Towns and villages in the South West, from Brixham to Bovey Tracey, are most commonly mispronounced

Some people think that Cornish place names can be difficult to get off your tongue. But venture across the Tamar and you’ll find that the test of the South West is also a treasure trove of picturesque towns and villages that attract tourists from across the UK – with its own unique place names it can often leave visitors tongue-tied. .

From Clovelly to Clifford’s Mesne and Beaminster to Brixham, there are several places in the region that can be quite difficult to pronounce correctly.

Language learning platform Preply has compiled a list of the top 10 most difficult place names to pronounce in the South West. Topping the list is Bovey Tracey, a small Devon town with a population of 6,236 according to the 2021 census.

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Set on the edge of Dartmoor, Bovey Tracey was once a thriving Saxon community and takes its name from the River Bovey. For the uninitiated, the correct local pronunciation is “Buv-ee Tracey”.

Another mispronounced place is Huish Episcopi in Somerset. The correct pronunciation is “Hugh-ish A-pis-co-pee”, not the commonly heard “Hugh-ish Epis-co-pie”, Bristol Live reports.

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The picturesque village, with a population of just 2,644, might pose a bit of a challenge for non-locals, with its Old English name ‘Huish Episcopi’ breaking down to ‘Huish’, from the Old English ‘Hiwisc’ which means household. or family unit and “Bishops”, indicating ownership by the Bishop of Wells.

In the south-west, other lesser-known hamlets also present pronunciation puzzles, such as Southrop in Gloucestershire (pronounced correctly as ‘Suth-rup’), Iwerne Minster in Dorset (which will be pronounced ‘U- ern Minster”) and private property in Devon. the port village of Clovelly, which is properly pronounced ‘Clo-vell-ee’.

Sylvia Johsnon, Head of Methodology at Preply, explained: “A key reason why some streets, villages and even rivers are more difficult to pronounce than others is the result of historical linguistic evolution. Several place names often reflect a mixture of ancient languages ​​such as Old English, Norman, Norse and Celtic, which have unique combinations of letters that do not follow typical pronunciation rules.”

She added: “In addition, variations in local dialects also contribute to the complexity of pronouncing certain place names, making them difficult to pronounce correctly, even for English speakers unfamiliar with the region.”

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The ten most commonly mispronounced places in the Southwest

1. Bovey Tracey, Devon – pronounced “Buv-ee Tracey” (incorrectly pronounced (Bow-vee Tracey))
2. Huish Episcopi, Somerset – pronounced “Hugh-ish A-pis-co-pee” (incorrectly pronounced “Hugh-ish Epis-co-pie”)
3. Southrop, Gloucestershire – pronounced ‘Suth-rup’ (incorrectly pronounced ‘South-rop’)
4. Beaminster, Dorset – pronounced “Beh-muhn-stuh” (incorrectly pronounced “Bee-minster”)
5. Clovelly, Devon – pronounced “Clo-vell-ee” (incorrectly pronounced “Cluv-lee”)
6. Clifford’s Mesne, Gloucestershire – pronounced “Clifford’s Meen” (incorrectly pronounced “Clifford’s Mes-nee”)
7. Worle, Somerset – pronounced “Whirl” (incorrectly pronounced “Worl-ee”)
8. Iwerne Minster, Dorset – pronounced “U-ern Minster” (incorrectly pronounced “I-wern Minster”)
9. Michaelwood, Gloucestershire – pronounced “Mickle-wood” (incorrectly pronounced “Michael-wood”)
10. Brixham, Devon – pronounced “Brik-sum” (incorrectly pronounced “Brix-ham”)

Cornwall has a very long list of its own place names that are difficult to pronounce. Read more about it here.