Our world has gone global, but some words continue to be pronounced oh-so-locally
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Drawer (as in a chest of drawers)
When referring to a place where you keep your socks (as opposed to the word that refers to someone who draws, say, with a crayon), most Americans pronounce it as a single syllable that ends in the r sound, like droar. But if you pronounce it the other way, as draw (rhymes with straw), there’s a really good chance you’re from the metropolitan New York City area (such as Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island or regions of northern New Jersey).
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Cot
Most Americans pronounce this word that refers to a place to sleep as kaht (with a long, drawn-out ah sound). But if you pronounce it as a rhyme for caught (or taught and taut), then you’re likely from the Boston area. The same goes for other -ot words, like lot, rot, clot, tot, hot and not.
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Caught
Looking at it from the other direction, folks who pronounce the word caught (the past tense of catch) like kAHt are almost invariably from the American West.
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Mary, marry and merry
Say this sentence aloud: “Everyone’s merry that Mary’s set to marry.”
Did all three of the m words sound the same (specifically, did they rhyme with hairy)? Probably, because that’s how the majority of Americans pronounce these words. If not, then you’re probably from the Northeast or New Orleans, where the words are pronounced differently:
- Merry: MEH-ree
- Mary: MAIR-ee (with a slightly shorter a sound)
- Marry: MA-ree (with the a sounding like it does in cat)
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Oregon
Folks from Oregon pronounce their home state like its last syllable rhymes with gun and will correct you if you pronounce it as gone.
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New Orleans
New Orleans natives pronounce it NOR-leens. So if you say New or-LEENS, there’s a pretty good chance you’re a visitor to the Big Easy.
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New Jersey
Ever heard anyone say, “I’m from Joisey”?
No?
Didn’t think so. That’s because no one from New Jersey would ever pronounce it Joisey, and most don’t drop the New either. So if you’re saying it that way, you’re probably from somewhere other than the Garden State.
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Florida
If you pronounce the first syllable of the Sunshine State’s name like it rhymes with anything but sore, you’re most likely not from Florida. And if you rhyme it with ah, there’s only the slimmest chance you’re from anywhere west of Texas.
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Aunt
In more than 75% of the United States (according to the Harvard Dialect Survey), the word for your parent’s sister is pronounced exactly the same as the word for that tiny bug that you don’t want ruining your picnic. If you pronounce it awnt, then you’re probably from the East Coast, where people who use that regional pronunciation are most heavily concentrated.
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Creek
Most Americans pronounce this word for a small, babbling body of water as crEEk, so that it rhymes with meek. If you’re from California, there’s more than a 95% chance you do, per that Harvard Survey. But if you’re from the Midwest, there’s a strong chance you rhyme it with crick.
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Huge
Most Americans pronounce the h in huge. Those who treat the h as silent and say yuge tend to hail from the New York area. The same goes for humor, humongous and human.
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Been
Nearly 65% of Americans pronounce the word been as if it were spelled bin. If you pronounce it like the name Ben, then it’s likely you’re from the North Central United States.
Well, it’s been fun looking at these regional pronunciations. Whether it’s crick or creek, ant or awnt, every pronunciation is a subtle shout-out to the place that shaped you. So next time someone gives you that look, just smile. Your accent is showing—and that’s something to be proud of.
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Sources:
- Accent Help: “Merry, Mary, and Marry”
- Dialect Blog
- Harvard Dialect Study
- New Jersey.com: “15 things never to say to someone from New Jersey”
- New York Times: “How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk”
