Newfoundland and Labrador
The Newfoundland accent
Newfoundland English is the most distinctive variety in North America, descended from southeastern Irish and West Country English settlement and shaped by four centuries of relative isolation. It is closer to Waterford or Dorset than to Toronto, and it keeps grammar — “I likes it”, “after finishing” for “have just finished” — that no other North American variety retains.
Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →
How to recognise a Newfoundland accent
- Irish-style TH-stopping: “that thing” as “dat ting”.
- Steady, non-gliding “face” and “goat” vowels.
- The Irish “after” perfect: “I’m after eating”.
- Verbal -s across all persons: “I likes”, “they knows”.
Also known as Newfoundland accent, Newfie accent, Newfoundland English, St John's accent. Spoken in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
The Newfoundland pronunciation fingerprint
These are the answers the quiz expects from a Newfoundland 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 clear T in the middle of “bottle”
“cot” and “caught” stay distinct
The Cot–Caught Merger: Do “Cot” and “Caught” Sound the Same?
“Mary”, “marry” and “merry” all sound different, or two of “Mary”, “marry” and “merry” match and one differs
the vowel in “day” stays steady — a monophthongal face vowel
the vowel in “go” stays steady — a monophthongal goat vowel, or the vowel in “go” glides
TH-stopping — “three” sounds like “tree”, or a true TH at the start of “three”
the H in “house” is pronounced
“tune” keeps its Y — “tyoon”
“fur” and “fair” stay distinct
“beer” and “bear” stay distinct
“happy” ends on a long “-ee” — happy-tensing
Everyday words in Newfoundland and Labrador
| Question | Usual answer |
|---|---|
| What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink? | Pop |
| What do you call shoes worn for sport or exercise? | Runners |
| What do you usually call the main evening meal? | Supper |
| 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? | Yous / youse |
| What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish? | Garbage can |
Speakers with a Newfoundland accent
Alan Doyle
Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada
Born and raised in Petty Harbour, Doyle brought Newfoundland speech and songs to Great Big Sea.
Accent profiles are anchored to primary-source regional recordings from the International Dialects of English Archive, not to any individual performance.
Is my accent Newfoundland?
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.