But even though English is one of the most spoken languages, the ways that Americans use the language is… kind of weird. In most of the country, the word for an individual compartment in a dresser rhymes with the word "bore." In the Harvard Dialect Survey, researchers found that people from coast to coast pronounced the word "reely," "rilly," and "ree-l-y. Maybe you didn't notice it before, but your cross-country comrades likely have vastly differing ways of pronouncing these everyday terms. The phrase doesn’t really have anything to do with the Netherlands. Some people, especially Southerners, see the word "aunt" and pronounce it no differently than the word's homonym, "ant." Of course, if you don’t live in the U.S., you wouldn’t be aware of this part of the Bill of Rights and this common phrase (which is often used to say you won’t say something that proves you’re guilty) is a mystery. It’s often used to describe small towns, though we find small towns to be quite charming. Another word for United States. Some people pronounce it "cray-awn," rhyming with "dawn," and others pronounce it "cray-ahn," rhyming with "man." Nobody is denying that the word "museum" begins with a "mew" sound. Someone who wants to join in on the fun and comradery, notably politicians who would join parades to try and woo voters. The various pronunciations of the word "almond" originate back to when many people were emigrating from Europe to the United States, bringing with them their native languages and thusly their own versions of various words. ", In some parts of the south, the word "pen" often rhymes with "pin." Though the word "really" is pronounced differently across the country, it doesn't appear to be due to regional differences. While the hefty majority of Americans pronounce the word "bit" like "sit," there are some people (particularly in parts of Colorado) who say it like "bet." And to learn how your vocabulary can change your outlook, check out Cut These 20 Negative Words from Your Life and Be Instantly Happier.

In the Northeast, you're most likely to hear that second syllable pronounced like "see." But nope! Head to America's Western and Midwestern states and you'll find that the "a" in pajamas is pronounced like "jam," but spend time in any Southern or Eastern state and you'll hear an "a" as in "father.". Is it a "Bow-ie" knife, or is it a "Boo-wie" knife?

According to Johnson, "the word can't in many small towns [in the South] actually rhymes with paint. That depends on who you're talking to. "What the heck, are Americans even speaking English?" But is she "flore-ishing," "fluh-rishing," or "flurr-ishing"? From Givenchy to Hermès, these are all the brand names you get wrong. Though there are some slight variations within regions, the general consensus is that in the West and Midwest, you'll put "may-uh-naze" on your sandwich, and in the North and South, you'll use "man-aze. So far up, perhaps, you’ll get a nosebleed. These are the everyday words people in the U.S. can't stop spelling wrong. Folks from the East Coast might be surprised to learn that the answer to this question for some people is no, as their pronunciation of the word "mirror" makes it just one syllable, disregarding the "-or" altogether. You need to watch out for this type in particular. For language that will ease your mind, here are 15 Magical Phrases and Words That Help Relieve Stress. Expert Market created a video, below, which shows just how different the same language can sound with just a matter of distance. If so, you probably didn't grow up on the West Coast or in the Midwest. Americans pronounce it VITE-a-min, vite rhyming with bite. "We say it like 'git.' As the region is named after the Caribs (pronounced kar-ib), the technically accurate pronunciation of the word "Caribbean" is "Kar-i-bee-in." It seems that it means you’ll set something down on a metaphorical table and get back to it at a later date. It just means you’re telling secrets. You’re in quite the difficult situation, but if you’re not American, you have no idea what this phrase means. Cold turkey isn’t just a delicious Thanksgiving leftover, it also means you’re stopping something suddenly and without any aid. "Gro-sir-ees," of course! For the majority of us, the word "been" rhymes with "bin," like the ones above. ", Even locals can't agree on how to pronounce the name of this city. In the Harvard Dialect Survey, researchers found that the majority of people from these regions pronounced these words in the same way. According to Crayola, arguably the top crayon experts, the correct way to say it is "cray-awn," but even they admit that there are too many regional differences to try and implement a single pronunciation.
In the rest of the country, however, that "i" takes on the same sound that it does in "sit. Most people—including New Yorkers, who are arguably the most knowledgeable on the matter—pronounce the word as "bay-gull," but many Midwesterners botch the word to sound like "bah-gull. They might, however, disagree over how the word continues to be sounded out, with some people favoring the pronunciation "mew-zee-um" and others opting for the pronunciation "mew-zam.