IF YOU have lived in Basingstoke all your life, you don't really question how to pronounce the different places, you just know how to.
But for those not familiar with the borough, there are some challenging pronunciations which can slip people up.
Here are the most common incorrectly pronounced places in Basingstoke and Deane, and how to say them correctly in case you are getting them wrong.
Chineham
For those of us who live in Basingstoke, it might seem obvious how to say Chineham. But if you look closely at the spelling you can see why people who don't know the town get it wrong. The correct pronunciation is of course Chin-um. But it is frequently mispronounced as Ch-eyen-ham by visitors.
Basingstoke
Yes, Basingstoke itself is often said incorrectly, including by our hospital's automated appointment reminder service. It's Bay-zing-stoke, not Baz-ing-stoke.
Odiham
Definitely not said as Odd-ee-ham! This village near Hook is correctly pronounced Oh-dee-um.
Houndmills
Now this looks like an easy one to say, right? But this time it's not those from outside the town who get it wrong, but those who live here! For some unknown reason, if you're from Basingstoke the chances are you think this area of the town is called Hounds-mill. It really isn't. It's Hound-mills.
Eastrop
Again, this is another one which is often mispronounced by those who live in Basingstoke. It is not East-drop but Ee-strop.
Worting
This can be quite funny to hear when people get it wrong. It is not War-ting, but Wer-ting.
Are there any others we have missed?
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