# If Worchester is pronounced "Wooster" is... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592 "2008-11-01T17:11:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/1 "2008-11-01T17:11:45Z")
Dorchester pronounced Dooster? Or maybe Mangrove Throatwarbler? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/2 "2008-11-01T17:15:09Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Dorchester pronounced Dooster? > > Or maybe Mangrove Throatwarbler? Is Worchestershire pronounced “Wooster?” ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/3 "2008-11-01T17:15:11Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Dorchester pronounced Dooster? > > Or maybe Mangrove Throatwarbler? Manchester = Mancher? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/4 "2008-11-01T17:17:26Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Is Worchestershire pronounced “Wooster?” It’s Worcestershire actually.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/5 "2008-11-01T17:23:46Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > It’s Worcestershire actually.😉 You’re right, of course. I was copying the OP, thinking he might be referring to something else. Even so, is it pronounced “Wooster” or “Woostershire?” I’ve always pronounced it “Worse-ter-shire.” ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/6 "2008-11-01T17:24:19Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > It’s Worcestershire actually.😉 Yeah, but it’s _pronounced_ wooster-shire. At least around here. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/7 "2008-11-01T17:25:21Z")
Worcester is pronounced “Wuster”/“Wooster”. Worcestershire is pronounced “Wustersher”. In the case of Worcestershire Sauce, I understand that some Brits drop the “shire”. Similarly, Gloucester is pronounced “Gloster”, Leicester is “Lester”, and Cirencester is… well that’s another thread. “Sissiter”? I think it depends on who you ask. Place names ending in -chester rather than -cester are pronounced more or less how a sane person would expect them to be pronounced. I can’t think of any exceptions, off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/8 "2008-11-01T17:30:06Z")
Worcestershire is properly pronounced Wooster if you are talking about the Lea & Perrins Sauce. ETA As my esteemed colleague above has just pointed out. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/9 "2008-11-01T17:31:58Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Manchester = Mancher? Don’t be obtuse. It’s “Master”. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/10 "2008-11-01T18:02:11Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > Similarly, Gloucester is pronounced “Gloster”, Leicester is “Lester”, and Cirencester is… well that’s another thread. “Sissiter”? I think it depends on who you ask. Cirencester is not far from here and everybody I know pronounces it ‘Siren-cester’. The oft-quoted ‘Sissester’ as an alternative is rarely if ever heard, at least by me. There’s not much logic to all these names. Leominster is pronouned ‘Lemster’ whereas Warminster, surprisingly, is spoken as ‘Warminster’. However, we are not alone. Leominster (pronounced “lemon-ster”) is a city in Worcester (articulated as Woo-ster) County, Massachusetts, United States. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/11 "2008-11-01T18:10:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Don’t be obtuse. It’s “Master”. :rolleyes: Heh! Wacha’ mean, “obtuse?” I’m not overweight. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/12 "2008-11-01T18:11:36Z")
There really is a city of **Wooster** in Ohio. In a perfect universe, it would be pronounced “Wor-Ches-Ter”, but, of course, it’s pronounced just like the city in Massachusetts. Darnit. > **[Wooster, Ohio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooster,_Ohio)** > > Wooster (/ˈwʊstər/ WUUS-tər) is the county seat of Wayne County, Ohio, United States. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately 50 mi (80 km) south-southwest of Cleveland, 35 mi (56 km) southwest of Akron and 30 mi (48 km) west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the 2020 census. It is the largest in Wayne County, and the center of the Wooster micropolitan area. Wooster has the main branch and administrative offices of the Wayne County Public Library, and is home to the Woo... ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/13 "2008-11-01T18:33:31Z")
If it was not clear from the foregoing, there is no ‘h’ in “Worcester.” There _is_ one in “Dorchester,” though. Therefore, one can accurately predict how to pronouce “Leicester”. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/14 "2008-11-01T18:58:47Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Dorchester pronounced Dooster? > > Or maybe Mangrove Throatwarbler? In Boston, Dorchester is pronounced “Daw-chest-uh”. Quincy (next door) is pronounced “Kwin-zee”. Braintree is pronounced like it’s spelled, but strangely no one ever laughs at the name. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/15 "2008-11-01T20:23:23Z")
Worcester, Mass., is pronounced as “ **Whih** -stah” by the locals. It makes more sense if you think of it as Worce-ster, e.g. “the city of Worce” (or hamlet or whatever -ster means.) Throw in the tendency of some of the English (and Bostonians) to drop their R’s and you get Wooster/Whihstah. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/16 "2008-11-01T22:04:01Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > Braintree is pronounced like it’s spelled, but strangely no one ever laughs at the name. I grew up (and now live) not all that far from the original Braintree. It never struck me as funny or odd, either, until one day, giving someone directions, they burst out laughing. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/17 "2008-11-01T22:29:24Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There really is a city of **Wooster** in Ohio. In a perfect universe, it would be pronounced “Wor-Ches-Ter”, but, of course, it’s pronounced just like the city in Massachusetts. Darnit. > [Wooster, Ohio - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooster,_Ohio) I live in Wooster, OH, and we can tell immediately that someone is not from around here if s/he pronounces Wooster as though it rhymes with rooster. Appallingly, this egregious error was made in the movie “We Are Marshall.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/18 "2008-11-01T22:42:00Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > In Boston, Dorchester is pronounced “Daw-chest-uh”. Quincy (next door) is pronounced “Kwin-zee”. Braintree is pronounced like it’s spelled, but strangely no one ever laughs at the name. Ah, but nothing identifies an outsider like somebody who mispronounces Peabody. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/19 "2008-11-01T22:46:10Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Ah, but nothing identifies an outsider like somebody who mispronounces Peabody. One of my friends was from the mid-west and got a job at a radio station when he was going to school in Boston. There was a snow storm and he was the only one around to announce the school closures. The switchboard lit up (literally, this was in the 50’s) with people complaing about his pronounciation of Peabody and all the other names of cities around Boston. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/20 "2008-11-01T22:52:59Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Worcester, Mass., is pronounced as “ **Whih** -stah” by the locals. It makes more sense if you think of it as Worce-ster, e.g. “the city of Worce” (or hamlet or whatever -ster means.) You’re on the right track: the suffix is actually “cester”, or “chester” or “caster” : it derives from the Latin “castra”, or military camp, which later became the Anglo-Saxon “ceastre”. Any British town ending in “chester” or the like was originally a Roman military settlement; if it ends in “shire” it was, well, a shire or district. Worcestershire is thus the Anglo-Saxon name for the district around an old Roman garrison town. God knows who or what “Wor” {or more probably “weor”} was though: the original words have become pretty corrupted. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592.md?page=2)