I don’t make the rules, I just work here.
Who makes these pronunciation rules up?
- Someone with the surname Featherstonehaugh is Mr Fanshaw
- Leominster is pronounced Lemster
- Stivichall is pronounced Sty-chul
- Ely is pronounced E-lee
- Arkansas (State) is pronounced Arr-ken-saw, while Kansas is pronounced Kan-zus and Arkansas (City) is pronounced Arr-kan-zus
Somebody must sit in a darkened room somewhere working out how best to confound both native and non-native speakers of English.
Need more? Try: Related articles
Dangerous water: call a lawyer | Smoky and the binned it | Cameron the idle | The letter of sex | Google+ vs Facebook: take your bets | Speeling acurasy
Don't be shy