Say it right
How to pronounce Icelandic place names
Stress the first syllable, say “ll” as “tl”, and read “j” as “y”. With those three rules and the word parts below, 93 of the names you will meet on a trip stop looking impossible. Capitals mark the stressed syllable.
The short version
- Stress the first syllable, always. That alone gets you most of the way.
- ll sounds like “tl”: Gullfoss is GOOTL-foss, Skaftafell is SKAF-ta-fetl.
- j is a “y” and jökull (glacier) is YER-kutl, so Vatnajökull is VAT-na-yer-kutl.
- Most names are plain descriptions: foss waterfall, vík bay, fell mountain, lón lagoon.
The sounds that catch people out
- ll
- "tl", with the tongue ready to say l — Gullfoss is GOOTL-foss
- þ
- "th" in thin
- ð
- "th" in this; never starts a word
- j
- "y" in yes
- hv
- "kv" — Hveragerði is KVE-ra-ger-thi
- á
- "ow" in cow
- ó
- "oh"
- ú
- "oo" in food
- æ
- "eye"
- ei / ey
- "ay" in day
- au
- roughly "oy", said with rounded lips
- ö
- "er" in her, without the r
- rn / rl
- "dn" / "dl" — Arnarstapi is AD-nar-sta-pi
Word parts
- -foss
- foss · waterfall
- -jökull
- YER-kutl · glacier
- -fjörður
- fyer-thur · fjord
- -vík
- veek · bay, cove
- -fell / -fjall
- fetl / fyatl · mountain
- -nes
- ness · headland, peninsula
- -vatn
- vatn · lake
- -lón
- lohn · lagoon
- -laug
- loyg · warm pool
- -hver
- kver · hot spring
- -gljúfur
- glyoo-vur · canyon
- -ey / -eyjar
- ay / ay-yar · island / islands
- -dalur
- da-lur · valley
- -hraun
- hroyn · lava field
93 place names, A to Z
| Name | Say it | Means | See |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akureyri | AH-ku-ray-ri | Spit of the fields | Akureyri |
| Arnarstapi | AD-nar-sta-pi | Rock pillar of the eagle | Snæfellsnes |
| Ásbyrgi | OWS-bir-gi | Shelter of the gods | Ásbyrgi |
| Askja | ASK-ya | Box — the word for a caldera | Highlands |
| Barnafoss | BAD-na-foss | Children’s falls, from a sad legend of two drowned boys | Hraunfossar |
| Bláa lónið | BLOW-a LOH-nith | The Blue Lagoon | Bláa lónið (Blue Lagoon) |
| Borgarnes | BOR-gar-ness | Headland of the fortress rock | West Iceland |
| Breiðamerkursandur | BRAY-tha-mer-kur-san-dur | Sands of the broad boundary | Diamond Beach |
| Dalvík | DAL-veek | Valley bay | North Iceland |
| Deildartunguhver | DAYL-dar-tun-gu-kver | Hot spring of the Deildartunga farm | Deildartunguhver |
| Dettifoss | DET-ti-foss | Collapsing falls | Dettifoss |
| Dimmuborgir | DIM-mu-bor-gir | Dark castles | Dimmuborgir |
| Djúpalónssandur | DYOO-pa-lohns-san-dur | Sands of the deep lagoon | Djúpalónssandur |
| Djúpivogur | DYOO-pi-vo-gur | Deep cove | East Iceland |
| Drangsnes | DROWNGS-ness | Headland of the sea stack | Westfjords |
| Dynjandi | DIN-yan-di | The thundering one | Westfjords |
| Dyrhólaey | DEER-hoh-la-ay | Island of the door hill, after its rock arch | Dyrhólaey |
| Egilsstaðir | AY-yils-sta-thir | Egill’s farmstead | East Iceland |
| Eyjafjallajökull | AY-ya-fyat-la-yer-kutl | Glacier of the island mountains | South Coast |
| Eyjafjörður | AY-ya-fyer-thur | Island fjord | North Iceland |
| Fagradalsfjall | FAG-ra-dals-fyatl | Mountain of the fair valley | Reykjanes & Blue Lagoon |
| Fjaðrárgljúfur | FYATH-rowr-glyoo-vur | Canyon of the feather river | Fjaðrárgljúfur |
| Fjallsárlón | FYATLS-owr-lohn | Lagoon of the mountain river | Fjallsárlón |
| Flúðir | FLOO-thir | Rapids | Secret Lagoon (Gamla Laugin) |
| Friðheimar | FRITH-hay-mar | Home of peace | Friðheimar |
| Geysir | GAY-sir | Gusher — the spring that gave every geyser its name | Geysir & Strokkur |
| Gljúfrabúi | GLYOO-vra-boo-ih | Dweller in the canyon | Gljúfrabúi |
| Goðafoss | GOTH-a-foss | Falls of the gods | Goðafoss |
| Grindavík | GRIN-da-veek | Gate bay | Reykjanes & Blue Lagoon |
| Grjótagjá | GRYOH-ta-gyow | Fissure of rocks | Grjótagjá |
| Grundarfjörður | GRUN-dar-fyer-thur | Fjord of the plain | Snæfellsnes |
| Gullfoss | GOOTL-foss | Golden falls | Gullfoss |
| Gunnuhver | GUN-nu-kver | Gunna’s hot spring, after a ghost in local legend | Reykjanes & Blue Lagoon |
| Hallgrímskirkja | HATL-greems-kirk-ya | Hallgrímur’s church | Hallgrímskirkja |
| Harpa | HAR-pa | Harp | Harpa |
| Heimaey | HAY-ma-ay | Home island | South Coast |
| Hekla | HEK-la | Hooded cloak, for the cloud that often sits on it | Highlands |
| Hellnar | HET-lnar | Caves | Snæfellsnes |
| Hengifoss | HEN-gi-foss | Hanging falls | East Iceland |
| Höfn | HUP’N | Harbour | Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón |
| Hólmavík | HOHL-ma-veek | Bay of the islets | Westfjords |
| Hraunfossar | HROYN-foss-ar | Lava falls | Hraunfossar |
| Húsafell | HOO-sa-fetl | Mountain of the houses | West Iceland |
| Húsavík | HOO-sa-veek | Bay of houses | Húsavík |
| Hvalfjörður | KVAL-fyer-thur | Whale fjord | West Iceland |
| Hvannadalshnúkur | KVAN-na-dals-hnoo-kur | Peak of the angelica valley — Iceland’s highest summit | Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón |
| Hveragerði | KVE-ra-ger-thi | Hot-spring garden | South Coast |
| Hveravellir | KVE-ra-vet-lir | Plains of the hot springs | Highlands |
| Hverir | KVE-rir | Hot springs | Námaskarð (Hverir) |
| Hvítserkur | KVEET-ser-kur | White shirt, after the bird droppings on the rock | North Iceland |
| Hvolsvöllur | KVOLS-vert-lur | Field by the knoll | South Coast |
| Ísafjörður | EE-sa-fyer-thur | Ice fjord | Westfjords |
| Jökulsárlón | YER-kuls-owr-lohn | Lagoon of the glacier river | Jökulsárlón |
| Katla | KAHT-la | A woman’s name, from a folk tale about a housekeeper who ran into the glacier | South Coast |
| Keflavík | KEP-la-veek | Driftwood bay | Reykjanes & Blue Lagoon |
| Kerið | KAIR-ith | The tub | Kerið |
| Kerlingarfjöll | KER-lin-gar-fyertl | Mountains of the old woman | Highlands |
| Kirkjubæjarklaustur | KIRK-yu-bye-yar-kloy-stur | Convent at the church farm | Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón |
| Kirkjufell | KIRK-yu-fetl | Church mountain | Kirkjufell |
| Kleifarvatn | KLAY-var-vatn | Lake of the cliff path | Reykjanes & Blue Lagoon |
| Landmannalaugar | LAND-man-na-loy-gar | Warm pools of the land people | Landmannalaugar |
| Langjökull | LOWNG-yer-kutl | Long glacier | Into the Glacier (Langjökull) |
| Látrabjarg | LOW-tra-byarg | Cliff of the (seal) lairs | Westfjords |
| Laugarvatn | LOY-gar-vatn | Lake of the warm pools | Golden Circle |
| Laugavegur | LOY-ga-vay-gur | Pool road — also Reykjavík’s main shopping street, named for the walk to the washing springs | Highlands |
| Mýrdalsjökull | MEER-dals-yer-kutl | Glacier of the marsh valley | South Coast |
| Mývatn | MEE-vatn | Midge lake | Mývatn |
| Námaskarð | NOW-ma-skarth | Pass of the mines, after old sulphur digging | Námaskarð (Hverir) |
| Öræfajökull | ER-eye-va-yer-kutl | Glacier of the wasteland | Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón |
| Perlan | PERT-lan | The pearl | Perlan |
| Reykholt | RAYK-holt | Smoky hill | West Iceland |
| Reykjavík | RAYK-ya-veek | Smoky bay, after the steam from its hot springs | Reykjavík |
| Reynisdrangar | RAY-nis-drown-gar | Sea stacks of Reynir | Reynisfjara |
| Reynisfjara | RAY-nis-fyar-a | Shore below Reynir (rowan) mountain | Reynisfjara |
| Selfoss | SEL-foss | Falls by the shieling (summer hut) | South Coast |
| Seljalandsfoss | SEL-ya-lands-foss | Falls of the shieling land | Seljalandsfoss |
| Seyðisfjörður | SAY-this-fyer-thur | Fjord of the cooking pit | East Iceland |
| Silfra | SIL-vra | The silver one | Golden Circle |
| Skaftafell | SKAF-ta-fetl | Mountain of the Skaftá river | Skaftafell |
| Skógafoss | SKOH-ga-foss | Falls of the woods | Skógafoss |
| Snæfellsjökull | SNIGH-fetls-yer-kutl | Glacier of the snow mountain | Snæfellsnes |
| Snæfellsnes | SNIGH-fetls-ness | Peninsula of the snow mountain | Snæfellsnes |
| Sólheimajökull | SOHL-hay-ma-yer-kutl | Glacier of the sun homes (a farm name) | Sólheimajökull |
| Sprengisandur | SPREN-gi-san-dur | Sands you ride a horse to exhaustion across | Highlands |
| Strokkur | STROK-kur | Churn | Geysir & Strokkur |
| Stuðlagil | STOOTH-la-gil | Canyon of basalt columns | Stuðlagil |
| Stykkishólmur | STIK-kis-hohl-mur | Islet of the pieces | Snæfellsnes |
| Svartifoss | SVAR-ti-foss | Black falls, for its dark basalt columns | Svartifoss |
| Þingvellir | THING-vet-lir | Parliament plains, where the Alþingi met from 930 | Þingvellir |
| Þórsmörk | THOHRS-merk | Thor’s forest | Þórsmörk |
| Vatnajökull | VAT-na-yer-kutl | Glacier of lakes | Vatnajökull |
| Vestmannaeyjar | VEST-man-na-ay-yar | Islands of the Westmen — Irish slaves who fled there in the ninth century | South Coast |
| Vík í Mýrdal | VEEK ee MEER-dal | Bay in the marsh valley | Vík í Mýrdal |
Approximations for English speakers, not phonetic transcriptions. Meanings are the literal sense of the name’s parts; where the origin is disputed we have left the name out.
Questions people ask
How do you pronounce Eyjafjallajökull?
AY-ya-fyat-la-yer-kutl. Break it into eyja (islands), fjalla (of the mountains) and jökull (glacier): the glacier of the island mountains.
How do you pronounce Reykjavík?
RAYK-ya-veek, stress on the first syllable. It means smoky bay, after the steam from the hot springs the first settlers saw.
How do you say Þingvellir?
THING-vet-lir. Þ is the “th” in thin and ll sounds like “tl”. It means parliament plains.
Do Icelanders mind if I get it wrong?
Not at all. People will be pleased you tried, and nobody expects a visitor to manage ll or ð first time.
Why do signs sometimes spell names without accents?
Some maps and booking sites strip Icelandic letters (Thingvellir, Jokulsarlon). The accents change the sound, so we keep them; our search finds either spelling.