We have a fair few pronunciation pitfalls in our region
Even locals get tripped up by these tongue twisters
There’s nothing quite like the panic of staring at a road sign and having no idea how to pronounce it – and even the Midlands has it’s fair share of linguistic minefields.
Not only can they be a trap for outsiders, but let’s be honest, plenty of us locals are guilty of butchering these names too.
From fiercely debated town names to silent letters that completely defy logic, our region is packed with place names which look one way but sound another.
We’ve listed the biggest pronunciation puzzles the Midlands has to offer.
READ MORE: How Birmingham gang plotted horrific shooting of dad on school run
Caldmore
One of our all time favourites, a true masterclass in deception. This is pronounced ‘karma’. Honestly, just trust us.
Weoley Castle
Don’t let the spelling fool you. Think of a bike stunt or a bin – it’s ‘wheelie’.
Wilnecote
A head scratcher. You might think ‘wilncut’ but apparently locals say ‘wincut’. Tamworth folk, please explain.
Nechells
Don’t let the spelling trick you into thinking of the Seychelles. It’s not ‘neeshells’, it’s ‘neechuls’.
Belvoir Road
One from our neighbours in Burton. Logic might tell you it’s ‘bell-vwah’ but you’re not even close. This one’s beaver, like the animal. Really, it is.
Wednesbury
Don’t overcomplicate this (yes, we’re talking to our friends across the pond). If you can pronounce Wednesday, it’s simple – it’s ‘wens-bree’.
Alvechurch
Pretty sure some train announcements destroy this one. There aren’t three syllables, it’s just ‘alv-church’.
Bordesley Green
Another syllable trap here, it’s shorter on the tongue. This one’s pronounced ‘bords-lee’ not ‘bor-des-lee.
Shrewsbury
The ultimate Midlands pronunciation test. Are you Team ‘shroos-bury’ or Team ‘shrows-bury’? Depending on who you ask, both (or neither) are correct.
Smethwick
Pronouncing the ‘w’ is the quickest way to reveal you’re not from around here. Drop it to get ‘smeth-ick’.
Brewood
This is a trap, do not fall for it. In South Staffordshire, we say ‘brood’.
Rowley Regis
Think ‘row’, rhyming with cow, not low. As for the second part, it’s ‘re-juss’. Put it together and you get ‘row-lee ree-juss’.
Giggetty Lane
A wonderful one from Wombourne. Think of doing a ‘jig’ rather than going to a ‘gig’ so it’s ‘jiggetty’.
Tettenhall
Why use three syllables when two will do? Let’s condense this right down. In Wolverhampton, this one’s ‘tet-nul’.
Billesley
This isn’t the time to articulate every letter. Skip the middle vowel entirely. It’s not ‘bill-es-lee’, it’s a snappy ‘bills-lee’.
Cradley Heath
An important one in the Black Country. Think of a baby’s cradle with this one. Avoid the trap of ‘crad-lee’, it’s ‘crayd-lee’.
Great Wyrley
A stumbling block for many. Don’t get this wrong by saying ‘wire-lee’ instead of ‘wurl-lee’.
Halfpenny Green
A South Staffordshire puzzle. Locals say ‘hayp-knee’, although we’ve also heard ‘ha’penny’.
Rugeley
You’ve got a 50/50 chance of getting this right. Depending on who you ask (and perhaps how old they are), you’ll hear ‘rouge-lee’ or ‘rudge-lee’.
Moseley
Think of mowing the grass and combine it was a ‘z’ sound – you get the correct pronunciation of ‘mowz-lee’. Definitely not ‘moss-lee’.
Seisdon
Don’t let the spelling trick you into saying ‘size-don’ when you’re in South Staffordshire. Think of the word ‘seize’ (as in seizing the day) and you will get ‘seize-don’.
Wightwick
A classic trap which might trick you into saying ‘white-wick’. This Wolverhampton neighbourhood is ‘wit-tik’.
Walsall
Think of the Polish capital Warsaw. Locally, we skip the first ‘l’ sound and say ‘war-sawl’.
Hednesford
If you are pronouncing the ‘d’, you’ve already failed. The ‘d’ and second ‘e’ are silent, making ‘hens-fud’.
Aldridge
Don’t think of the name ‘Al’ (or the Paul Simon song). It’s always ‘all-dridge’.
Knowle
You probably know this one already, right? The first letter is strictly for show. It’s ‘nole’.
Walmley
A simpler one from Sutton Coldfield. It sounds exactly like the word warmly.
Styvechale/Stivichall
Two accepted spellings for this place in Coventry. However you write it, don’t let that rogue ‘v’ trip you up when you say it. It’s ‘sty-chel’ or ‘sty-chal’.
Shenstone
Don’t pronounce the ‘stone’ like a rock. In true Midlands fashion, soften the ending so it’s simply ‘shen-stun’.
Coseley
Lengthen the first vowel to make ‘oh’ and add a ‘z’ sound too. We say ‘cohz-lee’ round here.
Patshull
The ‘h’ is purely decorative. It’s ‘pat-sull’ not ‘pat-shull’ for this South Staffordshire village.
Wythall
Don’t let that ‘y’ throw you off. We say ‘with-all’, nice and simple.
Gnosall
A Staffordshire village with a silent ‘g’. This is ‘no-sawl’ and definitely doesn’t sound like ‘nozzle’.
Leominster
The spelling looks fancy but it’s easier than you think. Crossing the border into Herefordshire, you need to say ‘lem-ster’.
Alcester
Smooth this one right down when you’re in Warwickshire to ‘ullster’.
Worcester
An easy one for us locals but a nightmare for some tourists. It’s ‘wusster’.
Trysull
Another South Staffordshire trap here. Think of a forest and say ‘tree-sull’.
Whoberley
If you say this how it’s spelt, you might get some funny looks in Coventry. We’re told it’s ‘wo-ber-lee’ not ‘hoo-ber-lee’.
Cheylesmore
If you’re in any doubt, think of our King for this puzzle. It’s pronounced ‘charles-more’ in Coventry.
Malvern
We will accept ‘mol-ven’ and ‘mul-ven’ but never ‘mal-ven’.
Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here.