Can you pronounce this Lancashire town name correctly?

Oswaldtwistle <i>(Image: Google Maps)</i>
Oswaldtwistle (Image: Google Maps)
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Anyone who has never seen the name Oswaldtwistle before could be forgiven for having absolutely no idea where to start.

But while the East Lancashire town has a name that can leave visitors tongue-tied, locals have a much simpler way of saying it.

Forget trying to carefully sound out every letter – Oswaldtwistle is commonly pronounced "Ozzle-twizzle".

The shortened pronunciation is widely used by people in the area and is considerably easier to get your tongue around than the town's 15-letter name might suggest.

The more formal pronunciation is closer to "Oz-wold-twiss-ul", but in everyday Lancashire conversation you are far more likely to hear the distinctive local version.

Oswaldtwistle, near Accrington, is far from the only place in Lancashire whose pronunciation might catch out someone unfamiliar with the county.

Its unusual name also has roots stretching back centuries.

The name is thought to combine Oswald with the Old English word "twistle", associated with a place where streams or brooks meet.

There has also long been a local tradition linking the name with Saint Oswald, the seventh-century King of Northumbria, although the story surrounding his connection to the area is regarded as legend rather than established fact.

Whatever its origins, generations of local pronunciation have transformed the rather daunting-looking Oswaldtwistle into something much easier to say.

So, if you are heading towards the Lancashire town and want to sound like you know the area, there are just two words – or rather two sounds – to remember.

Ozzle-twizzle.

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