A Scottish actor has shared a roundup of Scottish place names that are “unfairly hard to pronounce”.
As most Scots know, there are cities, towns, and villages across the country that tourists have trouble saying correctly. Even if you have spent your entire life here, there will likely be a few that trip you up.
Scottish actor and writer Kenny Boyle recently posted a TikTok video of himself reading through a collection of Scottish destinations that people often fail to pronounce right. From South Lanarkshire to Aberdeenshire, they are situated all over the country.
In the clip, he states: “I asked you to tell me what Scottish place names are really hard to pronounce and by golly did you! Okay here we go, Scottish place names that are very hard to pronounce unless you already know how to pronounce them.”
Since being shared last week, the video has been viewed more than 130,000 times. It has also received more than 400 comments, with fellow Scots keen to share their thoughts on the clip.
One comment reads: “My fiancé is Scottish, I’m English and we play this game. Our favourite town is Ecclefechan.”
Another states: “As a Scot I’m actually surprised at how you pronounce some of those places. Everyday is a lesson.”
Read on for some of the top Scottish place names that are “unfairly hard to pronounce” and how to say then correctly according to Boyle.
Chatelherault
The first destination included on the roundup is Chatelherault in South Lanarkshire. The name of the country park, which looks like it should be pronounced ‘Chat-el-her-alt’, is actually said as ‘Sha-le-row’.
Avoch
Next up is Avoch, which is a small harbour village on the Moray Firth. While you might assume it said as ‘Ay-vock’, the correct pronunciation of the village is simply ‘Och’.
Kilncadzow
Another village with an admittedly difficult name, Kilncadzow is a tiny settlement in rural Lanarkshire. While you may think it is pronounced ‘Kiln-cad-zow’, the correct way to say it is ‘Kill-kay-gee’.
Strathaven
On the surface, the name of this historic South Lanarkshire market town might look easy to pronounce. However, you would be wrong to say ‘Stath-hay-ven’ when the settlement is actually pronounced ‘Stray-ven’.
Auchtermuchty
This Fife town has a long name, so you would be forgiven for not knowing how to say it if you weren’t a local. Its proper pronunciation is ‘Och-ter-Much-tee’.
Strachan
Similarly, you might have seen the name of this Aberdeenshire village and incorrectly assumed it was pronounced ‘Strach-en’. In reality, according to Boyle, it is said ‘Stronn’.
Finzean
Finzean is a small and rural community in Aberdeenshire, around 50 miles out of Aberdeen. The pronunciation of its name may look simple, but according to Boyle it is actually said ‘Fing-en’.
Culross
Meanwhile, those from Fife will likely already be aware that the historic village of Culross is not pronounced ‘Cull-ross’. Rather, its name is said as ‘Coo-riss’
Garioch
Garioch is one of the six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, home to a population of around 50,000. Its name is not pronounced ‘Gare-ee-och’, but instead ‘Gee-ree’.
Ravenstruther
Finally, Ravenstruther is a small South Lanarkshire hamlet near the popular town of Lanark. Fight the temptation to say the word ‘raven’ though, as the right way to say its full name is simply ‘Ren-stree’.