Like many regions in the UK, Bristol is colourful and its city has a rich heritage with plenty of quirky places that draw in visitors from all over the world.
From Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge to the Floating Harbour and the myriad of independent shops that wind up and down the endless hilly streets.
What's more, Bristol and its surrounding area are home to place names that have difficult, if not mind-baffling pronunciations that even locals stumble over.
Read More: Mrs Potts Chocolate House in Bristol launches delicious new summer menu
For a lot of people, especially those who have become Bristolians later in life, it’s one thing seeing a place name like Keynsham or Cotham written down on paper and another thing hearing it said out loud by someone who knows how to say it.
Bristol Live took to the sunny parks in the city centre, to see if young people could make sense of a list of place names.
Keynsham
If you’re of the baby boomer generation, you will not only know how to say Keynsham correctly but you will know how it is spelt, thanks to it being spelt out on Radio Luxembourg by Horace Batchelor as he advertised ways to win the football pools in the 1950s and 60s.
The town sits between Bath and Bristol and its name dates back to the 11th century when it was included in the Doomsday Book, listed as 'Cainesham'.
So, if William the Conqueror signed off on this spelling and its pronunciation of 'Cane-Shum', then it must be correct and we're not going to argue with the man.
Cotham
This pronunciation continues to cause arguments on Twitter and there is a whole Reddit thread dedicated to the discussion, but almost everyone from Bristol says Cotham with a hard 't', making it 'Cottum'.
A close second to the pronunciation of Cotham is to say it how it's spelt with a 'th' sound.
And then there are people who say 'Coffum' but the less said about that, the better.
An easy way to remember this mind-bending pronunciation is to liken it to the likes of Tottenham with its sneaky silent 'H'. Although some might, you generally wouldn't say that you are going to see Totten-Ham play football in the finals.
Frome Vale
Similar to Cotham, the word 'Frome' trips many people up across Britain, so you're not alone if you thought it rhymed with 'foam' or 'home'.
Frome Vale in Bristol is named after the River Frome, which flows in from the north, through Snuff Mills (don't laugh) and under the city centre, emerging next to the Cascade Steps in The Centre.
Although it doesn't look it, Frome is nice to say and feels velvety in the mouth. Think of 'free' and 'broom', then put them both together and you'll get 'Froom'.
Sneyd Park
Some people start experimenting with the ‘ey’ sound in Sneyd Park because of the way it is spelt, but alas, it is not 'Snade' or 'Snide Park'.
The English Language is a strange and awkward beast that likes to play with silent letters, so why is there a silent 'y' in Sneyd? Why indeed.
The sneaky 'y' throws many people off, including born and bred locals. Sneyd Park is actually pronounced as 'Sneed', to rhyme with 'tweed' and 'bleed'.
Aust
Aust is a tiny village between Bristol and the Severn Estuary and the place name is most known for its motorway services that overlook the old Severn Bridge.
Surely this one is easy to pronounce as it's only got four letters, so what could go wrong?
Even Siri gets confused when saying this place name, so don't fret if you got it wrong the first time.
It could be ‘Ou-st’ or ‘Aw-st’, but no, think simple - it’s ‘Ost’.
Congresbury
Last but not least is the modest village of Congresbury situated on the slopes of the Mendip Hills in North Somerset.
It is believed that the village's name could have two origins: one theory is that the name comes from the old English word for 'rabbit' - which is 'conygre' but locals to the area claim it gets its name from St Congar who is said to have performed three miracles in the area.
Rabbits and miracles aside, most people in North Somerset and Bristol keep it simple and stick to the rushed pronunciation of 'Kongsbree'
