Worcestershire Sauce: How Do You Pronounce It?

We all have our own accents and particularities when it comes to language. Even when dealing with basic words, there's no one way that everyone says something. We don't even have a consensus on how we should pronounce tomato or potato. Some hold heavy on the second syllable, others don't.

But there are words that have multiple different pronunciations, and it's not because of regional differences -- it's because they're just plain hard to say. And we can all agree the Worcestershire sauce is one of those words (well, not the "sauce" part). Worcestershire is one of those words that an overwhelming amount of people mumble when they have to ask for it, so they don't even attempt to pronounce it. Some seem to have mastered it and speak the word with confidence.

Whether you're a mumbler or a straight talker, we want you to show us how you pronounce this tricky sauce. Click below to participate -- it's surprisingly easy (and fun!) to submit your own video. And check out the slideshow below to see how others say Worcestershire.

 

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Comments

[Astra Beaujolais]

12:35 AM on 05/21/2012

wu'ster-sure. Mom was an English teacher.

[Willow Silverhawk]

11:46 PM on 05/15/2012

I call it "What's this here sauce"

[RScandle]

10:53 AM on 05/14/2012

Wooster.Wooster sauce unless you're posh and have you dinner at tea time.

[desertsands61]

09:35 PM on 05/13/2012

'W' sauce--use it all the time with marinades for bbq and smoking meats

[edejan]

12:07 PM on 05/13/2012

Wers-ter-shire....from Chicago.

[WestOfTheMoon]

07:34 AM on 05/13/2012

As a child and teen, I pronounced it phonetically, i.e. "Wor-cess-ter-shyer". When I grew up, I discovered it to be more properly pronounced "Worse-ter-shir".

[Kathy Whalen]

10:49 AM on 05/11/2012

Gladys Earl, my University of Wisconsin-Stout Foods professor, taught us to simply call it "W sauce" and get on with our lives.

[hauruck]

11:38 PM on 05/10/2012

Worst-uh-shurr.

[Alice Radley]

06:04 PM on 05/10/2012

Wuss-teh-shur.

[Daniel Loy]

12:11 AM on 05/12/2012

BINGO!

[ResearchGirl]

04:40 PM on 05/10/2012

"Wusstuhsher" sauce tends to get called "Wuster" sauce here. (I live in Oxford, about an hour from Worcester. Wusster.)

[Wonder Land]

11:55 AM on 05/10/2012

Conor gets the pronounciation right but loses job in process.

[rcapob1073]

08:01 AM on 05/10/2012

i PRONOUNCE IT THE WAY IT IS SPELLED. WORCESTSHIRE.

[flossiesdoll]

08:17 AM on 05/10/2012

If you pronounced it as it's spelled, it would be wor ces ter shire, not wor cest shire. Anyway, the correct pronunciation of the county is Wusstershire, and the correct pronunication of the sauce is Wusster.

[michiemead]

02:51 PM on 06/17/2012

Exactly! It's not pronounced the way it's spelled, any more than we pronounce Maryland "merry land "or Brisbane "brizz bayne." After all, "Houston" is pronounced three different ways - How-ston in New York, Hyou-ston in Texas, and Who-ston in England. Worchestershire is pronounced Wusster, and there is nothing that sounds sillier than an American who insists on pronouncing it "Woor-chesta-sh-sh-sh-shyer" sauce.

[rcapob1073]

10:46 AM on 05/14/2012

the way we were taught in school--phonetically

[MichaelMuesli]

04:26 AM on 05/10/2012

Just as the french don't pronounce the 'd' in pernod......the engs dont pronounce the shire, unless they're well to do......its wuster sauce (in manchester!)

[MichaelMuesli]

04:39 AM on 05/10/2012

or maybe its more 'wustor' in a broad manc accent.....

[lovelyliberalchick]

07:47 PM on 05/09/2012

I eat this with white rice

[GraceNotes]

03:40 PM on 05/11/2012

When I was a child, I loved it on cooked cabbage. It was the only way I would eat that stuff.

[mia8485]

06:47 PM on 05/09/2012

"woos teh sher" ...with the emphasis on the first syllable and pronounced like "wood" and "good".