”
Incorrect pronunciation – “Cord-well Road”  

Cauldwell Road is another street that often falls victim to being mispronounced. Its spelling would suggest saying it as “Cord-well Road”, but the correct pronunciation is “Cold-well” by omitting the ‘au’ sound.

Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire
Correct pronunciation – “Ing-a-mells”
Incorrect pronunciation – “In-gold-mells”  

Ingoldmells is a coastal village and resort in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire. The town’s unique name comes from an old Norse phrase meaning “the sand dunes of Ingulf’.   A common mispronunciation of this popular seaside destination is “In-gold-mels” like the spelling but the correct pronunciation omits the silent ‘d’ in the middle of the word to produce “Ing-a-mels” 

River Nene, Northamptonshire
Correct pronunciation – “River Nen”
Incorrect pronunciation – “River Neen”  

In most cases, a silent E at the end of a word changes its pronunciation by turning the short vowel into a long vowel sound. However, this doesn’t apply to the River Nene that flows through Northamptonshire. Often mispronounced as “Neen”, the River is simply pronounced as “Nen”.

Cowbit, Lincolnshire
Correct pronunciation – “Cuh-bit”
Incorrect pronunciation – “Cow-bit”  

Cowbit is a village and civil parish in Lincolnshire and boasts a population of just 1,370.    Despite its spelling, the village is pronounced “Cuh-bit” by dropping the pesky silent ‘w’ and replacing it with an ‘uh’ sound.

Osbournby, Lincolnshire
Correct pronunciation – “Ozzenby”
Incorrect pronunciation – “Os-born-bi”  

Osbournby is a small village in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire and is pronounced locally as “Ozzenby”.   The name Osbournby derives from Old Scandinavian meaning “village of a man named Asbjorn”.