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I seem to remember a couple of singers back in the 80's wrote a song to teach people (approximately) how to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

Just split it up into easy mouthfulls:

Llan - fair - pwll - gwyn - gyll - go - gery - chwyrn - drobwll - llanty - silio - gogogoch.

If a Welsh "ll" seems beyond you, substitute "thl", with the "th" bit very light. The "ch" is more or less roughly similar to a German or Scottish "ch". And a "w" is like "oo" in "foot".

That gives us:

thlan - fire - poothl - gwin - githl - go - gerry - chwirrn - droboothl - thlanty - silly-oh - gogogoch.

For extra effect, mix a bit of "ch" in the end-of-syllable "ll"'s.

Now this gives you a pronunciation which will probably make a Welshman wince (if he's being polite), but he'll know what (or where) you mean. And it sounds convincing to non-welshophones.

Share and Enjoy!

ttfn,
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
(Not my first choice of name, but all the names from a certain book/radio play/record/TV series/CD/video/DVD are already taken...)

PS. Apologies to all vocal practitioners and Welshmen who can pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch properly, and therefore infinitely better than I.

I don't know if there is another song teaching pronunciation of the town, but I'm currently directing a production of SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, which includes a song written for a revue called THE MAD SHOW with music by Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard) and lyrics by Sondheim. It's a parody on "The Girl from Ipanema" called "The Boy From..." because he's from "Tacarembo-la-Tumbe-del-Fuego-Santa-Malipas-Zacatecas-la-Junta-del-Sol-y-Cruz" At the end of the song the punch-line is that "He's moving to Wales/To live in......"

I found this site searching for prono help for the singer who's singing that song. The prono included in the published score is very misleading.

Bill Snyder (but my great-grandmother was a Meredith)

When I teach people to say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwryndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, I split it into 6 groups e.g.

Llanfair pwllgwyngyll gogery chwyrndrobwll llantysilio gogogoch.

All the groups have 3 sylabales apart from Llantysilio which has 5 sylables.

Try the pronunciations as the other person wrote above and remember that f is pronounced v and w is pronounced oo ch is pronouced k and 11 is pronouced by putting the tounge to the top of yor mouth and blowing.

Good luck and I hope this will be helpful to someone somewhere!

Myfanwy#:~)

ch is NOT pronounced k!

ch is pronounced in the same way as you would clear your throat

NOW- that we know the official pronounciation of "Llanfairpwllgyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch"

Is it worth going to this place?

My family and I are planning to go to Wales. wE do not have much time. Six days- and I see Llanfair... is up there in the north country.

Is anyone there???

Thank you.

Several years back (1992, I think) I was singing in the boys choir that made up the choral parts for a musical by Richard Stilgoe, called "Brilliant The Dinosaur." I've still got the music score around here somewhere. The dear man has a wonderful sense of humour, partly revolving around practical jokes. Amongst these was the decision to include the following lyrics in a song about school projects
"We don't suffer from a spelling block with Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch". Oh how we laughed and laughed. He did at least teach us all to pronounce it, although it was eventually decided to make that line a solo line.

The way to pronounce it is Than Fire Poothl Gwinn Githel Go Gerry Shwren Trabothl Thwenty Sillio Go Go Gosh

That's how I know anyways.

Here's how to pronounce the LL:

1. Raise the back of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
2. Lower the middle part so that only the outside egdes touch your molars.
3. Breathe out.

Move this into an L sound and you've got the LL down.