There are plenty of London place names that have less-than-obvious pronunciation, so this quick guide should help you fit in perfectly with the locals when asking for directions. While many visitors struggle with pronunciations, Londoners may also find various city place names puzzling. In fact, when recorded announcements were first introduced to the London Underground, Plaistow (an area in East London) was mispronounced.
Pronunciation guide
Some classical pronunciation errors as Borough (Bu-ra), Greenwich (Grin- Idge) and Leicester Square (Less- ter Square). Note that schwa (the most common vowel sound in English) is a frequent sound in the London dialect, so the -er ending in many places in London with two syllables will often be pronounced as a weak vowel sound . Also, Londoners have adopted the 'non-rotic' accent over the years, which means that the written letter 'r' is not pronounced unless it is followed by a vowel, eg Earls Court and Anerley.
