Words people say differently can be a source of confusion, especially when traveling across different regions of the United States. Regional variations in dialects and accents can make even the most common words sound completely different. In this blog post, we’ll explore a list of words that people say differently or pronounce differently across the US.
Words People Pronounce Differently Across the U.S.
List of words people say differently or pronounce differently across the US:
Caramel
Some people say “car-mel,” while others say “car-a-mel.” The latter is more common in the Northeast and Midwest, while the former is more common in the South and West.
Bag
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “bag,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “beg.”
Pecan
This nut is pronounced “pea-can” in some parts of the US, and “pih-kahn” in others. The former is more common in the South and Midwest, while the latter is more common in the Northeast.
Route
Is it “root” or “rowt”? The pronunciation varies depending on where you are in the US. The Midwest and West tend to say “root,” while the Northeast and South say “rowt.”
Words People Pronounce Differently Across the U.S.
Data
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “day-tuh,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “da-tuh.”
Crayon
This colorful writing utensil is pronounced “cray-awn” in some parts of the US, and “cran” in others. The former is more common in the Northeast and Midwest, while the latter is more common in the South.
Soda/Pop
What do you call a carbonated soft drink? The answer depends on where you live. “Soda” is more common on the East and West coasts, while “pop” is more common in the Midwest and South.
Bag
Is it “bag” or “bayg”? The pronunciation varies depending on the region. The Midwest and West tend to say “bag,” while the Northeast and South say “bayg.”
Creek
This word is pronounced “crick” in some parts of the US and “creek” in others. The former is more common in the South and Midwest, while the latter is more common in the Northeast.
Aunt
Is it “ant” or “ahnt”? The pronunciation varies depending on the region. The Midwest and West tend to say “ant,” while the Northeast and South say “ahnt.”
Bagel
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “bay-guhl,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “bag-guhl.”
Roof
This word is pronounced differently across the US. Some people say “roof” with a long “oo” sound, while others say it with a short “oo” sound like “ruf.” The former is more common in the Northeast and Midwest, while the latter is more common in the South and West.
Pajamas
The word for comfortable sleepwear can be pronounced “pa-jam-as” with a long “a” sound, or “puh-jam-uhs” with a short “a” sound. The former is more common in the Northeast and Midwest, while the latter is more common in the South and West.
Mayonnaise
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “man-aze,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “may-uh-naze.”
Coupon
This word for a discount voucher can be pronounced “koo-pon” with a long “oo” sound or “kyoo-pon” with a short “yoo” sound. The former is more common in the Northeast and Midwest, while the latter is more common in the South and West.
Tomato
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “tuh-may-toh,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “tuh-mah-toh.”
New Orleans
In Louisiana, it is pronounced as “New OR-lens,” while in other parts of the country, it is pronounced as “New Or-LEENS.”
Lawyer
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “loy-yer,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “law-yer.”
Garage
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “gair-ij,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “guh-rahj.”
Schedule
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “shed-yool,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “sked-yool.”
Envelope
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “on-vel-up,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “ahn-vel-up.”
Baggage
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “bag-ij,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “bag-aj.”
Water
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “waw-ter,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “wuh-ter.”
Advertisement
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “ad-ver-tiz-muhnt,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “ad-ver-ties-muhnt.”
Mirror
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “mir-er,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “meer.”
Aluminum
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “uh-loo-muh-num,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “uh-luh-min-um.”
Pasta
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “pah-stuh,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “pahs-tuh.”
Egg
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “aig,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “eg.”
Barbecue
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “bar-buh-kyoo,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “bar-buh-kyoo.”
Caribbean
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “kuh-rib-ee-un,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “kar-ib-ee-un.”
Herb
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “hurb,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “erb.”
Drawer
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “draw,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “drawr.”
Salmon
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “sam-un,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “sam-in.”
Vase
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “vayz,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “vahz.”
Insurance
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “in-shur-uhns,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “in-suh-runs.”
The letter Z
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “zee,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “zed.”
Privacy
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “pry-vuh-see,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “pry-vuh-see.”
Syrup
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “seer-up,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “sir-up.”
The letter H
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “aitch,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “haitch.”
Prescription
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “pre-scrip-shun,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “per-scrip-shun.”
Oil
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “oyl,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “awl.”
Often
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “off-ten,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “off-en.”
Vehicle
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “vee-ik-uhl,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “vee-hik-uhl.”
Lever
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “lee-ver,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “lev-er.”
Mardi Gras
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “mahr-dee grah,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “mar-dee grah.”
Florida
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “flawr-uh-duh,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “floor-duh.”
Library
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “lie-brer-ee,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “lie-berry.”
Pasta
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “pah-stuh,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “pahs-tuh.”
Vitamin
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “vahy-tuh-min,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “vy-tuh-min.”
Zucchini
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “zoo-kee-nee,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “zoo-kee-nee” or “zoo-chee-nee.”
February
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “feb-yoo-ary,” with all three syllables pronounced, while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “feb-ru-ary,” with only two syllables pronounced.
Picture
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “pick-chur,” with a “k” sound, while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “pitch-ur,” with a “ch” sound.
Scone
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “skohn,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “skown.”
Vase
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “vayz,” with a long “a” sound, while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “vahz,” with a short “a” sound.
Yogurt
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “yo-gert,” with a hard “g” sound, while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “yo-gurt,” with a soft “g” sound.
Zebra
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is pronounced as “zee-bruh,” while in the south and west regions, it is pronounced as “zee-bra.”
Semi
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “seh-mee,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “sem-eye.”
Buoy
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “boy,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “boo-ee.”
Finance
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “fi-nance,” with a long “i” sound, while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “fi-nants,” with a short “i” sound.
Garlic
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “gar-lik,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “gar-lick.”
Spigot
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “spi-git,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “spi-got.”
Solder
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “sah-der,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “saw-der.”
Anti
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “an-tye,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “an-tee.”
Oregon
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “oar-uh-gahn,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “or-uh-gun.”
Pen
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “pen,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “pin.”
Toilet
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “toy-let,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “twa-let.”
Espresso
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “ex-press-oh,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “ess-press-oh.”
Leisure
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “lee-zhur,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “leh-zhur.”
Herbs
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “hurbs,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “erbs.”
Oregano
In the northeast and Midwest regions, it is often pronounced as “oh-reh-gah-noh,” while in the south and west regions, it is often pronounced as “uh-reg-uh-noh.”
Sausage
In some parts of the country, it is pronounced as “sah-sij,” while in other parts it is pronounced as “saw-sij.”
Been
In some parts of the country, it is pronounced as “bin,” while in other parts it is pronounced as “been.”
Conclusion:
Regional variations in dialects and accents can make even the most common words sound completely different. The pronunciation of words can vary greatly depending on where you are in the US. Knowing these differences can help you better understand and communicate with people from different regions. So, the next time you hear someone say a word differently than you do, remember that there’s no right or wrong way to say it – it’s just a matter of regional variation.
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