C4.45 Village with the Longest Name¶
The town with the longest name in the UK—one word with 58 letters
On the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, UK, there is a town called: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
It is also known as: Llanfairpwll or Llanfair. P.G.
Yes, you read that right. This extremely long string of letters forms a single word—the name of the town, consisting of 58 letters in total. It is the place with the longest name in the UK and has been included in the Guinness World Records.
I find it really hard to pronounce such a long word—it’s both lengthy and hard to remember. But the harder it is, the more interesting people find it, and everyone is eager to give it a try and pronounce it a few times themselves
Source: Aaron Lewis
For this reason, Channel 4 News specially captured a screenshot of the host pronouncing the town’s name. Listening to the host’s pronunciation and watching his expression, he seemed to say it with great confidence, ease and joy. Wow, how many times must he have practiced behind the scenes to speak so fluently:
Source: Channel 4 News
The pronunciation of this town is also very unique. Even after listening to others pronounce it many times, it still feels difficult. This reminds me of a meme from January 7, 2018. Yes, my memory is really something—I remember all interesting, fun and special things clearly. Look, it’s already December 9, 2019 now. I was writing this article and suddenly thought of this meme I played with in 2018. Hahaha, wow, you can really adore me...
As shown in the image below: This is the meme. The word "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" in the meme is really extremely long. Wow, you can really call it long :) This single word alone has 34 letters.
At that time, I was chatting with classmates in a group. We got carried away and suddenly started talking about this ultra-long word. Then we launched a discussion about how to pronounce it—everyone was trying to figure out the pronunciation. One classmate even said it was easier to just buy an orange... Oranges reminded me of the meme from "Back View"... I never expected to find these chat records, so I’ll share some screenshots with you. Aren’t you touched? Fall in love with me instantly :)
As shown in the image below: Chat records from the group on January 7, 2019:
After reading so many chat records, do you want to hear the pronunciation of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"? Do you want to hear my pronunciation? Haha, I just recorded two versions. That’s right—I’m a genius young person with both wisdom and beauty, talent and spirit. Here are two wonderful and amazing recordings of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious":
Recording 1:
Wonderful and amazing Recording 1 00:00–00:03
Recording 2:
Wonderful and amazing Recording 2 00:00–00:06
After listening to the recordings, have you fallen in love with me hopelessly again? Wow, you can really love me...
Alright, back to the point—let’s continue talking about the town with 58 letters.
Because its pronunciation is so difficult, someone specially made a song to teach people how to pronounce the town’s name, and it even has an MV! Wow, you can really sing along :)
As in the video below: a music MV by donwoodswirral that teaches you how to pronounce the name. All the scenery in the video is from the town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch:
Sorry, the video cannot be played. Please check other videos.
Source: donwoodswirral
Additionally, in the old movie The Road to Hong Kong, Peter Sellers quickly says this super-long word while examining Bob Hope’s teeth—and that word is exactly the name of this town. As shown in the image below:
Source: Hollywoodgoldennage
Naturally, the official website of the town Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch also provides plenty of resources to teach people its pronunciation. The website breaks down the word in detail with explanations, and features numerous pronunciation recordings and videos.
As shown in the image below: the town’s official website:
Pronunciation Competition
Precisely because the pronunciation is so difficult, the town holds a "Name Competition". Anyone who knows how to pronounce the name can record their pronunciation (audio or video) and send it to the town’s official email. The winner will receive an Llanfairpwll T-Shirt printed with the town’s full name. The competition is judged not only on pronunciation quality but, more importantly, on entertainment value.
Below is the town’s official email address—and it’s surprisingly long too:saythename@llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk
When writing the email, remember to attach your audio or video, along with your name and address. It’s best to include a photo (though not mandatory). But if you win, your name and photo will be announced online, and you’ll become a small pronunciation celebrity in the town!
Why is the name so long?
Because the name is extremely lengthy, some netizens joke that it might have been chosen by the town’s cats :)
Source: iamcarolhung
Hahahaha, of course it wasn’t the cats...
In fact, the village’s name wasn’t this long in the past. It was originally called Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll, which means "The Mary Church by the pool near the White Hazels" in English. It wasn’t renamed until the 19th century.
According to historical records, only 80 people lived in Llanfairpwll in 1563, with just 16 houses in the entire village. By 1801, the population had grown to 385 and the number of houses to 83. By 1844, 92% of the town’s land was owned by 3 people, leaving only 8% for other residents—one can imagine the living conditions of the rest.
Finally, in 1850, with the construction of a railway between Chester and Holyhead, a local committee was established. To promote business and tourism, attract more merchants and visitors, and turn the town into a commercial and tourist hub, they came up with this lengthy name.
The name certainly worked wonders. Today, the town is world-famous, drawing tourists from all over the globe. I remind everyone to get a postmark as a souvenir and buy some unique local items—because the postmark here looks like a spiral staircase.
As shown in the image below: The postmark of Llanfairpwll:
Legend has it that the town’s name "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch" was invented by a shoemaker from Menai Bridge. Little did this shoemaker know that he had implemented one of the most successful tourism marketing campaigns in history!!
Besides the lengthy "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch", the town can also be called Llanfairpwll or Llanfair. P.G.
So, what attractions does the town have?
Surprisingly, despite its small size, the town boasts quite a few attractions.
As shown in the image below: The town itself has 5 attractions, and there are 7 nearby attractions in the surrounding area—all with detailed introductions on the official website.
The five attractions are:
Railway Station & James Pringle Weavers
The Marquess of Anglesey's Column and Nelson's Monument
The Toll House & the Women's Institute Hall
The Britannia Bridge
The Menai Suspension Bridge
Official website of the town: http://llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk
So, where is the town located?
Llanfairpwll is situated on the Isle of Anglesey (known as Ynys Môn in Welsh) in Wales, UK. It is relatively close to Manchester and Liverpool, with Liverpool being the nearest. By train, Llanfairpwll railway station is the next stop after Bangor station, on the North Wales Coast Line.
Here is the town, as shown in the image below:
Once you arrive in the town, you’ll find the 58-letter ultra-long name displayed everywhere:
As shown in the image below:
Source: Elena Belyaeva
Source: PJ5022
Source: British Embassy in Tashkent
Source: federicograziati
Source: wxmmerv
Source: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Alright, that’s all for the introduction—go visit the town with the longest name in the UK and have a great time!。