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Why "Norwich" isn't said the way it's spelt
The name is usually explained as Old English for the "north wīc", a northern settlement or trading place. As in Greenwich and Warwick, the W of the unstressed ending was lost in speech, and the first vowel shortened to the "o" of "sorry".
In standard British English it is /ˈnɒrɪdʒ/, with an R heard because it falls between two vowels. Many people, including plenty in Norfolk, end it with "-itch" instead: /ˈnɒrɪtʃ/. Both are correct, and you will hear each on local radio. The pronunciation to avoid is "Nor-witch", which follows the spelling and is never heard locally.
How to say "Norwich" like a local, step by step
- Say norr, with the short vowel of "sorry", not the long "or" of "north".
- Let the R link into the next syllable and leave out the W.
- End with idge (or itch), as in "porridge".
- Stress the first syllable: NORR-idge.
Practise "Norwich" in a sentence
- Norwich has a medieval cathedral and a huge open-air market.
- We caught the train from London Liverpool Street to Norwich.
- Norwich City are known as the Canaries.
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 Norwich?
Norwich is pronounced /ˈnɒrɪdʒ/ or /ˈnɒrɪtʃ/, roughly "NORR-idge". Norwich is NORR-idge (or NORR-itch), rhyming with porridge, with a silent W.
Why is Norwich 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.