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Scottish Place Names
Do you know your Bealach from your Buidhe? Does trying to pronounce Braigh Coire Chruinn-Bhaigain twist
your tongue? Fear not, you're not the only one!
The Scottish language is a mix of Gaelic, Norse and Scot. Like any language, it varies from place to place, and sometimes
so does the spelling, just to confuse things even more.
Most of the sounds in the words are made in the throat, so it's difficult to reproduce it as a written syllable. But
this guide should help you pronounce and understand the names of peaks you're climbing.
| The word | How to say it | What it means |
| Abhainn | av-in | river |
| Allt | all-t | stream |
| Aonach | ou-nach | ridge/hill |
| Beag | bay-k | little |
| Bealach | b-yal-ach | mountain pass |
| Beinn/Ben | bay-n/ben | mountain/hill |
| Ban/Bhan | ban/van | white/fair |
| Bidean | beet-yan | peak |
| Brae | bray | top/summit |
| Buidhe | boo-ya | yellow |
| Cairn | kayr-n | pile of stones |
| Ciche | keesh-ta | breast |
| Corrie/Choire | korry | bowlshaped |
| Creag | kray-k | rocky/cliff |
| Dearg | jer-ak | red |
| Dubh | doo | black |
| Eagach | ay-kack | notched |
| Eas | ay-s | waterfall |
| Eilean | ayl-ay-n | island |
| Fada | fata | long |
| Garbh | garv | rough |
| Glais | glis | stream |
| Glas | glas | grey/green |
| Labhar | fa-var | loud |
| Lagan | la-gan | hollow |
| Lairig | lar-ig | pass |
| Leathan | lay-than | broad |
| Loch | loch | lake |
| Lochan/Lochain | loch-an | small lake |
| Mam | mam | round hill |
| Meadhoin | vain | middle |
| Meall | me-yal | hill/lump |
| Mor | more | big |
| Mullach | mull-ach | summit |
| Odhar | oh-er | dappled |
| Sgurr/Sgorr | skoor | peak |
| Sron | srawn | point |
| Strath/Srath | strath | broad valley |
| Stob | stop | peak |
Example : Sgurr Beag : pronounced skoor bay-k, it means little peak
This info was taken from the Weekender section of Trail.
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