# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**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 3, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/61 "2008-11-03T16:58:17Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > Peabody is pronounced Pee-buh-dee. It is pronounced very fast with a slight accent on the second syllable. It always sounded to me like the slight accent was on the first syllable, with the last two falling off: PEE-buh-dee. ---
**Author:** ![CrimeThink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@CrimeThink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrimeThink)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/62 "2008-11-03T17:02:12Z")
I live in Worcester, Ma and it is most commonly pronounced “Whister”, not “Woostah” by people who live here. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/63 "2008-11-03T18:11:48Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > Peabody is pronounced Pee-buh-dee. It is pronounced very fast with a slight accent on the second syllable. The north shore folks (where Peabody is located), specifically Lynn folks (next town over, where my family is from) would have pronounced it PEE-BIDY. It’s a clear marker for folks from that area. > [@bbs2k](#): > > Here’s the rule for pronouncing **Billerica, MA** : > > If you’re from outside of MA, it’s “Bill-_er_-ricca”. > > If you live in MA, you know to drop the “er”, and it’s “Bill-riccah”. > > If you’ve actually lived there though, it’s just “Buh-riccah”. If you were really local, and/or lived there, it would just be Riccah. I once listened to a book on tape that had characters in and out of the “House of Corrections” there, and it was anguishing to listen to as they pronounced it as Bill-ERR-ica. It was horrible to listen to, especially as I’ve worked in the town, and went to school with lots of folks from Billerica who taught me in no uncertain terms how they pronounce it. The author was local, or had enough experience in the area to properly describe the area, but the reader obviously wasn’t, and it wasn’t reviewed by the author. The Woburn, Peabody, Billerica, Worcester pronunciations always tell me that a local business has outsourced their voice work on their ads, and didn’t proof the recordings well enough. I’d be far less inclined to frequent those businesses if they can’t care enough to get the correct local pronunciations correct. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/64 "2008-11-03T19:03:23Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > Good god. > . > . > . > . > > [change subject] > . > . > . > . > No love for Bicester, then? There’s not much to love about Bicester. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/65 "2008-11-03T22:15:10Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > 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. Actually we pronounce it as Wis-ster. Leominster can go either way. Dorchester is Door-chester with more of a short “o” sound. (yes, I’m from MA – why do you ask?) 😉 ---
**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 4, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/66 "2008-11-04T00:59:45Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I’ve always thought that situations like that were weird - “Let’s name the town after our beloved hometown… er, how did we pronounce it again?” Ohio is rife with this kind of thing thing. I used to near Mantua, Ohio, which has signs at the town limits proclaiming that it was named for the famous Italian city. But it’s pronounced MAN-uh-way. We also have Milan (MY-lun), Lima (LYE-muh), Russia (ROOSH-ee), and Versailles, which is of course pronounced ver-SALES. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/67 "2008-11-04T02:36:15Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > Okay, I think I have heard it pronounced like that, but is that an English-English thing? How do they pronounce the famous Peabody Hotel in Memphis? I’ve lived in Memphis for the past four years, and I’ve only heard it pronounced how it’s spelled (PEA-Body). Maybe a true Memphian could vouch for me, or correct me. (I didn’t know until a local informed me that McLean Avenue–a major street in midtown–is pronounced “Mc-LANE”). ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/68 "2008-11-04T06:52:43Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > There’s not much to love about Bicester. Bisster? Well it’s not too far from Worminghall (Werminal) ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/69 "2008-11-04T12:47:56Z")
My wife’s grandma lives in Froncysyllte and even after many visits I still can’t say it “properly”. We have a village here called “Beausale” which ends up as “Bowsull” (or “Buzzle” if you’re proper rural). ---
**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 4, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/70 "2008-11-04T13:22:54Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Actually we pronounce it as Wis-ster. Leominster can go either way…(yes, I’m from MA – why do you ask?) OK, I’ll defer to that. 🙂 ‘Siren-cester’ is correct though, because I was there yesterday and checked on it by stopping all pedestrians and asking them how Cirencester is pronounced. (If my sample was small it’s because most of them ran away.) ---
**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 4, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/71 "2008-11-04T14:44:37Z")
> [@Gotterfunken](#): > > (I didn’t know until a local informed me that McLean Avenue–a major street in midtown–is pronounced “Mc-LANE”). Which is actually the correct pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![SharkB8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/72 "2008-11-04T14:57:45Z")
I’ve also heard PEE b’dee. Or as my boyfriend likes to bring up, their police department: PEE b’dee P.D. The other thing about Mass that confuses the crap out of me is Dedham - DEAD’m, Needham - NEED’m, etc…but it’s Raynham - RAIN ham and Wareham - WARE ham. I’ve also never known how to pronounce Effingham…either way, it’s slightly inappropriate… EFF-ing’m “She was Effingham,” or EFF ing ham, as in, “Ma, pass the Effingham. And the effing gravy while you’re at it.” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592/73 "2008-11-04T15:35:51Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I used to live in Milton Keynes (England), and among the areas in that town were three that included the letters “ought”, each with a different pronunciation: > > Loughton (pronounced lout-n) > Broughton (pronounced bror-tn) > Woughton (pronounced, bizarrely, woof-tn) > > I don’t blame visitors to England for being confused by our place names. My wife grew up in another Broughton, in Hampshire, which is pronounced the same as the Milton Keynes one. The next village along is called Houghton, which provides yet a fourth pronunciation - it’s “Hoe-tn” (although some locals say it should be “How-tn”). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-worchester-is-pronounced-wooster-is/470592.md?page=3)