# Quick pronunciation query.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-query/428407>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 1, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-query/428407 "2007-12-01T01:52:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**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:** [December 2, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-query/428407/21 "2007-12-02T21:54:19Z")

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[QUOTE=KneadToKnow]  
😕

They aren’t misspelled the same, why would they be mispronounced the same?  
[/QUOTE]

Forget about it Jake, it’s Massachusetts.

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-query/428407/22 "2007-12-03T01:34:31Z")

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A UKer of my aquaintance pronounced “Worcestershire” roughly as “Wursher” - is that common?

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-query/428407/23 "2007-12-03T15:32:04Z")

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[QUOTE=Nametag]  
A UKer of my aquaintance pronounced “Worcestershire” roughly as “Wursher” - is that common?  
[/QUOTE]

No. Or at least I’ve never heard anyone pronounce it that way.

The county of Worcestershire is pronounced “WUSS-tershuh”, with the stress on the first syllable. It’s not a long “Woo” sound, it’s Wuss to rhyme with Puss. The final syllable is an unaccented schwa vowel.

For some reason, though, Worcestershire sauce is generally pronounced as if it were called Worcester sauce: WUSS-ter.

“Wursher” is just wrong.

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**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-query/428407/24 "2007-12-03T15:49:20Z")

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[QUOTE=mangeorge]  
😃  
No. I had to say “gloster” to someone.  
[/QUOTE]

If I am unsure of pronunciation, I kinda cough/cover my mouth/mumble the word all at the same time. I typically get away with it. My latest fiasco was “quinoa”. I always thought it was “kwin-oh-ah” but it turns out it is something like “kin-wah”. 🙂

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