How to Pronounce Edinburgh Scotland, Versus Edinburgh in Other Countries

It should be “ED-in-bruh” and NOT “Edin-BURG” or “Edin-BOROUGH.” No hard G, 3 syllables, soft ending.

Nobody will be rude about it if you say the wrong word here. You’ll earn a little smile if you come from the local area, but remember, it is one of the easiest ways of sounding like you’ve done some research before you arrive.

Correct pronunciation, decomposed

The catchy phrase to use is: ED-in-bruh

A short, flat word.A short, flat word, like the name Ed. • in  hastily, quickly, almost swallowed

Note that the use of bruh is not synonymous with burr or berg, but rather rhymes with duh.

Phonetically, it is more or less equal to /ˈɛd.ɪn.brə/ or /ˈɛd.ɪn.ˈbrə/. The stress is only on the first syllable. All following passages must seem brisk and slightly understated, as if you’re not doing much with it, which is exactly how Scots do it. It is a city name of work, not a proclamation.

Most common visitor errors

This is the American version, “Edin-BURG,” and it’s the version I hear most often from visitors, particularly those from Pittsburgh’s spelling logic. The city of Edinburgh is not pronounced as other “-burgh” cities. Elide the Hard G.

The name ‘Edin-BOROUGH’ is spelled as it sounds, but the ‘burgh’ is not part of the name as in London or New York. It’s a much more gentle, lower pitched sound.

Over-enunciating the middle syllable: Some visitors want to get it right so much so that they’ll over-stress “in” which will sound more foreign than letting it zip by quickly and quietly.

The reason for two spellings and two pronunciations

The “-burgh” ending also makes sense in light of the Old English meaning “fortified town” that it signifies, and the Castle’s location on its volcanic rock above the city. For centuries the spelling has remained fairly close to its root, but the common pronunciation has changed with the influence of the Scots accent so that the spelling is not a reflection of the pronunciation. Rather than an inconsistency, it’s a name that’s been worn out, lived in, and used for a very long time that’s actually true of a lot of this city.

An effective memory aid

If you need to memorize one, this is it: Remember “Edinburra” and remove the r.

Or, if you prefer, make it sound familiar: it rhymes with bruh, but better with the casual version of the word, like ed-in-bruh, said like you say meh or duh, without any emphasis.

The true local saying

It is seldom used by anyone here in everyday speech, so the full “Edinburgh” never comes out. It is also common for locals to say “Edinbra” or, less formally, “Auld Reekie” (the old nickname for the city, alluding to the air pollution of the Old Town) or just “the city. If you’re talking to a person in a pub, and you don’t want to sound a textbook correct speech but a normal one, you should say “Edinbra” quickly.

FAQ

Is it ‘Edinburgh’ or ‘Edinborough’?

Almost every first time visitor is confused by the spelling (which is the same as Edinburgh) and the pronunciation (which is closer to “Edinbruh”).

Are locals rude if you say it in an incorrect manner?

Not really. Local people have become accustomed to foreigners getting it wrong and most will not correct themselves if they don’t hear them do so first. Just being correct tends to get a nod of approval, not any kind of offense.

When is “Edin-burg” right?

No that pronunciation isn’t used in Scotland. It’s a common American pronunciation, perhaps influenced by cities such as Pittsburgh, but not how the city name is pronounced locally.

How do you pronounce Edinburgh, Scotland, versus Edinburgh in other countries?

There are a number of towns in the world named, some in Texas and one in Indiana, which is pronounced more like “Edin-burg” in the region. If you’re traveling to the source city, then you have to use the “ED-in-bruh” version of the song.

How do you do it most easily?

Say Ed, then a quick, quiet, “in” and then a “bruh” spoken like “duh.” Every three run without stopping, don’t stress out each syllable, it should come off sounding natural.

What is the pronunciation of Edinburgh in America?

Most Americans read the “-burgh” as they would in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg, which is why they say “Edin-BURG. It’s a reasonable, but not correct, guess, but the Scots say the word “ED-in-bruh,” with a soft, unstressed “-uh” on the end rather than the hard “-burg”.

What is the pronunciation of Edinburgh in English in general?

In normal British and Scottish English it is “ED-in-bruh”, three syllables, stress on the first and a soft, almost imperceptible ending. It is not just in Scotland that they use this pronunciation; English speakers outside Scotland would not say “Edin-burg” either.

How do Scots pronounce Edinburgh?

Some people locally claim that it is even more compressed than the standard version: edin-bra in fast/casual speech with the final syllable only slightly voiced. The full name is also not used for all in casual conversation by some residents of Edinburgh, who affectionately refer to it as ‘Auld Reekie’.

According to the OED, how is it pronounced?

According to reference dictionaries, such as Oxford’s, it should be written as /ˈɛdɪnbərə/ in British English, with the second and third syllables reduced and unstressed. That’s the “ED-in-bruh” style as opposed to a full “-burgh.

Do I have an audio guide or voice recording to follow?

Many online dictionaries (Oxford, Cambridge, Merriam-Webster) have a small speaker icon next to the word “Edinburgh” which plays a recording from a native speaker of the word, a good way to hear it said correctly, especially since it is not one that is based on the written phonetic transcription.

How do you pronounce Edinburgh in Spanish?

The Spanish speakers usually say it the way it is written, an “Edim-BUR-go”, and they say the “g” which is not said in English. It is a fairly literal pronunciation in the spirit of spelling, not an attempt to match with the Scottish original, like many non-English languages do.

How do you pronounce University of Edinburgh?

The same way as the city name, “ED-in-bruh”, since it’s simply the city name plus “University of” in front. There’s no separate or more formal pronunciation used for the university’s name.