The 8 most mispronounced place names in and around Derbyshire including Crich and Ilkeston
There are a number of places in the county that outsiders just can't pronounce
If you’re a Derby local, you will no doubt know how to correctly pronounce the names of Derbyshire towns and cities.
If you’re new to the area, or if you’ve heard the names of various Derby towns, you may well wonder how to say a particularly unique name such as Ilkeston - more on that later.
Mispronouncing a name can be a surefire giveaway that you’re an outsider.
Read more: Your Derby
Rumour has it, that spies got caught out by this in the First World War by mispronouncing place names.
Some employment companies that redeploy staff around the world, also host orientation classes where people new to an area can learn how to pronounce place names, so they can settle into an area properly.
There are plenty of places in Derbyshire whose names may cause a little head-scratching.
Just for fun, here are a few names that have confused in the past, and continue to divide locals.
Derby
If you split the word up and read how it appears on the page, it should be pronounced “Durr-by.”
If you go around pronouncing it like this, you may get barred from your local pub, or friends may disown you as someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about.
The correct way to pronounce this fabulous city is “Darh-bee.”
Derbyshire
Variations of this place name include “Darby-shy-er” although the right way to say it is “Darby-shurr.”
Eyam
You may be mistaken, and rightly so, for pronouncing his village in the Derbyshire Dales as “Eee-yam.”
“Eeem” is supposed to be the correct way to say it, which you can remember by a silly ditty such as ‘The team in Eeem meets frequently on the green.’
Loughborough
We had to include Loughborough on our list, which is just 30 minutes away from Derby city centre.
Variations we have heard in the past include “Luff-borough” and “L-ow-borough.”
One hilarious pronunciation - we dare you not to laugh - is “loo-ga-bor-oo-ga.”
Check out content creator Theo Walker’s take on how badly some mispronounce Loughborough!
Alvaston
“Al-vas-tonh” may be the way some pronounce the name of this Derby suburb, however the right way to say it is “Al-vus-tun.”
Borrowash
In this instance, saying the word exactly how it appears to be, is the right way.
If Eminem rocked up to Borrowash, he and other fast talkers may pronounce this Derbyshire village as “Borr-ash” but the correct pronunciation is actually “Borrow-wash.”
Ilkeston
Quite possibly one of the most contentious on our list, this Derbyshire town is sometimes pronounced as “ills-tun” mainly by locals or perhaps those who speak quickly.
The right way to say it is “ill-kiss-tun.”
Kedleston
Another Derbyshire village is under the spotlight as we take a look at how it should be spoken, and how often it is mispronounced.
If you read it, and how it appears on paper, you may think “Ked-less-tun” was the right way.
We think it is more of a tongue-roller, where the whole word trips off the tongue in one quick, mashed-up syllable “Ked-ulls-tun.”
Crich
“Crick” is one common mispronunciation of this pretty Derbyshire village.
The right way to say it is an amalgamation of two words that roll into one another, ‘cry’ and ‘itch’ to be spoken as “Cry-itch.’