# Wus-ter . . . or WOR-CESTER??!!!??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 1999, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199 "1999-12-02T22:29:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![theuglytruth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@theuglytruth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theuglytruth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/1 "1999-12-02T22:29:00Z")
Here I am in Worcester, MA. Nice town, but one thing drives me UP the friggin’ wall EVERY time I visit this burg: HOW DO YOU GET “WUS-TER” OUT OF “WOR-CEST-ER???” Why do you chowds pronouce the cities name this way??? Who’s idea was it? Are you just too lazy to pronounce it the RIGHT way? I can understand Des Moines being pronouced Day- Moyne. After all that’s French. And Illinois being pronounced Ill-in-oy and Arkansas Arkan-saw are also probably offshoots of that gutter dialect. BUT WUSTER OUT OF WORCESTER??? Come on, Worcester isn’t French!!! ## Explantion please. [http://pwbts.com](http://pwbts.com) [http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/parliament/1685/](http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/parliament/1685/) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/2 "1999-12-02T22:36:00Z")
I think it’s the Brit’s version of trying to be Irish. Throw a bunch of extraneous letters in there to confuse unsuspecting saps. Those that can’t pronounce them are furr’ners. A modern sort of “shibboleth.” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/3 "1999-12-02T22:37:00Z")
OK–“Brits’” ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/4 "1999-12-02T22:39:00Z")
Worce - ster. Remember, a lot of things in that area still retain their ties to Old England where the spelling of a word often has no relationship to how it is pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/5 "1999-12-02T22:58:00Z")
What does this mean? > [@](#): > > I think it’s the Brits version of trying to be Irish. I suppose you have to remember also that when places such as Worcester (England) were arose, hardly anyone could read or write. How would you pronounce Cholmondley then ? Answers on a postcard to… ---
**Author:** ![mipsman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mipsman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipsman)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/6 "1999-12-02T23:00:00Z")
Cher3, you are probably right but why would the pronunciation shift away from the original “chester” (derived from the Latin “castra”) that so many British cities retained? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/7 "1999-12-02T23:00:00Z")
Android– I had a thread a while back about Irish spelling. The Irish have a bewildering system of mysterious silent consonants–if you’re not familiar with the language (like me). My post in this one was not to be taken seriously. It was laden with levity, not gravity. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/8 "1999-12-02T23:03:00Z")
Is the same as that Lea & Perrins condiment, Whatsthishere Sauce? * * * TT “Believe those who seek the truth. Doubt those who find it.” --Andre Gide ---
**Author:** ![Drew\_17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@Drew\_17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drew_17)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/9 "1999-12-03T00:27:00Z")
Yes, I think Cher3 is right. The Brisith pronunciation makes the “Wor-ces-ter” we would expect turn into “Wor-'ster”, and then the oft-imitated accent of Eastern Massachusetts drops the Rs. In fact, a more accurate spelling may be “woo-stAH.” ---
**Author:** ![Drew\_17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@Drew\_17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drew_17)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/10 "1999-12-03T00:32:00Z")
oops- I meant British, of course. But as for your assumption of the other confusing state names, the mailbag did a column on this at \<[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/markansa.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/markansa.html)\> And the Lea and Perris’ sauce is Worcestershire. Notice the Rs are there but the wor-ster is intact. ---
**Author:** ![Drew\_17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@Drew\_17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drew_17)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/11 "1999-12-03T00:33:00Z")
ack! [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/markansa.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/markansa.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea666f/32.png) [@Jois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jois)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/12 "1999-12-03T01:40:00Z")
I grew up half way between Boston and Worcester and say it Woos-tar, I think the accent must be on the first syllable because the tar is really t"schwa"r. In El Paso, Texas I’m asked if I’m from England. It took me a while to get the three syllable:ChelseA from my two syllable: Chelsea. And I don’t park cars anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/13 "1999-12-03T01:48:00Z")
The British suffer from a pathological inability to call anything by it’s proper name. Thus for example, the built-up part at the front of a ship, usually spelled forecastle, get’s called “focs’l”. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/14 "1999-12-03T02:34:00Z")
That’s wierd that you would bring that up. Our local news station had a spot on that exact thing tonight! In Colorado Springs, there are several streets, and towns that people are always messing up. But as a purest in language, haha, my mom was a college english professor. There’s Buena Vista. According to the report, the locals say “Beena Vista” or some screwed up thing like that as opposed to the correct way “Boowayna Veesta” (grew up around a lot of hispanics, no need to mangle the language) Then there’s Pueblo. Old timers say “PeeAblo” instead of “PooAblo” Same thing, gads, my fellow white folk know how to screw up a beautiful language! ---
**Author:** ![G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.B.H.Hornswoggler)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/15 "1999-12-03T02:36:00Z")
\>How would you pronounce Cholmondley then ? \>Answers on a postcard to… (in my best RSM voice) “That would be Chumley, sah!” * * * …but when you get blue, and you’ve lost all your dreams, there’s nothing like a campfire and a can of beans! ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/16 "1999-12-03T03:14:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I can understand Des Moines being pronouced Day- Moyne. After all that’s French. And Illinois being pronounced Ill-in-oy and Arkansas Arkan-saw are also probably offshoots of that gutter dialect French, a GUTTER DIALECT!?!? Please tell me this was a feeble attempt at a joke. Secondly, as far as I know, Illinois and Arkansas have nothing to do whatsoever with French. Both names are probably of Native American origin. Your cultural sensitivity is to be commended. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/17 "1999-12-03T03:27:00Z")
Ah, we all know what pigs the French are. Pigs root in gutters, therefore, French is a gutter language. And it sounds funny. –Tim * * * We are the children of the Eighties. We are not the first “lost generation” nor today’s lost generation; in fact, we think we know just where we stand - or are discovering it as we speak. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/18 "1999-12-03T14:19:00Z")
The Brits are fond of dropping syllables for proper names. Most glorious use is “Featherstonehaugh” which is pronounced “Fanshaw” * * * “East is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does.” – Marx Read “Sundials” in the new issue of Aboriginal Science Fiction. [www.sff.net/people/rothman](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman) ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/19 "1999-12-03T14:39:00Z")
What I want to know from the Brits: **where in “lieutenant” is there an “F”?** ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199/20 "1999-12-03T14:59:00Z")
Americans 1 - Brits 0 ## Growing up around New London, Connecticut, we had a wonderful river called the Thames. It is pronounced just as it written, _th_ as in there, the rest as in James. Easy enough for a second grader to do a report on. No _Temms_ for us, thank you. Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wus-ter-or-wor-cester/5199.md?page=2)