A NEW study has revealed the words Britons struggle to pronounce the most, and Worcestershire has once again found itself high on the list.
Research involving 2,000 adults ranked Worcestershire as the sixth most mispronounced word in the country, behind terms such as acai, segue, charcuterie, quinoa and gnocchi.
The survey, commissioned by car manufacturer Škoda, found 85 per cent of adults have been corrected after mispronouncing a word, with a quarter admitting they felt embarrassed as a result.
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Other commonly mispronounced words included chipotle, phenomenon, gyro, hyperbole and even “gif”.
Worcestershire has long been a common area people mispronounce, with thousands regularly going online to share how to pronounce it properly and others blundering the name on TV.
From TV presenters to tourists, many stumble over the combination of letters, often pronouncing every syllable rather than adopting the right local version.
How do you pronounce Worcestershire?
While there are endless regional variations, most Worcestershire natives would agree the key is to avoid saying “War-chester-shire”, “Wor-sess-ter-shire” or “Wor-chest-er-shire”.
Locals tend to swallow several syllables, so the middle “cester” becomes “ster”.
So the correct pronunciation would be Wuss-ter-sher.
The “sher” sound should rhyme with cher.
Many people know the name Worcestershire globally because it is the home of Worcestershire Sauce, which is shipped internationally.
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Thanks to the global popularity of Worcestershire Sauce, people around the world recognise the name, even if many struggle to pronounce it correctly.
For UK historians, it is also known for being the site of the final battle of the English Civil War, making the county a significant part of British history.
But for those who get tongue-tied on Worcestershire, they may also struggle to say some other difficult names of towns, villages and cities across the county.
Among the hard-to-pronounce places in the county are notably Worcester, Bevere, Kempsey and Malvern.