# 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:** 5
**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, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/81 "2012-02-29T22:23:17Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > How could pin and pen ever sound the same? For many in the vicinity where I live, both are pronounced “PEE-un.” Yes, two syllables. No, I don’t pronounce them that way. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/82 "2012-02-29T22:45:54Z")
“Inland North”. But I’m from Texas, ya’ll. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/83 "2012-02-29T22:53:00Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > 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. Add me to that list! Is it the Midwest accent that is the ‘normalized’ American one for media stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/84 "2012-02-29T22:53:33Z")
I got **Midlands,** with **South** as a close second. I’ve lived in Tennessee my whole life. It’s funny-- a lot of TN folks ask me “where you from?” but people from other parts of the country often say “I love your Southern accent!” ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/85 "2012-02-29T22:54:58Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Is it the Midwest accent that is the ‘normalized’ American one for media stuff? I would say yes to that. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/86 "2012-02-29T23:07:22Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Heh, me too. I also answered ‘they sound different’ to every question. Yeah, whenever any of these accent questions come up on the board, I always find that my answers (from New York) are pretty much in line with those from England. Whenever there is one of those “are these two words pronounced the same or different” questions, I always answer “different.” Which has led me to wonder, is there one of those pairs that the majority of the US pronounces \*different \*but in New York is the _same_? I can’t think of one. And they correctly pegged me as being from New York City. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/87 "2012-02-29T23:11:06Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > 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. Lucky bastard - it told me I’m from the Midlands. Well, I am from Saskatchewan, and that is kind of in the middle… ---
**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, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/88 "2012-02-29T23:12:22Z")
> [@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! +1 ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/89 "2012-02-29T23:46:08Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > I got Inland North. But I’ve never been accused of being “from Wisconsin or Chicago”. But I do call soda “pop”. Northeast Ohio born and raised. This, only replace “Northeast Ohio” with “Southeast Michigan”. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/90 "2012-03-01T00:01:22Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > 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. Me too. I’m doing such a good job at pretending to be Canadian that I fooled my parents into being born there! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/91 "2012-03-01T00:12:58Z")
I got Minnesota, even though I have a deep Boston accent. (that was way down) ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/92 "2012-03-01T00:14:03Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I had that problem too. I went with “They’re all the same.” But I know better. “Merry” \*is \*different. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/93 "2012-03-01T03:29:16Z")
> [@Zulema](#): > > Mine was 100% Inland North. > > I’m from Detroit and live in Wisconsin and there’s a pretty big difference between the two. I have never been accused of being from Wisconsin and my friends say they can tell I’m not from here. Mine, too; Inland North was completely red. The accent groups all cover large regions, so while I agree that there are noticeable differences between Michigan and Wisconsin accents, they still likely have more in common with each other than with other accent groups. A good rule of thumb is to see if people _outside_ the region would likely guess your accent to be from various places in the region. To Wisconsinites, you clearly don’t sound like you’re from Wisconsin, but I bet people from other areas of the US wouldn’t hear a difference between you and your neighbor. I worked internal tech support for a financial services company for a few years. We would speak to people in branches all over the country. I kept a list of WHERE AM I FROM? based on what users would guess. The far and away leader was Canada (interestingly, even native Detroit-area speakers have understood that, saying that there _is_ something noticeably different than everyone else). Second was Minnesota, though anyone from Minnesota would instantly know I wasn’t from there. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/94 "2012-03-01T03:37:12Z")
Oh, and when I say “what users would guess”, I mean that completely out of the blue, they would suddenly ask something like, “So, where are you originally from?” (when they knew I was in the Detroit are) or, “Are you Canadian?”. I got this far more often than any of my coworkers. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/95 "2012-03-01T03:39:42Z")
I got Northeast with Philadelphia a close second, which is interesting for two reasons: 1. I’m from Peru 2. I learnt English from 1st to 6th grade from Philadelphia nuns of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/96 "2012-03-01T03:57:37Z")
It got me exactly. it said Inland North, and even mentioned Chicago. I’m originally from the suburbs, but that’s close enough!! ---
**Author:** ![emu2swan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@emu2swan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emu2swan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/97 "2012-03-01T04:37:26Z")
I got Boston, I’m from Boston. Nifty. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/98 "2012-03-01T05:14:58Z")
Took the quiz; it correctly identified me as “Inland North” I do take one small issue with the result comments, though. Quoting: > [@](#): > > You may think you speak “Standard English straight out of the dictionary” but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like “Are you from Wisconsin?” or “Are you from Chicago?” Chances are you call carbonated drinks “pop.” Most of this is correct. Am I from Wisconsin? Yes. Are you from Chicago? Well, more recently, I’m from _Chicagoland_ though this is not necessarily Chicago. Close enough. But “Chances are you call carbonated drinks “pop.”” No, no, no. My dad and my grandmother (on dad’s side) - both of whom I love to death, but both who I would characterize as a bit “countryish” for Wisconsin (dairyish?) - both stopped calling soda “pop” about 20 years ago. Nobody I know calls it “pop” anymore, though I do remember (as a young kid) people calling it that. Round these parts, it’s “soda”. ---
**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:** [March 1, 2012, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/99 "2012-03-01T05:56:54Z")
It’s always been pop in NE Ohio, and all right-thinking people know that’s what it should be called, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344/100 "2012-03-01T07:54:20Z")
I got Midland, which probably makes the most sense. I was born in Kentucky and then grew up in Texas, BUT have a mother who has insisted on my being able to speak properly. She still corrects me. \ But it does help that I can talk just like any local yokel (no offense, I think that accent is cute) and also switch it off to a more ‘professional phone voice’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-the-online-accent-quiz/614344.md?page=6)