# Take the online accent quiz **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 29, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344 "2012-02-29T14:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/61 "2012-02-29T20:12:34Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > /kɔt/ vs. /kɑt/ I get the “hot” pronounced as “hat” thing. I assumed that if someone said “cot” as “cat” he would also say “caught” as “cat.” Strange. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/62 "2012-02-29T20:17:51Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Can I respectfully enquire as to what the pronunciation diiferences between “caught” and “cot” might be in some American dialects? ‘Cause I got nothin’. For me, caught has a slight aw sound in it: kawt (slight), and cot is pronounced: Kot. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/63 "2012-02-29T20:18:58Z")
“Inland North.” Born and lived my first decade in suburban Chicago before moving to the South, where I made a conscious effort _not_ to acquire a Southern accent. Guess I succeeded, at least as far as this survey is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/64 "2012-02-29T20:19:09Z")
I don’t understand what the 7 bar lines below mean, as the chart isn’t titled. Do they represent the distribution of the respondents or the chances that you fall in one of those categories? ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/65 "2012-02-29T20:21:40Z")
North Central. I grew up north of Minneapolis, so that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/66 "2012-02-29T20:22:48Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Did anyone else run into trouble with Question 8? > > The three options for Mary, marry, and merry were that they were all the same, all different, or that “marry” was the outlier. I think that “merry” is the outlier (it has slightly more of an “eh” sound to the vowel than the others). I guess I just made that up? > > I’ve lived in California all my life (Northern and Southern). I was pegged as “Midland”. I’m wondering what the difference is supposed to be that gets you tagged with “West”, since as far as I can tell, I pretty much talk like other folk 'round here. I had to think about that question before selecting “They all sound the same”, which ended up correctly identifying my accent as from the West. My mind’s ear was trying to convince me they are different, but then saying them all out loud I realized they were actually the same. Perhaps this is why so many of us in the West are being pegged as something different. On a side note, I was offended when it said my accent was the lowest common denominator. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/67 "2012-02-29T20:26:54Z")
Interesting. I’ve lived in “The Midlands” all my life, but: Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak. My ancestors mostly came from Boston and Rhode Island, I guess… ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/68 "2012-02-29T20:28:33Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Apparently Boston. > > Wicked awesome. I guess there’s no way we can mask our accents, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/69 "2012-02-29T20:29:00Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I had that problem too. I went with “They’re all the same.” But I know better. “Merry” \*is \*different. Thirding that. I am apparently from Boston, or possibly New Hampshire. And here I thought north Jersey accents sounded like New York. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/70 "2012-02-29T20:32:58Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I don’t understand what the 7 bar lines below mean, as the chart isn’t titled. Do they represent the distribution of the respondents or the chances that you fall in one of those categories? I interpreted them as a display of your scores for the different regions. Various answers correspond to more than one accent, so you get “points” toward each accent your answer matches. If a particular trait is only present in one of the accents, then answering “no” to a question about it might get you a point in every other accent, for example. As a result, the graph should (theoretically) show which other accents yours most resembles. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/71 "2012-02-29T20:35:22Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Can I respectfully enquire as to what the pronunciation diiferences between “caught” and “cot” might be in some American dialects? ‘Cause I got nothin’. For me, “caught” is almost “c **aw** t”, while “cot” is basically “c **ah** t”. It’s the same distinction as “maw” vs. “Ma”, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/72 "2012-02-29T20:37:12Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I had that problem too. I went with “They’re all the same.” But I know better. “Merry” \*is \*different. They’re all different for me: Merry rhymes with Derry. Mary rhymes with fairy. Marry rhymes with Larry. I know, the rest of you are thinking Derry, fairy, and Larry rhyme! ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/73 "2012-02-29T20:51:03Z")
My result: The West “Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you’re a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent.” I’ve lived all my 44 years in Northern California, so this doesn’t surprise me at all. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/74 "2012-02-29T20:53:49Z")
The first part of horrible sounds like whore or hot? Ummm…no, the first part of horrible sounds like _har_, rhymes with _car_. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/75 "2012-02-29T21:08:01Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > Apparently, I’m from the Northeast, which is actually correct. > > North East _England_, that is. > > But still… heh. That’s funny, me too and me too! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/76 "2012-02-29T21:16:26Z")
Yup, “the Inland North.” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/77 "2012-02-29T21:17:58Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > They’re all different for me: > > Merry rhymes with Derry. > > Mary rhymes with fairy. > > Marry rhymes with Larry. > > I know, the rest of you are thinking Derry, fairy, and Larry rhyme! To me, all six words rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/78 "2012-02-29T21:27:51Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > To me, all six words rhyme. I think that’s the point. And, um, me too. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/79 "2012-02-29T21:34:19Z")
How could pin and pen ever sound the same? ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/80 "2012-02-29T22:16:33Z")
I am Canadian and it pegged me as North Central for which one of the comments is that ‘Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.’ This amused me greatly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344.md?page=5)