# How does one pronounce "Methuen", as in the publishing house in the UK? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513 "2005-06-30T14:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/1 "2005-06-30T14:27:58Z")
Just wondering how Methuen is pronounced. I have a feeling I have been mispronouncing it. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/2 "2005-06-30T14:55:15Z")
The town in Massachusetts is “Muh-THOO-en”. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/3 "2005-06-30T15:11:16Z")
ElvisL1ves, As a New Englander you know it’s Meh-chew-en, at least to those making fun of that wonderful berg. For the OP, I’d go pretty much with what Elvis said, though I’d have spelled it “Meh-th-oo-en” Meth - like the drug, oo - like a short ghosty bit, en - standard “en” type suffix. -Butler ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/4 "2005-06-30T17:11:45Z")
Thanks Elvis. That’s the way I’d been saying it; I once overheard someone say “METH’-you-in” and got all confused. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/5 "2005-06-30T17:25:37Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > As a New Englander you know it’s Meh-chew-en, at least to those making fun of that wonderful berg. 🙂 And Chelmsford is Chemsford. And Wilmington is Wimmington. How can we stand living here? :rolleyes: I remember a song from about 20 years ago (John Lincoln Wright, perhaps?): _“Living in Braintree, With you in Methuen, Is almost like living in Lowell.”_ Just to respond to the OP: Worcester is pronounced differently in Massachusetts than it is in Britain, as are many place names, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the British pronunciation you heard was correct. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/6 "2005-06-30T18:36:50Z")
Speaking of this whole mess, I was listening to a radio advert today on the way back from lunch, and heard an (obviously out of towner) annoucer call Woburn as WO-Burn. Drives me nuts that they’d play it like that here! It’s Wooooooo-burn. Worcester here is woo-ster, nor Wor-Ches-ter. The latter is a mark of a tourist! -Butler (wondering where he can get a Tourist hunting license, it’s the season after all!) ---
**Author:** ![Axel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6de8d8/32.png) [@Axel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Axel)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/7 "2005-06-30T19:28:07Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Thanks Elvis. > > That’s the way I’d been saying it; I once overheard someone say “METH’-you-in” > and got all confused. METH-you-en is the way I, with a Standard English accent, would say it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/8 "2005-06-30T19:31:49Z")
> [@Plynck](#): > > 🙂 And Chelmsford is Chemsford. And Wilmington is Wimmington. How can we stand living here? :rolleyes: . Hmmm. Native New Englander checking in I always said “me-THUE-en”, or maybe closer to “mu-ThUE- en” and Chelmsford is “CHUMS-ford”. But it’s kind of a schwa- e type thing, somewhere between a short e and a short u. And Chelmsford has the tiniest hint of an “l” before the s. It’s like you start to say the “l”, but don’t acutally say it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/9 "2005-06-30T19:34:00Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > Speaking of this whole mess, I was listening to a radio advert today on the way back from lunch, and heard an (obviously out of towner) annoucer call Woburn as WO-Burn. Drives me nuts that they’d play it like that here! It’s Wooooooo-burn. Nope: WOOOOO-b’n > [@](#): > > Worcester here is woo-ster, nor Wor-Ches-ter. The latter is a mark of a tourist! WUSS-tuh. Let’s get it right! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/10 "2005-06-30T21:03:58Z")
I’ll stand corrected. Can’t spell correct english without trying really hard. Phonetic spelling, even less so. I do say it “right” in person, but it’s kind of like emotionality online, tough to represent it properly. Still no word on the Tourist permits though. What’s the bag limit? I assume shotguns and bows only in MA and Southern NH. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/11 "2005-06-30T21:42:04Z")
METH-you-in As it’s a British publishing house, New England pronunciation not really relevant. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/12 "2005-06-30T21:50:49Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Hmmm. Native New Englander checking in > > …Chelmsford is “CHUMS-ford”. But it’s kind of a schwa- e type thing, somewhere between a short e and a short u. And Chelmsford has the tiniest hint of an “l” before the s. It’s like you start to say the “l”, but don’t acutally say it. I presume this is a new world Chelmsford? Although the original isn’t that different - “Chems-ford”, also with a slight hint of the L. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/13 "2005-06-30T21:58:57Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > I presume this is a new world Chelmsford? New World… how very quaint of you. 🙂 Yep, Chelmsford, MA. Most of MA city names are either of Native American origin (like the state itself) or have cognates from England. Makes it confusing, because the England cognates often have cognates in the other N.E. states, too, which may be only an hour or so drive away. Not to mention the cognates outside of N.E., as well. Portsmouth, anyone? Not sure if Concord comes from England, but that’s a real popular one, too. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/14 "2005-06-30T22:04:49Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Most of MA city names are either of Native American origin (like the state itself) or have cognates from England. Makes it confusing Yeah…that Braintree deserved to be a subway terminus always amuses me 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/15 "2005-06-30T22:39:01Z")
Here’s one: Waltham. You goes over there say WALLTH-um, almost as if it were one syllable, right? In MA, it’s WALL-tham, almost exagerating the separation between the syllables by drawing out the first “A”. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/16 "2005-06-30T22:40:06Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > METH-you-in > > As it’s a British publishing house, New England pronunciation not really relevant. Thank you irishgirl and Axel; I was hoping for input from the European side; since I was specifically interested in the UK book publishers. Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/17 "2005-06-30T22:47:50Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Not sure if Concord comes from England, but that’s a real popular one, too. I don’t think it does come from England - I can’t find any locality that it’s likely to stem from. It’s far more likely to be a true original name, similar to 'Freetown’s the world over. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/18 "2005-06-30T23:33:46Z")
It was probably named after the airplane. ---
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/19 "2005-07-01T01:41:36Z")
Since we’re all here - can someone do \*\*Gloucester \*\* for me? I’m embarrassed to say after all these decades in MA I’m still not clear if it’s gluhster (as in duh) or glahster (as in gloss or slaw) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513/20 "2005-07-01T01:57:15Z")
> [@uglybeech](#): > > Since we’re all here - can someone do \*\*Gloucester \*\* for me? I’m embarrassed to say after all these decades in MA I’m still not clear if it’s gluhster (as in duh) or glahster (as in gloss or slaw) Here it’s pronounced _glo-ster_, to rhyme with roster, or the last two syllables of imposter. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-methuen-as-in-the-publishing-house-in-the-uk/310513.md?page=2)