Uncovering 20 Words North (Nort) Dakotans Can’t Say Right

Yep, we talk a little funny in North Dakota.

More funny than most ya know. I recently asked my listeners on our (are) Facebook page and on-air, what word do you hear people in North Dakota mispronouncing the most?

Whether we like it or not, we have an accent in North Dakota. 

I think the best way to describe it is a cross between German, Scandinavian, and Canadian.  Speaking of Canadians, let me hear you say "about" out loud.  Yeah, gotcha there.  When was the last time you started out a sentence with "Ya"?

Yep, you have the North Dakota accent or the "Upper Midwest" accent that you'll find in South Dakota, Minnesota, Upper Iowa, Wisconsin, Manitoba, Western Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and of course, good ol' North (Nort) Dakota.

You could break it down even further if you wanted to. Take a drive down to Strasburg, Hague, Wishek, or Napoleon, and you'll hear a heavy German North Dakota accent that is common in south-central North Dakota.

When I moved to California for a couple of years to take a radio job fresh out of college, I learned quickly I had to work on my heavy North Dakota accent.

A plethora of answers came piling in from all over the Bison (Bizon) state and the votes have been tabulated.

These are the 20 words that North Dakotans can't pronounce.

I have to let the cat out of the bag (beg) and share these gems with you. Let's see how many of these words you mispronounce daily. I know I do.