Even those who are Norfolk born-and-bred find themselves tripping up on the pronunciation of certain place names. 

Lots of our most mispronounced town and village names come from Old English or Middle English, and it is the spelling of the places that have changed over time, not the pronunciation.

Here are some of the trickiest to pronounce.

1. Happisburgh

Wymondham & Attleborough Mercury: Views of Happisburgh lighthouseViews of Happisburgh lighthouse (Image: Sonya Duncan)The village of Happisburgh is first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Hapesburc.

The name Hapesburc refers to a fort or fortified place.

The correct pronunciation of Happisburgh is 'hayes-bruh'. 

2. Wymondham

Wymondham in south Norfolk causes confusion for many people who have not grown up in the local area.

The correct pronunciation is 'windum', not 'wye-mond-ham'. 

3. Acle

Acle, halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, comes from 'oaks lea' - a clearing in an oak forest.

In the Tudor period, hundreds of oak trees were cut down in the area to build warships. 

The correct pronunciation is 'aycle'.

4. Shotesham

Wymondham & Attleborough Mercury: Shotesham is a village in NorfolkShotesham is a village in Norfolk (Image: Kate Wolstenholme)The village of Shotesham could easily be confused with Shottisham in Suffolk.

It is actually pronounced 'shotsum'.

The name Shotesham may derive from the Old English meaning 'The Scot’s Homestead'.

5. Tacolneston

Tacolneston is named in the Domesday Book as Tacoluestuna.

The name of this village in south Norfolk is believed to have originated from an Anglo-Saxon phrase meaning 'Tatwulf's farmstead'. 

It is pronounced 'tack-ol-ston'. 

6. Mundesley 

Wymondham & Attleborough Mercury: Mundesley, on the north Norfolk coastMundesley, on the north Norfolk coast (Image: Sonya Duncan)Coastal village Mundesley is also mentioned in the Domesday Book, with its name recorded as Muleslai.

The origins of the name Mundesley refer to a wood or clearing.

It is pronounced 'muhnz-lee'. 

7. Postwick

The origins of the name Postwick, a village near Norwich, refer to a 'specialised farm'. 

It is pronounced 'possick'. 

8. Ingoldisthorpe

The pronunciation of this village is a particularly tricky one, even for those who have grown up in Norfolk.

The correct pronunciation is 'inglesthorpe'.

9. Hautbois

Little Hautbois, near Coltishall, is pronounced 'hobbis'.

The name can be translated to 'high woods' and dates back to the Middle Ages.