15 Scottish place names that people struggle to…

15 Scottish place names that people struggle to pronounce

Every country in the world has place names that are difficult to pronounce even to people from there, and Scotland is no different.

It is common for locals to make fun of tourists pronouncing Edinburgh or Glasgow wrong, but there are many towns and villages that even Scots have a hard time getting right.

From Hawick to Wemyss Bay, even names that look easy to say on first glance may trip you up the first time you try to pronounce it. In some cases, even sounding out each syllable won't help you.

Here is a rundown of 15 place names in Scotland that people commonly pronounce wrong.

Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments!

Ecclefechan

This small village in Dumfries and Galloway is pronounced Eck-el-feck-han.

Findochty

Findochty is a fishing village near Buckie in Moray, and is pronounced Fin-eck-tay.

Garioch

Garioch is one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire. While you may think it is pronounced Garry-och, it is actually Gee-ree.

Kilconquhar

Looking at the name of this village and parish in Fife, you probably would not guess that it is pronounced Kin-uck-ar.

Strathaven

While on first glance you may assume that this historic market town in South Lanarkshire is said Strath-hay-ven, it is actually Stray-ven.

Ae

This one is easy. The village with the shortest name in the UK is simply pronounced eh.

Hawick

Hawick is the largest town in the Scottish Borders, and is pronounced Hoy-k—not Hay-wick.

Milngavie

It's easy to assume this is pronounced Miln-gav-ee, but the East Dunbartonshire town is actually said Mull-guy.

Culross

This is another one that is easy to get tripped up on. Don't be fooled into thinking that this village in Fife is pronounced Cull-Ross—it's actually Coo-riss.

Anstruther

Anstruther is a small coastal resort town in Fife, popular with day-trippers and holidaymakers. To pronounce it like a local, you would say Ainster.

Wemyss Bay

While you may assume that this is pronounced We-miss Bay, it's actually even simpler—Weems Bay.

Ballachulish

The village of Ballachulish is centred on former slate quarries and is pronounced Ball-a-hoolish.

Freuchie

This Fife town is one of the easier names to get right on this list, but still many incorrectly pronounce it as Froo-chee. It's actually Froo-kay.

Auchtermuchty

Pronouncing Auchtermuchty, another town in Fife, may look like a difficult task on first glance, but it's easier than you might think. You simply say it as Awk-ter-muck-tay.