How do you recognise a Midland accent?

“The car needs washed” — “to be” is dropped. “Cot” and “caught” sound the same. “Pin” and “pen” stay distinct, unlike Texas and the South. Plural “you” is “you guys”, not “y’all”.

Which famous people have a Midland accent?

Paul Rudd is a speaker whose recorded speech anchors the Midland American English profile used by DialectGuessr.

How do I test whether I have a Midland accent?

DialectGuessr's free accent test asks 29 questions about the words you use and how you pronounce them, then scores your answers against the Midland American English profile and every other profile in the survey. It takes about two minutes and needs no account.

Where is the Midland accent spoken?

Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and the US Midland, in United States.

Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and the US Midland

The Midland accent

Midland American English is the variety people from Ohio, Indiana and Missouri often hear as having “no accent”. It has merged “cot” and “caught”, unlike the Inland North, and it has not raised “bag” towards “beg”. Its grammatical giveaway is “the car needs washed”, without “to be”.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

How to recognise a Midland accent

“The car needs washed” — “to be” is dropped.
“Cot” and “caught” sound the same.
“Pin” and “pen” stay distinct, unlike Texas and the South.
Plural “you” is “you guys”, not “y’all”.

Also known as Midland accent, Ohio accent, Missouri accent, Midland American English. Spoken in Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and the US Midland, United States.

The Midland pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a Midland speaker on its 26 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
Rhotic vs Non-Rhotic: Do You Pronounce the R in “Car”?
a quick D-like tap in “bottle” — T-flapping
Bottle, Bo'le or Boddle? The T in the Middle of a Word
“cot” and “caught” rhyme — the cot–caught merger
The Cot–Caught Merger: Do “Cot” and “Caught” Sound the Same?
“Mary”, “marry” and “merry” all sound the same
Mary, Marry, Merry: One Sound, Two or Three?
“day” ends on a slight “ee” — day-ee
The Vowel in “Day”: Gliding or Steady?
“go” ends on a slight “oo” — go-oo
The Vowel in “Go”: Gliding or Steady?
yod-dropping — “tune” sounds like “toon”
Tune, Toon or Choon? The Y After a Consonant
no — they sound different
Do “Singer” and “Finger” Rhyme? The Velar Nasal Plus
one — “film”
“Film” or “Fillum”? The Helping Vowel in Highland and Irish English
no — they end in a vowel
The Bristol L: Why “Area” Can Sound Like “Areal”
a th sound
“Dat” for “That”: TH-Stopping in the Function Words
“ship” and “sheep” hold two distinct vowels apart
Ship or Sheep? The Vowel That Divides Native and Learned English
“put” and “putt” have different vowels — the foot–strut split
The Foot–Strut Split: Do “Put” and “Putt” Rhyme?
a true TH at the start of “three”
Three, Free or Tree? What Happens to Your TH
the H in “house” is pronounced
H-Dropping: Do You Say “House” or “'Ouse”?
“fur” and “fair” stay distinct
Fur and Fair: The Merger That Marks Liverpool
“beer” and “bear” stay distinct
Beer and Bear: The Merger That Marks New Zealand
“happy” ends on a long “-ee” — happy-tensing
Happy: Does It End in “-ee” or “-ih”?
“wine” and “vine” start with different sounds
Wine or Vine? Where V and W Fall Together
“school” starts straight on the S
“Eschool” for “School”: The Vowel Some Accents Add
“bed” keeps its voiced ending, apart from “bet”
Bed or Bet? Final-Obstruent Devoicing
an approximant R, made without contact
Rolled, Uvular or Neither? How the R Is Made
“pin” and “pen” stay distinct
Pin or Pen? The Southern US Vowel Merger
the vowel in “ride” glides from one sound to another
Does “Ride” Stay on One Sound? Southern PRICE
“celery” and “salary” stay distinct
Celery or Salary? Melbourne's Quiet Giveaway

Everyday words in Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and the US Midland

Expected everyday vocabulary for a Midland speaker.
Question	Usual answer
What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink?	Pop
What do you call shoes worn for sport or exercise?	Tennis 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?	Takeout
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?	Trash can
What do you call the narrow passageway between or behind houses?	Alley / alleyway
What do you call the insulated box you carry cold drinks in?	Cooler
You are waiting your turn behind other people. What are you doing?	Waiting in line
“Man’s getting emotional.” Who is “man”?	It does not make sense to me
What do you call rubber sandals held on by a strap between the toes?	Flip-flops
What do you call the red-amber-green signal at a junction?	Stoplight
What do you call a circular junction you drive around?	Traffic circle
How do you say “the” in a phrase like “I’m going down the shop”?	A full “the”
“We’ll not be home while seven.” What does that sentence mean to you?	It does not make sense to me
“I’m after having my dinner.” What does that sentence mean to you?	It does not make sense to me
What do you call a shared minibus used as public transport?	I do not have a word for that
Does “she be working on Fridays” sound like a normal way to say she works Fridays regularly?	No — it does not sound like my English
Does “the car needs washed” sound normal — without “to be”?	Yes — “needs washed” is fine
What do you call a long sandwich in a split roll?	Sub / submarine
What do you call a multi-storey building for parking cars?	Parking garage
Can “da kine” stand in for a thing you have not named?	No — that is not a word I use

Speakers with a Midland accent

Paul Rudd
Overland Park, Kansas, United States
A Midland American English reference profile; Rudd spent his teenage years in Overland Park.

Accent profiles are anchored to primary-source regional recordings from the International Dialects of English Archive, not to any individual performance.