Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo
The Chicago accent
The Inland North runs along the Great Lakes from upstate New York through Cleveland and Detroit to Chicago, and it is defined by the Northern Cities Vowel Shift — a rotation in which “block” drifts towards “black”, “bet” towards “but”, and “cat” towards “kee-at”. Speakers rarely notice it in themselves, which is why the region long claimed to have no accent at all.
Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →
How to recognise a Chicago accent
- Raised “trap” vowel — “cat” towards “kee-at”.
- Fronted “lot” vowel — “block” towards “black”.
- “Cot” and “caught” stay distinct.
- Chicago-specific vocabulary: “gym shoes”, “pop”, “the expressway”.
Also known as Chicago accent, Inland North accent, Great Lakes accent, Midwestern accent. Spoken in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo, United States.
The Chicago pronunciation fingerprint
These are the answers the quiz expects from a Chicago speaker on its 14 pronunciation questions. Where a feature varies within the region, more than one answer counts as a match.
“bath” takes the short vowel of “cat” — no trap–bath split
The Trap–Bath Split: Does “Bath” Rhyme With “Cat” or “Father”?
rhotic — the R at the end of “car” is pronounced
“put” and “putt” have different vowels — the foot–strut split
a quick D-like tap in “bottle” — T-flapping
“cot” and “caught” stay distinct
The Cot–Caught Merger: Do “Cot” and “Caught” Sound the Same?
“Mary”, “marry” and “merry” all sound the same
the vowel in “day” glides
the vowel in “go” glides
a true TH at the start of “three”
the H in “house” is pronounced
yod-dropping — “tune” sounds like “toon”
“fur” and “fair” stay distinct
“beer” and “bear” stay distinct
“happy” ends on a long “-ee” — happy-tensing
Everyday words in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo
| Question | Usual answer |
|---|---|
| What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink? | Pop |
| What do you call shoes worn for sport or exercise? | Gym shoes |
| What do you usually call the main evening meal? | Dinner |
| What do you call a small, round piece of bread for one person? | Roll |
| What do you call thin strips of potato served hot and fried? | Fries |
| What is your general word for small sugary treats? | Candy |
| What do you call the wheeled basket used in a supermarket? | Shopping cart |
| What do you call restaurant food collected to eat elsewhere? | Carry-out |
| What do you call a public fixture you drink water from? | Water fountain |
| What do you call a small neighbourhood shop selling everyday items? | Convenience store |
| How do you usually address a group of people informally? | You guys |
| What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish? | Garbage can |
Speakers with a Chicago accent
Jennifer Hudson
Englewood, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Raised in Englewood on Chicago's South Side; this match uses the Inland North profile.
Accent profiles are anchored to primary-source regional recordings from the International Dialects of English Archive, not to any individual performance.
Is my accent Chicago?
The only way to answer that against real data is to compare your own speech to the profile. The quiz takes about four minutes: answer 26 questions, pin the town where you grew up, and see your closest accent matches ranked by how well they fit — plus where people who answer like you actually live.