Americans Try Pronouncing Difficult British Towns (Impossible UK Place Names) 🇬🇧

[@Peterd1900]

British place pronounced in one of 3 ways 1. Its pronounced excatly as its spelt 2. At least 3/4 of the letters are silent, you just have to work out which ones 3 its pronounced with letters that are not even in the name

[@WanderingRavens]

This sums it up pretty well 😂🥇

[@jamesmaclennan4525]

@@WanderingRavens Same goes for Surnames..

[@1701spacecadet]

Letters? We make whole syllables silent just to mess with people.

[@jic1]

You forgot one: Pronounce the name as spelled, but slur the end.

[@deanfarley794]

Except winsford

[@iolollywelynGK]

The c that you hear in Llangollen is incorrect. Google can’t make the sound that Ll makes in welsh 😂

[@HH-qm2gc]

The sound you need to make for LL is a sort of soft H and L combined.

[@tommo123456789000000]

@@HH-qm2gc no it isn't.

[@jaycee330]

Google can't. Pronounce LL by pressing the mid-sides of your tongue against the side of your molars and make an H sound.

[@RoyCousins]

Google is pronouncing the Welsh place names as an English person might say them, not Welsh.

[@tommo123456789000000]

@@RoyCousins so, incorrectly then?

[@joethomas5216]

"There are sounds there that I've never heard before" - welcome to Wales :)

[@WanderingRavens]

We look forward to learning more Welsh!

[@antonycharnock2993]

@@WanderingRavens This is what you need to say "Edrychaf ymlaen at ddysgu Cymraeg"

[@NeroPop]

@@antonycharnock2993 more like dwin edrych ymlaen i ddysgy gymraeg

[@cyberash3000]

and things you have never seen before, or will ever want to see again ;)

[@neilbuckley1613]

@@WanderingRavens To be fair once you understand the Welsh rules on letter pronunciation the place names are usually quite logical, definitely more than English place names, and that's coming from an Englishman.

[@ieuslay1400]

If you didn't know already, Wales has its own language (Welsh) so that's why LL and CH and some others don't sound like how you would say it in English. Best way to describe how to say CH is clearing your throat. LL, NG, RH, DD and so on are too hard to explain over text haha the robot voice didn't quite pronounce some of the Welsh places right.

[@dragonade85]

Yeah. The Welsh pronunciation of LL was pretty lousy.

[@Polyglot85to90]

The robot voice got Llanfairfechan completely wrong: LL is HL, CH is like in Scottish Loch, single F is a V, and AI is EYE, so it should be HLAN-VIRE-VEKHAN. IPA: [ɬanvaɪrvɛxan]

[@bn56would]

"Wolverhampton" definitely has the "h" pronounced. I don't know what "those comments" were thinking of.

[@CM-by4ib]

It's from the people of wolves that talk really rough (I can say that I live down the road!)

[@WanderingRavens]

Hmm, maybe it's a regional difference then. Thank you for giving us more context!

[@bn56would]

@@CM-by4ib Bruh that's so weird with two consecutive silent letters It'd be pronounced like "Wolve' ' ampton"

[@feli.city115]

Yeah a lot of cities/towns which end in ‘hampton’ either do or don’t pronounce the ‘h’ but I don’t think it matters. Probably regional

[@tsrgoinc]

Where I grew up is called Plaistow, now there is at least 2 places in England called Plaistow, one in Surrey and one in London and both are pronounced differently by the locals!

[@jamess6961]

If any consolation most English people pronounce Welsh names incorrectly, so well done on trying 👍🏼

[@lovestospunk]

James S so do most welsh people

[@Westcountrynordic]

When I have to introduce some one to others most of the time i just say they are from Wales

[@wyterabitt2149]

Welsh names tend to be Welsh language in origin, so not even English. If something is not in a language you speak, then most will struggle unless they already know the name (or maybe also from a bit of experience from similar names in Welsh they already know, that can give them an educated guess). And only about 14% of people in Wales can speak, read and write Welsh.

[@Reignlief]

if its any consolation some of us welsh people struggle to say some welsh place names. *glares at Llanfair.P.G

[@welshdragon99]

@@lovestospunk what's wrong with talking about laneli? 😉

[@nelsonkaiowa4347]

The welsh have a different alphabet with some unique sounds.

[@martinhughes2549]

@daro2096 RH different sound to R.

[@miad6065]

As a welsh person, the google person doesn’t do the welsh sounds properly :)

[@idknaomi]

The start of Loughborough is pronounced luff like tough

[@unwrittenwizard910]

Yeah google is not good on some of those pronunciations

[@zlcoad1]

I always thought it was loff, I'm in cornwall

[@idknaomi]

@@zlcoad1 Being local to Loughborough most of my life I have only ever heard it referred to as luff

[@unwrittenwizard910]

I'm from Suffolk have always used Luff

[@DIGZDIGZDIGZ]

@@idknaomi down the road in derby and we pronounce it like "luff-bruh". On some of these Google had too much of a "Queen's English" influence I think.

[@sarahpenney4881]

The Google pronunciation of the Welsh words is off! They're hard sounds to make, and a computer can't really make them. Have a look on KZbin to see the correct way to pronounce them. You gave it a solid try, guys! Welsh is hard. 😂

[@chrisjenkin9186]

Hi guys just to firstly say your videos are wonderful, it is great to see people taking an interest in the intricacies of UK culture as it is something so often misrepresented or misunderstood. Also you have a great dynamic and are fun to watch. I am 27 born and raised in London, my Dad is from Northern England, but have a lot of family from the US so feel I am well placed to help with knowing the cultural differences, and I have some pointers to give you. Firstly you are completely right with the disparity in how US/UK people describe things - we are a very pessimistic country with the expectation that things are not going to be good enough, hence why we describe things as “not bad” or “can’t complain”, with the reverse being true in the US hence why everything is “awesome” or “so good”. Secondly the difference between London and rest of the UK is totally true. The reason for it is this: London is a place of extreme diversity, with various nationalities from around the world contributing to its rich culture and wonderment. There is also the diversity in the landscape - you have highly urbanised areas (Canary Wharf, the City, West End) but also some brilliant countryside (Hampstead, Regent’s Park), but what really sets it apart is the economic performance of London compared to the rest of the country. In the US you have many major cities (NYC, LA, Boston, Philly etc) but in the UK, the difference between London and the likes of Manchester/Birmingham is insane. London is such a high-performing global city that the cultural differences between it and the rest of the UK are striking. This leads to resentment among the rest of the country (London receiving preferential treatment from the government) but also leads to feelings of detachment from the UK if you are a Londoner (viewing the rest of the country as less multicultural, less tolerant, more resistant to change). It is fair to say that both sides are right. Thirdly, something that is almost always overlooked by visitors is the variety within the UK in terms of accents & language and the subsequent cultural differences that come with it. For example, the accent down in Cornwall is worlds apart from the accent in Birmingham. The Welsh accent is totally different to scouse (Liverpool), and the geordie (Newcastle) accent is entirely separate to the Manc accent (Manchester). A lot of the time people understand the UK has posh and not-posh (working class), but they fail to realise just how many distinct accents there are in this country. Fourthly, something you guys will find fascinating and should consider doing a video on is ‘Cockney Rhyming Slang’. Trying to explain this to any non-native UK is hilarious and near-impossible. Originating in East London, we have a dialect which relies on a rhyming word to replace the real word. For example - “are you having a bubble?” means “are you having a laugh?” because bubble bath rhymes with laugh. “I fancy a ruby” = “I fancy a curry” because Ruby Murray, curry. One example you may know as Americans is “let’s get this bread” because bread & honey = money! Sounds complex but please do some research into it as I think you guys will find it fascinating and you will be surprised how many global phrases originated in this way. Finally, two places I think you guys should take a look at - Brighton & Newcastle. Brighton is referred to as “London’s Playground”, it is a beautiful city on the south coast directly down from London and is one of the most wonderful parts of the whole country to visit. Newcastle, however, is an adventure. It is the most northern city before you reach Scotland, and it has an extremely strong & distinct culture. People from Newcastle are called Geordies, and they are generally considered the most fun and friendly people in the whole country. Sadly the North East is an extremely poor region but the culture there thrives - it has the best nightlife outside London, the cheapest food/drink prices anywhere, and St. James’s Park (not to be confused with the one in London) is the best place to go and watch a football match. Football is very important to the UK but in Newcastle, supporting the local team known as Newcastle United is similar to a religion. Get yourselves up there and watch a game at the 52,000-seater stadium. People will be extremely kind and welcoming to you and you will experience a wonderful side of British culture. A lot of the above can also be said of the city & football team of Liverpool, but I would say Newcastle just edges in terms of visual beauty and entertainment value. Just as a little add-on, this is in no way directed at you two but as a white guy I can tell you the contribution of non-white people in this country is completely underestimated by visitors. The influence Afro-Caribbean culture has had in London is incredible, from the music to the food to the best street festival in Europe (Notting Hill Carnival), and indeed the way traditional Indian food is essentially our national dish. Also, please don’t get disheartened by hateful comments on KZbin. People enjoy hiding behind a screen, and people enjoy being hostile to Americans because of the gun-loving stereotype we often see. You are ALWAYS welcome here. Hope this was useful, looking forward to the next video!

[@keithholland-delamere2287]

Congratulations on 10k subscribers. Your pronunciation is getting better. Try a village just outside Northampton called Cogenhoe or how people in Leicester pronounce Belvoir Castle.

[@Tiscl]

England - Ewell Wales - Mynachlog-ddu Scotland - Islay Northern Ireland - Magherafelt Good luck :)

[@callumsherratt5436]

Tiscl Ireland - Laois 🤣 “Leash”

[@marmitenyorksf8978]

Islay is a lovely island

[@carolinevaillant1176]

Slaithwaite should've been the one used as example for the UK. It's been 1 f'ing year since I've been waiting for Slaithwaite to get on a video! And I've written so much about it that when I type the first two letters I get the word as a suggestion from my autocorrect! So plesase choose it. *Please!*

[@heidihumbug]

The ‘fair’ in Llanfairfechan is pronounced ‘vire’, and not as in fairground!

[@TheSwithy]

I live in the UK and for ages got this one wrong "Bicester" I tend to only know the correct pronunciation for towns in my own area.

[@WanderingRavens]

Oh dear...dare I try 😂

[@jonnylager]

Wandering Ravens oh yes give it a go, just outside Oxford. Along with Chetwode and Wytham.

[@PropBoyGinge]

@@jonnylager Also Bodicote, near Banbury

[@SvenTviking]

Bister, Toaster...

[@hobbitassassin1]

Dude I'm british and live 30 minutes away and even I didnt know Bicester was Bister lol

[@steffanroberts1104]

I never expected to see my hometown of Llanfairfechan in one of these pronunciation videos! You both gave it a good go to be fair. Even the computer isn't quite right with it's pronunciation.

[@BarefootBoyUK]

I'm from Yorkshire, and we have some difficult place names. I would love to hear you try them: Barugh Green, Beauchief, Brough, Cononley, Cudworth, Dodworth, Elsecar, Gomersal, Jervaulx, Keighley, Liversedge, Market Weighton, Meaux, Ovenden, Rievaulx, Scissett, Slaithwaite, Sowerby Bridge, Staithes, Stourton, and finally, Todmorden. Google Translate pronounces Cononley wrong as well, Mytholmroyd is actually Mith_um_ royd. You guys are good though 👍☺

[@chriscartwright6292]

Oof! Asking them to do slaithwaite is just pure cruel! No chance in hell of them getting that one! 😂

[@britishjohn62]

@@chriscartwright6292 I’m from the Golcar area

[@carolinevaillant1176]

@@chriscartwright6292 well I could get this right even if i'm from France! Lollol

[@andrewbutler7681]

You would like where I grew up in Teignmouth (pronounced "Tinmuth") on the River Teign (pronounced "Teen") near Bishopsteignton (pronounced "Bishop's Tayn Tun").

[@WanderingRavens]

Wow! Those are difficult! Thank you for sharing :D

[@olly5764]

an area I know well, I have friends in Buckfastleigh, Abbotskerswell and Teignmouth

[@andrewbutler7681]

@@olly5764 I was actually born in Bovey Tracey, but we moved to the coast just before my fourth birthday; twenty-five years later, I had to come to Croydon for work and I've been here ever since...

[@penname5766]

Ooh these are all places I know! In the West Country!

[@jamiemidge4983]

Andrew Butler I think they would struggle with the whole area! Dawlish, Chudleigh, Kingsteignton, Torquay, Paignton...

[@owainhughes7770]

Some other good ones for Wales are; - Ysbyty Ystwyth - Portmeirion - Llanfihangel Crucornau - Ynysgynwraidd - Llendeilo Gresynni Enjoy 😂

[@michaelyang5628]

or crymych

[@paulmoore4223]

Congratulations on the 10k, well deserved

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you for helping us pass that milestone, Paul!

[@cropstar]

You wimped out on Happisburgh! Great vid as always, See you for the live stream next week. well done for the 10K!

[@WanderingRavens]

We can only take so much punishment in one day 😂 We'll try to put it in the next one! And see you on the live stream :D

[@Phippsta]

Frome is actually in Somerset, which is in South West England.

[@thevonya3977]

It is indeed, about as far south of Bath as Bristol is to its west

[@callumsherratt5436]

The Vonya ye Somerset is south west of bath and Bristol

[@thevonya3977]

@@callumsherratt5436 partially true yed, since Bristol is actually in 2 counties; Gloucestershire and Somerset. Many assume that Bristol's old county of Avon still exists but it remains a multi-county city

[@HH-qm2gc]

I'm not sure about pronouncing Frome - there is some disagreement. Rhymes with Rome, or rhymes with Room.

[@Phippsta]

@@thevonya3977 And by that same extension, Bath is actually part of Somerset

[@elissajames5062]

Loughborough is said more like lufbra

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you!

[@antonycharnock2993]

Home to "Lowbrow" University.

[@zyndr_]

​@Wandering Ravens I saw a video where an American pronounced it as Loogah-baroogah (lol), so I wouldn't feel bad about your attempt (which was a lot more credible). But as others have already said, it's more like Luff-bruh (second syllable similar to Edinburgh).

[@vwpunk99]

Lough like rough or tough

[@rogerjenkinson7979]

@@vwpunk99 but not at all like bough, cough though through thought. Have I missed any?

[@mannym7849]

Hi guys! I throughly enjoy your channel and I love the content you churn out. Here’s a couple of town names you can include in part 3… all are from south east London boroughs … Eltham, Lewisham, Deptford, Bermondsey and some in the south west of London… Southwark and Chiswick Keep up the great work! 😊

[@ChrisBetton]

Ignore Google. It's LUFFBRUH

[@WanderingRavens]

Good to know!

[@robertleach9120]

Loving your videos guys. Thank you for keeping us all informed AND entertained !

[@liukin95]

Try Beaulieu, one of my favourite places to visit and it's car museum is a must if you ever go there!

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you for the recommendation!

[@lloroshastar6347]

Oh I live near there. Great place.

[@pierreabbat6157]

LL is a voiceless L sound, F and FF are as in of and off, CH is as in German (/k/ is wrong, that's just ). It may not be obvious whether NG is one letter (in which case it's as in "singer") or two ("finger"). In Llangollen it's two letters, because "llan" is one word and "Collen" (the 'g' is a mutation) another.

[@johnnyboy3949]

Do Bicester, Leominster and Godmanchester. Also Abergavenny

[@Bafftubz10]

Abergavenny isn't that difficult

[@beds139]

For my sins I have lived in both Bicester & Ruislip over the years. If I had a pound for every time I have been asked to "just spell that".........................

[@sb1056sb]

carlosjnma Godmanchester definitely is difficult.

[@johnloony68]

At 13:31 you missed out Alnwick ("ANN-ick") and Cholmondeley ("CHUM-lee"), and 14:25 Altrincham ("OL-tring-um")

[@andyg3]

i think the computer pronounces them wrong some of the time

[@beds139]

No the voice is that of correct pronunciation if you live in Surrey.

[@andyg3]

@@beds139 i like in surrey, i still think some of them are wrong!

[@VinylBlog]

Hi Guys, have just subscribed recently and must say I’m really enjoying your videos! I’m a welsh Brit and really enjoy seeing the differences culturally, and you guys make it very fun and interesting. A little advice, the CH sound In Wales is often rolled, it’s impossible to write down how it sounds but it’s a bit like a car driving over a gravel car park aha. The LL sound can sound either a bit like a snake, again in possible to write down just how it sounds, or may become a CL sound. Finally, a double D often becomes a TH sound. These sounds are common in both pronunciation of place names and in the welsh language. Best way to hear them would be to hear a native speaker, especially from a more rural part of wales. Many thanks for these great fun videos

[@WanderingRavens]

Welcome to our little corner of the internet! We're so glad to hear that you're enjoying our videos :) And thank you for the pronunciation tips!

[@dc0775]

Beautiful genuine couple, a credit to USA, Loving your vlogs and appreciation of uk

[@alastairbrewster4274]

Don’t think they’re a couple , pretty sure matey boy plays in a different garden.

[@peterbrown1012]

You made the mistake of using English grammar for Welsh spelt words. Try Cholmondeley in Cheshire

[@WanderingRavens]

Thanks for the suggestion!! Added it to our list :D

[@welshdragon99]

The pronunciation of Cholmondeley is a standard gag in old British sitcoms, I think Only Fools and Horses used it among other sitcoms...

[@helenwood8482]

Your commenters lied to you. The h in Wolverhampton is always pronounced.

[@WanderingRavens]

Good to know!

[@Tawera1]

No, locals never pronounce it.

[@ianwallis6473]

Both are right

[@its.jsgino]

@@Tawera1 ?

[@kevvywevvywoo]

the correct RP way is to pronounce the h as in 'the hamptons' , but the locals often drop the 'h' and say 'wulver-rampton'. A BBC newsreader wouldn't, though.

[@jasonharris1434]

The “LL” sound in Welsh can be spoken by pressing your tongue on your top front teeth and blowing gently to both sides. The “CH” sound is the same as it is in on the end of “loch” in Scotland

[@nicolawright6246]

Keep producing amazing vids like these 💗

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you so much Nicola! :)

[@greenman3464]

Holy crap i wasn’t expecting my home town Watford! Come on you ‘Orns!!!!!

[@felicitydavies3227]

It's probably best to learn the Welsh alphabet to help you pronounce Welsh place, as the Welsh sound every letter in the word as long as you know the sound. Also probably good to point out that some place in Wales will have mutations based on what context they are used in a sentence in Welsh. For example I live in Caerphilly but if I said that sentence in Welsh 'Caerphilly' would change to 'Nghaerphilly'. Also in the Welsh alphabet there are 29 letters and 'w' and 'y' are vowels in Welsh. So good luck if you try to learn Welsh. 😊

[@bobogus7559]

W and especially y are sometimes vowels even in English.

[@rob60tom]

I'm from N Ireland, but my favourite 'wrong' town name is Leominster

[@neilharbott8394]

Wifey - wait LL- is a special sound how do you pronounce it. Me - [makes a sound like a cat spitting up a furball] Wifey - that noise isn't even in my vocabulary.

[@janeylong]

Appletreewick is beautiful, in the Yorkshire Dale's, a teeny village with just a couple of rows of delightful cottages and a couple of pubs

[@Steve14ps]

New Inn and Craven

[@langjones3846]

"Fair" in Welsh is pronounced "Viar", similar to "fire".

[@jameshumphreys9715]

To pronounce LL in Welsh, place your tongue behind the top teeth and emit air, the sound name is alveolar lateral fricative and Ch is the same as the German Ch voiceless velar fricative

[@danielkitts9685]

Yeah the Welsh are a different breed, I can't even pronounce some of those names.

[@alwillcox]

From Wikipedia's entry on Appletreewick: "The old dialectal pronunciation of the village name is a shortened 'Ap-trick', which is sometimes still heard being used by the locals".

[@carolinevaillant1176]

"Which is sometimes still heard being used by the locals" not _sometimes_ . Everytime's the right word.

[@simonbisset4842]

I'm in Llandudno, close to llanfairfechan. When you come up, contact me and I'll show you some places around here.

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you for the kind offer, Simon!

[@olivertunnah3987]

@@WanderingRavens If you happen to pass through Bristol on the way through, I'll do the same here.

[@Ramtamtama]

Llandudno, where the U is an I, an L is a C, and one of the Ds is a TH. Clandithno

[@simonbisset4842]

@@Ramtamtama well, 1 out of 3 is a start, I suppose. Yes, the u is an i. But changing the L to a C will annoy the Welsh. LL is more like the 'lth' at the end of health, but even that is wrong - don't touch your teeth with the tip of your tongue. Both D's are pronounced as D. The first D has been mutated from a T. It's from Saint Tudno, but the T changes to D when it follows 'Llan'. Llan means 'the church and lands of'. Nearest English equivalent word is glebe.

[@laurensansom2585]

My boyfriend speaks fluent Welsh as his first language and has taught me the pronunciation and I go through it a lot to get to work so Llanfairfechan is hyan,-fyre-fechan with a sound that sounds a bit like phlegm on the an, the clan for the double Ll is not correct and is a massive pet peeve for him 😊

[@bujin1977]

The vast majority of British people are totally oblivious to one of the major official languages of the UK, and that unfortunately includes a lot of Welsh people, particularly the ones near the English border. You are correct in your assumption that the LL sound in Welsh is something different, and the pronunciation given for Llangollen is pretty accurate. "LL" is actually a separate letter to "L" in the Welsh alphabet and is often pronounced by non-Welsh speakers as similar to a "CL" sound (when they can be bothered to try to pronounce it properly, that is). The actual sound is made by putting your tongue in the position that it would be to make an "L" sound (i.e., tip of your tongue touching your top-middle teeth), but then exhaling sharply. There aren't any examples I can think of from anywhere else in the world. "CH" is more like the sound in the word "Loch" (as in Loch Ness). The pronunciation given for Llanfairfechan was bad - "fair" would be pronounced "vire", rather than the English "fair". A single "F" is always pronounced as a "V", while "FF" is always pronounced like the English "F" - think the words "OF" and "OFF" as an English example. And "AI" is always pronounced to rhyme with the word "EYE". As others have pointed out, Welsh is a phonetic language - the obvious issue is that many of the Welsh sounds are very different from English, so you need to learn those sounds first. And the emphasis on a word is almost always on the second-to-last syllable, for example: "llan-fair-FECH-an", "llan-GOLL-en". Hope this was of some help. :)

[@Scotty515]

I love seeing people struggle with the LL sound in Welsh for the first time 😂😂 easiest way to get it is press your tongue against the roof of your mouth and push the air out the sides, widening your mouth like a smile also helps get it way easier! 👍

[@Chrisey96.]

Theres some you can try. Uttoxeter, Torquay, Upper-Broughton, Keswick, Inveraray, Swanage and Woolacombe

[@callumsherratt5436]

Chrisey keswick is easy 😂

[@kruandrew8930]

You're doing really well with the pronunciation. Quick guide to Welsh sounds ☺ The CH is the same as Loch in Scotland, lots of plegm. LL = Angry cat CH = Phlegm DD = th F = v FF = f U = i And roll your R like a motorbike's engine!

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you! This is really helpful and we'll consult it next time we're doing a pronunciation video :D

[@lloroshastar6347]

I'd always been told that LL is pronounced L but you have to push your tongue against the roof of your mouth as you say it, which sounds deceptively like a 'C' sound. I'm not Welsh but one of my best friends is and I wanted to learn it.

[@penname5766]

Sam Hall Yes but there is no English equivalent so when you put your tongue on the roof of your mouth and exhale it comes out as something more like "cl", even though you are sort of making a "l" sound in terms of the movement of your tongue.

[@lloroshastar6347]

@@penname5766 I just like to do things properly.

[@cigmorfil4101]

@@lloroshastar6347 If there is a 'c' sound you're not doing it right. For the English it is more like "thl". Take the English word "flan" but do not move your tongue or jaw whilst saying the 'fl' (and try not to voice the 'f' as well); this should produce a more breathy 'th' instead of the "solid" 'f'. Now try to let air also escape around the sides of the tongue and you should be getting close to the pronunciation of "llan".

[@carolineskipper6976]

Thank you for attempting my suggestion of Wymondham- great tries! Norfolk place names definitely need an advisory notice- they frequently have silent syllables!

[@Steve14ps]

Stiffkey - is it pronounced stow key?

[@steveshephard1158]

Happisburgh was my favourite when I worked for North Norfolk DC for a year.

[@Steve14ps]

@@steveshephard1158 Hasbro?

[@carolineskipper6976]

@@Steve14ps Happisburgh is pronounced Hayz - bru

[@Steve14ps]

@@carolineskipper6976 thanks for the correction, at least I did not pronounce the 'p's

[@lacari0805]

Who are these people saying Wolverhampton is said without the H. Maybe in you’re common accent you don’t say it but it is still supposed to be said

[@IggyTheBalrog]

If you're from wolves you'll say it so fast it sounds like it's Rampton not Hampton.

[@heleddflower8082]

Although welsh uses (almost) the same alphabet as English, many of the letters are pronounced differently. The Welsh alphabet: a b c ch d dd e f ff g ng h i l ll m n o p ph r rh s t u w y. 7 vowels a e i o u w y, but y can also be a consonant. c generally gives a k sound; ch is like in loch; dd is a hard th sound like in 'these'; f is a v sound, ff is an f sound, ng like in thing; r's are trilled or rolled; rh as in pray but the r is trilled; w gives either a short oo (as in book) or long oo (as in pool). There are also about 15 dipthongs which give their own sounds. My late mum was a native Welsh speaker from Cardigan (Aberteifi) in West Wales, and she used to always say that Welsh was easier to learn than English because you literally say what you see, every letter is pronounced, there are no silent letters; you just need to know the pronounciation of each letter. ll is a sound that has no equal in english. It's not really a ch sound like you said, but as you used a computer voice to demonstrate I doubt that it could replicate it. There are loads of pronounciation videos for it on KZbin.

[@hadz8671]

You left out th

[@heleddflower8082]

@@hadz8671 oops so I did

[@JimpZee]

This is a pretty difficult challenge. Even native Brits would struggle to get many place names correct for areas that they are not familiar with. We have a lot of seriously messed up spellings for town names in the UK.

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you for sympathizing with our struggle! :D

[@JohnJames-kw5de]

I’m English and I’m afraid I don’t know how to pronounce a lot of welsh place names

[@freyalol1]

The Isle of Man is also part of the British Isles with our own Gaelic language! Some interesting place names to hear you attempt are Maughold and Niarbyl.

[@southron_d1349]

Wednesday = Woden's Day. Wednesfield = Woden's Field. Woden is Odin.

[@welshdragon99]

If you want a few more welsh names, Abertawe, Cwmcarn, Caerfyrddin, and Rhyl come to mind. Also Henffordd (actually an English town in the borders with both an English name and a Welsh name).

[@HA1LILPALAZZO]

"Oh no the Welsh are back!" I died laughing at that! XD

[@spearhrower]

Wales in Welsh is Cymru, have a stab at that, it's proof that Wesh is backwards. Just make a lot of phlegmmy sounds and you've nailed Welsh. A lot of Town names are pronounced differently depending on your own accent. Take the home of the bl;ack pudding for instance - Bury, some pronounce it Berry some pronounce it Burry and that's in the town itself. Half the town is Pakistani and even they pronounce it both ways

[@cigmorfil4101]

Loughborough: The first 'ough' as in tough (tuff) Loughborough is roughly Luff-brah Try saying my name.

[@YorkshireScott]

They way the computer woman says loughborough wrong. I live about half an hour away from loughborough and it's pronounced Lough not laugh at the beginning. That is the way I pronounce it anyway and how I have heard everyone say it.

[@penname5766]

belthazorish The computer woman also said "Luff" not "laugh". The guys in this video misheard it, as they did a couple of others I noticed. Like the one with "fair" in the middle wasn't pronounced "fair", it was pronounced "fur" (like animal fur).

[@YorkshireScott]

I listened to it carefully and she prolongs the ou part so it sounds like laugh rather than Lough to me so I can see if that is the case then I misheard as well.

[@penname5766]

belthazorish Ah ok. I could be wrong but that's how it sounded to me anyway 😃

[@cigmorfil4101]

@@YorkshireScott I have a teach yourself a foreign language which is American. In describing the sound of a vowel it says "It used to be pronounced as the O in "stop" but is now pronounced as the O in "bottle". To my English tongue and ear the O in "stop" and "bottle" is pronounced in exactly the same way. However, the pronunciation of "stop" by the American speaker on the program was more nasal, more like "stahp", which is very similar to how the computer voice pronounced the "Lough-" bit, making the 'O' nasal to sound more like "Lahff-" (laugh).

[@alastairbrewster4274]

As a speaker of Klingon , welsh place names are very familiar.

[@squishbear7868]

Try Reading, I think it's the largest town in Europe and it's where I live. It isn't pronounced how you think ;)

[@mastertrams]

Largest town... I'm guessing you mean largest settlement that isn't a city then...

[@olliemitchell12]

@@mastertrams I think you're right. They applied to be a city a few years back but it's still technically a town

[@tonyroutledge3754]

you deserve to have alot more subscribers just for your enthusiasm

[@Gymnast2Perfect]

We say it as “lufborough” the woman on google translate is just posh 🤣

[@Abigail-wz6be]

Llangollen is such a beautiful place, been going there on holiday for the past couple of years

[@Stitchycatlady]

I remember sitting on a rock on the river in Llangollen when I heard on the radio that ABBA had split 😹

[@kp-mk8nd]

Try these British towns /cities: Bicester Cirencester Yeovil

[@frglee]

Frome is apparently the most mispronounced town by foreigners in England! Some other English place names you might enjoy trying are Bicester, Mousehole and Shipbourne. In Wales try Machynlleth (I once reduced a resident of the place to tears when I tried to pronounce it!) Ysbyty Ystwyth might be challenging and another one to get your tongue round is Ystalyfera. With Welsh it helps to know what the place names mean, see: acen.co.uk › welsh-place-names-2

[@chosengirlonfire]

From what I know, in Welsh a LL is pronounced Cll or something. Very hard to say. You should try say Dolgellau and Llanellytd. It was hilarious when my geography teacher tried.

[@WanderingRavens]

Brilliant! Thank you for sharing :D

[@heidihumbug]

It’s not, Amy. It’s a completely different sound, and any ‘c’ sound is the English mispronouncing it.

[@alexhando8541]

@@heidihumbug English myself, but I do know that it's pronounced by putting your tongue to the roof of your mouth and making a shrill "h~l" sound.

[@heidihumbug]

Alex Hando you’re right in saying you put your tongue to the roof of your mouth, but there’s no ‘h’ sound involved, and it definitely isn’t shrill. Put your tongue to the roof, just at the point it slopes upwards. Slightly flatten your tongue while pressing the tip against the ‘slope’, then as you make the sound, it should sound like it’s coming from under then to the sides of your tongue. It’s quite difficult to describe something that comes naturally!

[@alexhando8541]

@@heidihumbug sorry, I didn't mean shrill, but by the (h~l) sound what I meant was a combination of those noises (sort of, but not really, as it is it's own sound)

[@penname5766]

Welsh names ARE actually phonetic, but because it's a different language, you have to know what the various phonemes are before you can decode it. And yes, it contains sounds that don't exist in English - "ll" might sound like "cl" but it's not really, so pronouncing it is another matter! Frome is in Somerset (the West Country) so quite far south. Our place names are a mixture of many tribal languages including Danish; however, the Vikings didn't go as far as Somerset (though I'm sure some did eventually) and swathes of Anglo Saxon place names are even more bizarre than Frome. Just browse a decent map of the hundreds of tiny villages that are littered across the British Isles and you'll be amazed. Actually I just looked it up and the name Frome is Brythonic, so it's ancient (potentially dating back to 800 BC) and is actually closer to Welsh and Breton (the language spoken in Brittany, France, where some of the Celts migrated to when the Germanic tribes invaded).

[@alisonallen8658]

lough as in tough! (and born and bred in watford though it was known as Cassio)

[@WanderingRavens]

Exactly! We didn't think of that!

[@alisonallen8658]

@@WanderingRavens Happisburgh is a fav do try that and Southwell!

[@admiralsquatbar127]

I used to go to West Herts College Cassio campus.

[@alisonallen8658]

@@admiralsquatbar127 me too on their access course it sent me to the east midlands and never came back!

[@admiralsquatbar127]

@@alisonallen8658 My one sent me to Wales, I didn't go back either.

[@andysutcliffe3915]

There’s a trick to Loughborough. Rough, clough, slough, tough, plough, slough. It all makes perfect sense 😀

[@bazahaza]

Not plough. You don't pluff a field.

[@Trainplanespotter-ul5pj]

You could have done Bury! It is a hard name to pronounce!

[@Rep0rter23]

Pretty sure google will pronounce these wrong but examples of Northern Irish places that people often get wrong are Magherafelt, Belvoir, loughneagh and Newtownards. If your going to use these dont read until after but they’re pronounce as follows mack-(ck being throaty)- ra-felt. Beaver. Lock-neigh and newton-ards

[@JonTonyJim]

Do Slough, Leigh and Reading but type "the town of" before the names so it pronounces them correctly

[@letitiajeavons6333]

The Philadelphia area and Delaware Valley was settled by Welsh Quakers (and English too) and plenty of towns and areas have Welsh names. We have Radnor, Bryn Mawr, Bala Cynwyd, Narberth, Merion, Tredyffrin, and a couple other Welsh place names in this area.

[@JForJack]

LL in Welsh is almost like a ‘CL’ sound but with a bit of phlegm 😂

[@mattdavies8153]

no it isn't

[@Bexyboo88]

Hehe I live near Wisbech :) Which is also fairly near Peterborough. Maybe you could try: Ely Eastrea Holkham Pytchley Zouch Swavesey Garboldisham Ickburgh Leominster Belvoir Castle

[@wetcardie66]

try "manea"

[@oc911]

I live in Towceste!!!😊

[@thisisnev]

Well played, both of you - you did better than you might think! Most of us English folks struggle with Welsh pronunciation, as well as with those really awkward English towns and villages. Quick 'n' dirty pronunciation guide for Welsh: LL = "thl" (as in "earthling"), Y = "i", U = "y", DD = "th".

[@WanderingRavens]

Thanks for the encouragement and the pronunciation tips! 😄

[@cdeford]

You missed Keighley, 'from Keighley to...), which is pronounced keethley.

[@hlund73]

Shhh, don't tell 'em Pike. That's the town I reckon they get wrong most often on the telly & radio.

[@DrDaveW]

Loughborough makes sense if you think of the words “rough” and “thorough”. “Ough” has several pronounciations in English. “Through”, “plough”, “cough”, and “though”. Even “hiccup” can be spelt “hicough” in English.

[@mastertrams]

That is a good point, and inner they're not the only pronunciation of "ough".

[@NeroPop]

the ll doesnt make a C sound its just the computer voice badly pronounciating all the welsh towns. they are pronounced slightly differently lol

[@arcadianCA]

Two villages in Lancashire, England, 15 miles apart, both spelt 'Claughton' - one is pronounced Cly-tun, the other is Claff-tun.

[@MakerfieldConsort]

Similarly there are two Meols in close proximity - the one near Southport (Meols Cop, actually) is 'Meels', whereas the one on the Wirral is 'Mells'.

[@rabiah7435]

Can you please do “Birmingham” next

[@WanderingRavens]

We've heard Birmingham pronounced by Brits before so I'm afraid we might actually get it right 😂😂

[@rabiah7435]

Wandering Ravens ok except you have to pronounce it in a brummie accent or it won’t sound right 😅 no pressure

[@DJ-dp3jy]

A lot of the welsh place names people have trouble with are just because they are welsh. Once you know how certain combinations are pronounced they end up being a lot easier to work out than the hard difficult English names which have little pattern. Its just people aren't very familiar with Welsh pronunciations.

[@DJ-dp3jy]

Double LL is a letter in Welsh that sort of has a Chl sound but you'd near to hear to be able to do it rather than trying to describe it

[@DJ-dp3jy]

And also the text to voices have trouble with welsh so some things tend not to be perfect

[@WanderingRavens]

Yeah, we weren't sure if the pronunciations she gave us were correct or Anglicised.

[@WanderingRavens]

There are some really tricky Welsh town names!!

[@MultiRainbowwarrior]

You should try pronouncing "Besses o' th' Barn", or "Simister".

[@WanderingRavens]

Thanks for the recommendations! It’s looking like we may have to do a part 3 😄

[@eviltwin2322]

Also, not too far from these is Irlams O'th Heights.

[@gazzoh]

To make the "LL" sound in Welsh the tongue goes to the roof of the mouth and you breathe the sound past tongue, teeth and lips.

[@Tawera1]

The computer voice 'Ll' wasn't exact but close. Some people say 'fl', or 'thl' or even 'hl' as well as the 'cl' sound.

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

Part 3. Scotland? Ballachulish Islay Hawick Kirkcudbright & Milngavie Are easily our best

[@Chrisey96.]

Inveraray?

[@markjones127]

Welsh is a phonetic language so really easy to pronounce properly once you know all the sounds as everything is pronounced exactly as it looks, it's just we have our own alphabet which is different to English and every letter has it's own very particular sound, learning how to pronounce LL is a great start to understanding as very few non-Welsh people can ever pronounce it, I'd say about 50% of English who genuinely think they've nailed it and can say it properly.... are still getting it wrong! It's also a sound which is virtually impossible to represent in English, it's not clan or hlan or anything similar, it's like trying to tell someone what a cough or a sneeze sounds like without actually coughing or sneezing. Llangollen is a wonderful town with a bit of a trick up it's sleeve, every year it hosts the International Eisteddfod, a celebration of the arts, singing, dancing and poetry, people from all over the world travel their to perform traditional music and dance from their home nation, whilst wearing their traditional national dress, it's absolutely incredible, so if you ever want to actually nail Welsh pronunciation go and spend a few days there!

[@cyberash3000]

i got the welsh ones right... i cheated i had a welsh ex lol

[@WanderingRavens]

The Welsh ones are brutal! We need to learn how to read Welsh :D

[@lipkinasl]

Oh you definitely should do a part 3. Very enjoyable. Or a stations on the Underground one would be cool.

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you for the recommendation! We like that video idea and have added it to our list :D

[@mrhedgebull1658]

Yep, computer lady is pronouncing Llangollen correctly, the "Ll" in Welsh is a unique sound sort of like "Cl" but with a slightly softened "c".

[@WanderingRavens]

Good to know! It's fun to learn new sounds :D

[@HRAleader]

My dad's from Llangollen and he's always pronounced it thlan-gothlen. No C anywhere.

[@frglee]

A bit like a goose hissing or trying to clear phlegm out of your throat I was once told.

[@heidihumbug]

The ‘Ll’ in Welsh absolutely does not sound like a softened ‘c’. If you’re pronouncing it with a ‘c’, you’re pronouncing it wrongly.

[@penname5766]

Ryan Jones Yes and I think the "ll" changes depending on whether it's at the start of the word or in the middle, and possibly depending what vowels follow it, and therefore how it flows into them.

[@BenColeman]

I know I'm a bit late to this one but I've come here straight from the county name video and I had to tell this story. I met an American in Hastings some years ago and to cut a long story short he told me he was leaving Hastings and moving on to Portsmouth. He pronounced it as I expected he would, Ports-mout,h and not Portsm'th as most Brits would say. He asked me if he was pronouncing it correctly, but he was at least 6'5", probably weighed over 230lbs and served in the US military. I told him his pronunciation was fine.

[@neilsa9292]

You did the right thing !

[@Rob_Infinity3]

Try pronouncing: - Droitwich - Caerphilly - Omagh

[@WanderingRavens]

Thank you for the recommendations!

[@markmccormack1214]

@@WanderingRavens hello there I have 5 more to try Tooting Bec, Clapham,, Clacton, Cannock, Hednesford, and Rhyl and to throw in one more Essex.

[@DruncanUK]

A good point to remember is that many British town names originate from Scandinavian (Viking) while Scottish also has Pict and Celtic names. Eg Aber means “mouth of river”, as in Aberdeen and Aberdour. The history of British town names can be fascinating.

[@texbankuk]

Another Master level challenge would be,what/where are the Welsh (Cymraeg)Towns Irish Gaelic Towns and Scots Gaelic Towns Road signage is Bi lingual in these locations Lots of Trip Names using this angle Ditto Old the Names/spellings for English Towns and Cities And as somebody Pointed out In LlanfairFechan the Google lady mangled the "Fair' portion Its actually pronounced : CLanVireFeckhan

[@WanderingRavens]

Thanks for sharing! We both found that to be really fascinating :D We have multiple Aberdeens in the States too. So, when we see the word 'aber' in British town names, is that a clue that it is located near a river mouth?

[@WanderingRavens]

@Mike, we were afraid that the Google lady was mispronouncing the Welsh towns ☹

[@DruncanUK]

Wandering Ravens absolutely. In fact “Aber” was the Pictish prefix for “mouth of river” while the Gaelic was Inver (Inverness, Inverurie) Similarly, Dun or Dum meant “fort”, so you have Dundee, Dunoon, etc)

[@texbankuk]

@@WanderingRavens Bad news, paste the Name into Google Translate (Welsh) and its the Robot doing the Talking and Allowing for the Audio quality It sounds right there. She says Vir and GT says Vi OK? Have copied the Link Here tinyurl.com/y74a3o85

[@Callrissian]

LL at the beginning of a word in welsh usually is pronounced as a CL sound, but LL in the middle of the name you take the first L and replace with a TH sound. Taught to me by my Grandmother who originally came from a gorgeous town in North Wales called "Betws-y-Coed" and spoke fluent Welsh. Llanfair discoed (South Wales). Betws-y-Coed (North Wales). Reading. Slough. High Wycombe. Drumnadrochit (Scotland). Pitlochry (Scotland).

[@wowcrazy-talk7307]

Absolutely, North South have very differing sound. Th watching you guys. I am sure there are few towns in the states we may find tricky.

[@Theowenrobert]

Quick translation guide - Llan - the church of ... Aber - the mouth of the river...

[@cookiejar7786]

Still haven’t gotten over Leicester in the last video! Well done on 10k subscribers. Looking forward to the live!

[@WanderingRavens]

Leicester was a wild ride! So glad you enjoyed the video :) And thank you for helping us hit 10k!

[@0utcastAussie]

@@WanderingRavens Trust me.. The only thing wild about Leicester is how you get at all the sodding Traffic Lights they have ! I think they have as much a fetish for traffic lights as Peterborough has for roundabouts !!