Each month we get a few visitors to EdinBraw seeking out advice on the correct pronunciation and/or Spelling of the word ‘Edinburgh’. We thought we may as well provide some guidance to help those planning a trip to Edinburgh to know exactly how to pronounce their destination, once you’ve read this you’ll avoid adopting Edinborough, Edinboro or even the dreaded Edinburg.

Then when that’s out of the way we can start helping direct you to some of the best places to eat, drink and sleep in the Scottish capital.

Edinburgh, Edinborough or Edinboro

Spelling of Edinburgh

The spelling of the word Edinburgh is simple enough, especially given that Google will try to correct you if you happen to get it wrong. There’s not much more to say about the spelling, especially given that I’ve already used it a few times in this article so far (and double-checked to make sure I got it right!)

One last time, the correct spelling is Edinburgh.

Pronunciation of Edinburgh

This is where things get a bit more interesting, especially once the Scottish accent is thrown into the mix.

Let’s start with the correct pronunciation:

Phonetically, Edinburgh sounds like ed-in-bruh 

We’ll often hear tourists adopting slight variations of this, sometimes with an emphasis in the ‘gh’ – somewhat similar to how you would pronounce Pittsburgh. Others will be aware of the silent ‘gh’ but overcompensate to Edinborro – I expect this is down to people hearing the word pronounced by Scottish people who roll their Rs.

Don’t be surprised to hear some of the locals tweak the pronunciation even further, Embra or even EdinBraw may crop up.

Nicknames for Edinburgh

Hopefully, that clears up the spelling and pronunciation of Edinburgh. Let’s move on to a bonus round, some of Edinburgh’s other names.

Let’s move on to a bonus round, some of Edinburgh’s other names.

Athens of the North – Edinburgh shares similar topography as Athens there are similarities in the city’s architecture (keep an eye out for Grecian columns around the city)

Auld Reekie (Old Smoky) – from the days that Edinburgh was shrouded in smoke from coal and wood fires. 

Dunedin – deriving from the Scottish Gaelic, Dùn Èideann.

Thanks for stopping by, for the latest Edinburgh news and reviews, be sure to visit our blog.

Have a great time when you visit, don’t hesitate to ask us for any tips.

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