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Why "Bicester" isn't said the way it's spelt
Bicester is another -cester name, from Old English ceaster, and it follows the same pattern as Leicester and Worcester: the middle syllable dropped out of speech, but the spelling never caught up. The "i" in the first syllable is short, as in "bit", not the long "eye" sound the spelling might suggest.
The pronunciation is /ˈbɪstə/, two syllables with a weak, R-less ending. Locals and train announcements all use it. If you are taking the train from London Marylebone to Bicester Village, saying "BISS-tuh" is the easiest way to sound like you know where you are going.
How to say "Bicester" like a local, step by step
- Say biss, with the short "i" of "bit" and "sister".
- Skip the middle ce; there is no "ses" syllable.
- Finish with a soft tuh and no R.
- Stress the first syllable: BISS-tuh, rhyming with "sister".
Practise "Bicester" in a sentence
- We spent the afternoon shopping at Bicester Village.
- Bicester is about twenty minutes from Oxford by train.
- They bought a new-build house on the edge of Bicester.
Saying it once correctly is easy. Saying it right in the middle of a fast sentence is the hard part, which is why the sentences above matter more than the single word.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce Bicester?
Bicester is pronounced /ˈbɪstə/, roughly "BISS-tuh". Bicester is BISS-tuh, rhyming with "sister".
Why is Bicester not pronounced how it is spelt?
Many British place names kept old spellings while everyday speech shortened them over centuries, so the written form no longer matches how locals say it.