Phonemic
Pronunciation of London Tube Stations: A Definitive Guide
Standard Southern British (SSB) English has 46 phonemes, or basic speech sounds, but only 26 letters in the alphabet. To represent these sounds, around 250 common graphemes, which are letters or combinations of letters, are used. There are also many exceptions, such as archaic spellings, and foreign words. Finally, stress plays an important role in altering how words are spoken. Learning the pronunciation of London Tube stations can help to understand the intricate relationship between spelling and spoken form, as well as the rules and exceptions involved. 1 - Short Vowels: Pronunciation of London, Borough, and Southwark
SSB English has 7 short vowel sounds: /I/, /E/, /A/, /O/, /U/, /Ä/, and /Ë/. The last two sounds, which are absent in many other languages, appear in the word London /LÄNDËN/, where they are both spelled with <o>. The strut vowel /Ä/ is usually spelled with <u> in ~60% of words, but <o> is also used in ~30% of cases. Less common spellings include <ou>, as in country, and <oo>, as in blood.
The unstressed schwa /Ë/, the most common sound in English, can be spelled with any vowel letter, such as <a>, <e>, <i>, or combination of letters such as <eo>, <eou>, and even <ough>, as in Borough /BÄRË/.
2 - Long Vowels: Pronunciation of Edgware, and Vauxhall
SSB English has 6 long vowel sounds: /II/, /EE/, /AA/, /OO/, /UU/, and /ËË/. Examples include Edgware /EJWEEr/, and Vauxhall /VOXOOL/, which demonstrate the same short and long vowel sounds in the same word. 
All of these long vowels can be followed by a 'linking r,' which is a pronounced /R/ sound used to link to the following syllable or word when it begins with a vowel sound as in Honor Oak Park /ONËR ËÛK PAArK/: see below. 3 - Diphtongs: Pronunciation of Maida Vale, Angel, Bayswater, Hayes, and Leyton
SSB English has 8 diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowel sounds: /IÎ-IY/, /EÎ-EY/, /OÎ-OY/, /ÄÎ-ÄY/, /AÛ-AW/, /UÛ-UW/, /ËÛ-ËW/ as in goat, and /OÛ/ as in goal. The challenge in Maida Vale /MEÎDË VEÎL/ is recognising that both <ai> in ~10% of cases, and <a_e> in ~40% of cases can represent the sound /EÎ-EY/. 
Other common spellings are <a> in ~25% of words as in Angel /EÎNJëL/, and <ay> in ~20% of words as in Bayswater /BEÎZWOOTËr/. While <aye> as in Hayes /HEÎZ/, and <ey> as in Leyton /LEÎTëN/ are rare. 4 - R Special Case: Pronunciation of Honor Oak Park
SSB English is non-rhotic, meaning the <r> is pronounced only if followed by a vowel sound, either within the same word or between two words. 
For example, in Honor Oak Park /ONËR ËÛK PAArK/ the <r> is pronounced in Honor because it is followed by the vowel sound in Oak, but it is silent in Park. 5 - Silent Consonants: Pronunciation of Balham, Clapham, Lewisham, Chiswick, Warwick Avenue, and Woolwich
Some consonants, especially <h> and <w>, are often silent in unstressed syllables to smooth pronunciation. The word ham /HAM/ is an old term for a village, and many localities have ham in their names, such as Balham /BALËM/. Typically, the <h> is dropped, with the unstressed <a> becoming a schwa /Ë/. This explains why Clapham /KLAPËM/ is pronounced with /P/, not /F/. A peculiar case is Lewisham, once pronounced /LUWISËM/ in the early 1900s, now /LUWISHËM/. 
The <w> is silent in the unstressed syllable of Chiswick /CHIZIK/, Warwick Avenue /WORIK AVËNYUW/, and Woolwich /WULIJ/. 6 - Stress Placement: Pronunciation of Embankment, Cadogan, and Waterloo
English is a stress-timed language, and correct stress placement is often more important than the pronunciation of individual sounds. 
While more than 90% of names have stress on the first syllable, there are important exceptions to be aware of. For instance, Embankment /IMBANKMËNT/, and Cadogan /KËDÄGËN/ have stress on the second syllable; while Waterloo /WOOTËrLUW/ has stress on the last syllable. 7 - Shifting Stress: Pronunciation of Whitechapel, Mile End, Old Street, and Piccadilly Circus
In compound names, stress usually remains on the first part, as in Whitechapel /WAÎtCHAPËL/. For names with two separate words, the primary stress typically falls on the second word, with secondary stress on the first, as in Mile End /MAÎL END/. However, when the second word is street, the primary stress remains on the first word, as in Old Street /OÛLD STRIÎT/. 
In compound names where the first word has stress on a syllable other than the first, the stress can shift to improve rhythm. For example, the word Piccadilly /PIKËDILIY/ has stress on the penultimate syllable, but when followed by Circus, the secondary stress moves closer to the beginning, landing on the first syllable. Meanwhile, the primary stress shifts to the second word: Piccadilly Circus /PIKËDILIÎ SËËrKËS/. 8 - Syllable Reduction: Pronunciation of Tottenham Court Road, Chancery Lane, and Newbury Park
In Tottenham /TOT'NëM/, the initial schwa is usually dropped, reducing the word from three syllables to two, creating a stressed-schwa pattern.
Similarly, the schwa is dropped in Chancery Lane /CHAANtS'RIÎ LEÎN/ and Newbury Park /NIYUÛB'RIÎ PAArK/, resulting in a stressed-unstressed-stressed pattern. Stress and schwa are interconnected, as schwa in unstressed vowels, along with the removal of schwa when needed to reduce syllable counts, helps dictate the correct rhythm.
9 - Conclusion: Pronunciation of Greenwich, Plaistow, Ruislip, Marylebone, Leicester Square, and Loughborough Junction
As we conclude, let's examine some of the most unique spellings found only in some station names, such as Greenwich /GRENICH/, Plaistow /PLAASTËW/, and Ruislip /RÄÎSLIP/. In Mary, the letter <y> functions as a vowel, but in the common pronunciation of Marylebone /MAArLËBËÛN/, it is pronounced as if there was no <y>. While silent consonants are not uncommon, entire silent syllables, such as <ce> in Leicester Square /LESTËr SQWEEr/ are quite rare. These silent syllables were removed from spelling during the evolution of language, though some have survived in geographical names.
Indeed, exceptions often seem to be the rule in Loughborough Junction /LÄFB'RË JÄNkSHëN/ which features many peculiarities such as <ou> for /Ä/, <gh> for /F/, <ough> for /Ë/; while the syllable reduction makes it easier and quicker to say.
L-IFA Phonemic Alphabet
Bridging spelling and pronunciation: Empowering All English learners
Standard Southern British (SSB)
London's current accent
External Links: Articles & Blogs
♦ 6 Tube Stations Nobody Can Pronounce A. Highfield, MyLondon, 2022
♦ 12 Tube Stations Everyone Struggle to Pronounce L. Trim, MyLondon, 2020
♦ 39 Tube Stations that People Struggle to Pronounce Q. Peracha, MyLondon, 2021
♦ Pronunciation Guide Hidden London, 2005-2023
External Links: Audios
♦ Mind the Trap: 20 Tube Stations with Tricky Pronunciation R. Handley, Beyond Words, 2022
♦ London Underground Pronunciation Tips Pronunciation Studio, 2008-2023
♦ How to Pronounce Tube Stations L. Nicholson, Improve Your Accent, 2017
♦ How to Pronounce Words in London Pronounce London, N.D.
♦ Official Train Announcements TfL Audio Guide, 2016
External Links: Videos
♦ Top 5 Mispronounced Tube Stations L. Nicholson, Improve Your Accent, 2017
♦ 5 More Commonly Mispronounced Tube Stations L. Nicholson, Improve Your Accent, 2017
♦ [12] Tube Stations You Pronounce Wrong Those Two Brits, 2017
♦ [13] More Tube Stations You Pronounce Wrong Those Two Brits, 2018
♦ [20] Mispronounced Tube Stations J. Hazzard, 2022
♦ 42 Hardest to Pronounce Tube Stations Tom - Eat Sleep Dream English, 2019
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