70 Words People Pronounce Differently Across the U.S.

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.

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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