If you've ever asked a gas station guy for directions to "Wor-chester" and watched his soul leave his body, this one's for you. Here's how to pronounce Massachusetts town names like a local, from Worcester and Gloucester to Peabody, Quincy, and the rest of the places we spell one way and say another. Learn these and nobody at the packie will clock you as a tourist.
Fair warning: a lot of these were named after towns in England, and the English never met a letter they couldn't skip. We just kept the tradition going and added our own accent on top. If you'd rather let your shirt do the talking, the It's Pronounced... City Sign T-Shirt spells out the right way for 28 Mass towns, so you never have to correct anybody out loud again.
Worcester (WUSS-tah)
The big one. Two syllables, not three. It's "WUSS-ter," and if you're from there it's closer to "WUSS-tah." Named after Worcester, England, and incorporated as a town back in 1722, it's the second-biggest city in New England and it has heard every possible butchering of its name. The sauce is spelled the same way, and it doesn't get a "chester" either.
Gloucester (GLOSS-tah)
Same deal. Drop the middle and say "GLOSS-ter." The city that calls itself America's oldest seaport has been fishing since before it was even incorporated in 1642, and they've been correcting summer people about the name for just about as long. If you say "Glow-chester" on the Boulevard, a lobsterman somewhere will feel it in his bones.
Leicester (LESS-tah)
You're seeing the pattern now. Leicester, out in Worcester County, is "LESS-ter." It got its name because an early selectman's father came from Leicester, England. The "-cester" ending in all three of these towns comes from an old word for a Roman fort, and everybody just stopped saying most of it centuries ago.
Peabody (PEE-buh-dee)
Not "Pea-BODY," like a body made of peas. It's "PEE-buh-dee," and locals swallow it down to "PEE-biddy." The town used to be South Danvers until 1868, when it renamed itself after George Peabody, the hometown banker often called the father of modern philanthropy. He was a big deal. Say his name right.
Quincy (QUIN-zee)
This one gets everybody, including half the newscasters in America. It's "QUIN-zee," with a Z. The city is named after Colonel John Quincy, Abigail Adams' grandfather, and the family said it with a Z sound, so that's how it stuck. Two presidents came out of Quincy, and neither one of them said "Quin-see."
Billerica (bill-RICK-uh)
Three syllables, stress in the middle: "bill-RICK-uh." Not "Billy-Rica," not "Bill-Erica." It's named after Billericay in Essex, England, which apparently also confuses people. Locals usually just say "Bill-ricka" and keep driving down Route 3.
Haverhill (HAY-vrill)
There's no "have" and there's no "hill." It's "HAY-vrill," two syllables, said fast. Haverhill took its name from Haverhill in Suffolk, England. If you say "Haver-Hill" in a Merrimack Valley bar, somebody's going to buy you a drink out of pity.
Leominster (LEM-in-stah)
The Pioneer Plastics City (yes, home of the pink flamingo) is "LEM-in-ster." The "o" is just there for decoration. It's named after Leominster in Herefordshire, England, where they also don't say the "o." Tell your GPS.
Scituate (SITCH-oo-it)
South Shore beach town, three syllables: "SITCH-oo-it." Not "Sky-chew-ate," not "Sit-you-ate." The name comes from "satuit," a native word early English settlers took to mean "cold brook," after the brook that runs into the harbor. Once you hear a local say it, you'll never say it wrong again.
Amherst (AM-erst)
Out in the Pioneer Valley, the H is silent. It's "AM-erst," and that's how the natives and longtime residents say it. Say "AM-hurst" and every UMass kid within a mile will know you just got off the Pike for the first time.
Woburn (WOO-bin)
It's spelled like "Woe-burn," but it's "WOO-burn," and if you grew up there it's "WOO-bin." Hard rule. Woburn was first settled in 1640, and nobody's been saying it the way it's spelled ever since. Same goes for Medford, which is "MED-fid" if you're doing it right.
The Lightning Round
A few more that trip people up, the way a local actually says them:
- Athol: "ATH-awl." Yes, really. Please stop laughing.
- Methuen: "muh-THOO-in." Named after Sir Paul Methuen, a British diplomat.
- Tewksbury: "TOOKS-bree." Three syllables on paper, two in real life.
- Concord: "CONK-id." Not "Con-CORD" like the grape juice.
- Natick: "NAY-tick." Not "Nat-ick."
- Chatham: "CHAT-um." The Cape has no time for extra syllables.
- Dedham: "DED-um." Needham and Stoneham follow the same rule: "NEED-um" and "STOW-num."
- Cohasset: "co-HASS-it." From a Massachusett word that may mean "long rocky place."
- Mashpee: "MASH-pee." Easy, but people still find a way.
And if you want to get even deeper into the local lingo, our ultimate guide to New England slang covers the words, and how Boston neighborhoods got their names covers the city. For the towns that sound fake no matter how you say them, check out 10 New England town names that sound fake.
So, Can You Say Them Now?
Here's the secret: if a Massachusetts town name looks long, it's probably short. Skip the middle, drop the R at the end, and say it like you're in a hurry, because you are, there's traffic on 93. Practice on a friend from out of state and watch them get it wrong. That's half the fun of living here.
Now you know more than the GPS lady. Rep it with the Wicked Smaaht Definition T-Shirt, because knowing how to say "Worcester" is basically a degree around here.
Stay wicked,
Ryan and the Chowdaheadz crew