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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Emilia Bona & Lottie Gibbons

The 14 Merseyside place names people cannot pronounce correctly

Pronouncing the names of towns and villages in Merseyside can be a struggle for people outside the area.

Some words are not spoken how they are spelt - and this is true for places in our region.

Inspired by Lancs Live, we decided to revisit our own piece from 2020 exploring the names that people often find tricky.

From Aigburth, Saughall Massie to the tongue twist that is Thurstaston, we look at the repeat offenders.

Have we missed any? Let us know in the comments below.

Aigburth (pronounced Egg-burth)

People from outside Liverpool sometimes pronounce this one as 'Ah-ig-burth'.

The 'aig' at the start of this L17 and L19 area is actually pronounced 'egg', which can trip people up if they've never seen it before.

Claughton (pronounced Claw-ton)

Over the water in Birkenhead, Claughton can confuse people who get caught out by the 'augh' sound in the middle. It's 'Claw-ton'.

Fazakerley (pronounced Faz-ak-er-lee)

This one blows people's minds if they're not from Merseyside - maybe it's something to do with the Z and K.

People often need to take a bit of a run-up to try and pronounce this one or give it two attempts before they land on the right one.

Gateacre (pronounced Gat-ah-ker)

The mispronunciation of this one is actually pretty understandable - with 'gate' and 'acre' both in there making it a minefield for non-Scousers.

Gateacre isn't a 'pronounce it as you see it' area of Merseyside and is actually pronounced 'Gat-ah-ker', much to the confusion of anyone not from here.

Huyton (pronounced High-ton)

This one seems obvious when you're from here, but it trips a lot of people up. Trying to pronounce the 'u' and the 'y' in this is a road to disaster.

Also, don't get confused between Huyton in Knowsley and Hightown in Formby.

Kirkby (pronounced Kir-bee)

Anyone from outside the region will likely pronounce Kirkby like 'Kirk-bee'.

But the second K is silent.

Maghull (pronounced Mag-ull)

Bradley Walsh tripped up on this place name in a recent episode of The Chase. Contestant Claire baffled Bradley when she revealed she was a teacher at Deyes High School in Maghull.

Bradley said: "Muggle? Is that a place?"

Claire said: "Unfortunately, it's not in Harry Potter."

Bradley said: "I was gonna say. It does sound like something from Harry Potter, doesn't it."

Like Kirkby, Maghull is a silent letter minefield. It's 'Mag-ull' not 'Mag-hull'.

Saughall Massie (pronounced Saw-gull Mass-ee)

Even proud locals get puzzled by this one.

The village, which is bordered by Greasby and Upton, is a mispronunciation nightmare that can definitely trip people up.

Saughall is an Anglo Saxon word meaning a place where willow shrubs grow while Massie has been connected to the time of the Norman conquest when Hamon de Massey was made Earl of Chester from 1071.

Meols (pronounced Mels)

The village Meols near Hoylake is another silent letter nightmare. People outside the area will pronounce it 'Me-ols'.

But it's actually Mels.

Meols was named by the Vikings and is Old Norse for 'sand dunes'.

Walton/Woolton

This isn't necessarily a pronunciation issue, but new arrivals will often get Walton and Woolton mixed up. Walton is north of Anfield and east of Bootle and Orrell Park.

Whereas Woolton borders Allerton, Gateacre, Hunt's Cross and Halewood.

Childwall (pronounced Chill-wall)

There's some debate as to how exactly this is pronounced.

The majority of people will say 'Chill-wall'. However, there is a minority that pronounces the 'd' making it 'Chilled-Wall'.

But as long as you avoid saying 'child' you'll be grand.

Thurstaston

Thurstaston is pronounced how it looks, but it's quite the tongue twister.

Your best bet is to break the word up into small amounts - practice makes perfect.

Thurstaston is not named after Thor's Stone on Thurstaston Common, it actually means 'farm village' in Old Norse.

Tuebrook (Tue-brewk)

How you say Tuebrook will give away exactly where you're from. While most people manage the start of 'chew', the ending can catch non-Scousers out.

If you want to appear as a local, don't pronounce 'brook' like you would 'rook'. Instead, say 'brew' with a 'k' at the end.

Caldy (Coldy)

All you have to do with this one is switch the 'A' for an 'O' - simple.

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