How to Talk in a Minnesota Accent

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Learn Minnesota slang, sayings, and speech patterns
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Although most people in Midwestern states have an accent, films like Fargo have made the Minnesotan accent popular to imitate. Many Minnesotans emphasize long vowel sounds, like “O” and “A,” to create a distinctive sing-songy way of speaking. After practicing the accent, add common Minnesotan phrases to your conversation to up your authenticity. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be speaking like a native Minnesotan in no time! Just keep in mind that not everyone in Minnesota has the accent described below. It really depends on what part of Minnesota someone is from.

Things You Should Know

  • Keep your jaw stiff and hold “o” and “a/ah” sounds for longer than you normally would, like “snooa” instead of “snow” or “bayg” instead of “bag.”
  • Stress “r” sounds and add a nasal quality by placing the tip of your tongue behind your teeth.
  • Use popular slang terms in the Minnesota dialect like “you betcha’” to agree with something or “ope” ( oh-puh ) when you bump into someone.
Section 1 of 2:

Learning the Minnesota Accent

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  1. Tighten the corners of your mouth and limit how much you move your jaw when speaking. Try to maintain a slight smile while you’re speaking—it will enhance your vowel pronunciation and make your voice sound friendlier . [1]
    • Changing the shape of your mouth will help you naturally speak with a Minnesotan accent so it doesn’t feel too forced.
  2. Keep your tongue near the bottom front of your mouth while you’re speaking so your vowels sound more drawn out and emphasized. When you say a word with a long “A” or “O,” hold the sounds for longer than you normally would to make them sound Minnesotan. [2]
    • Try saying the words “snow” and “road” like “snooa” and “roooawd” to emphasize the “O” noise.
    • Practice the long “A” sound in words like “wait” and “save.”
    • Try saying the word “bag” with a long “A” sound so it’s pronounced “bayg.”
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  3. Position the tip of your tongue against your bottom teeth so your voice sounds slightly nasally. When you say a word that has an “ah” sound, draw it out a little longer than you normally would to add emphasis to it. [3]
    • Practice the “ah” sound so the word “father” becomes “faahther.”
  4. Keep the tip of your tongue directly behind your teeth so your voice takes on a nasal quality. Stress the “er” or “ar” sound when you say words like “are,” “work,” or “further.” [4]
    • Be sure to pronounce the “R” clearly if it’s at the end of a word, like “mother” or “meter,” rather than dropping it.

    Tip: Combine all of the emphasized sounds into one sentence like, “Father drove the car straight down the road,” to practice the accent.

  5. Try varying the pitch and tone throughout your sentence so it goes up and down. Minnesotans often end their sentences on an upward inflection, so the sentence sounds inquisitive, but it may vary per region. [5]
    • Practice changing the inflection of your sentences so they sound sing-songy.
    • Listen to how native Minnesotans speak so you can hear examples of how their voices fluctuate.
    • Try streaming Minnesota Public Radio programs online to get a sense of native Minnesotan speech patterns.
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Section 2 of 2:

Using Minnesota Slang Terms

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  1. Emphasize the “ah” sounds in each phrase to intensify your Minnesotan accent. Rather than saying “yes” or “I agree,” replace it with “yah” or “you-betcha” instead. [6]
    • If you want to stress the accent more, add “oh” in front of either phrase to sound more like you’re from Minnesota.
  2. In the Midwest, many people use the phrase “ope” as a replacement for or in addition to “excuse me.” [7]
    • If you need to get by something or accidentally touch someone, you can say, “Ope, excuse me,” when you pass around them.
    • Combine “ope” with phrases like, “I’m gonna sneak past you real quick” or “Can I squeeze by” to sound more Minnesotan.
  3. ” While people from other regions say “you all” or "y'all," Minnesotans tend to say "you guys." Whenever you need to address an entire group of people to get their attention, say something like, “Hey, you guys over there.” [8]
    • Minnesotans tend to use the term “guys” regardless of the gender identity of the people they're speaking to.
  4. ” If someone tells you something that you enjoy, you may say something like, “Oh, for cute!” to say that you like it. Pronounce the word “for” like the word “fur” to make it sound more Minnesotan.
    • Usually, “for cute” is used as a response to someone else’s statement rather than being used on its own. [9]

    Tip: You can replace “cute” with any adjective to change the phrase. For example, if you’re disgusted by something, you may say “for gross” instead.

  5. Even though many people will call it a soda, people in the Midwest tend to call the drink a “pop” or “soda pop.” Order pop when you’re at a restaurant or when someone offers you a drink to sound like you’re from Minnesota. [10]
    • If you want specific flavors, you can say things like “orange pop” or “grape pop.”
    • "Pop" is a general term, so if you want a specific brand of soda, you can still call it by name.
  6. Minnesotan phrases tend to be slightly passive-aggressive, which is called “Minnesota Nice.” Rather than actually saying you don’t like something, use more subtle language like “different” or “interesting” so it doesn’t sound harsh. [11]
    • Minnesotans may combine syllables in words. If you say “different,” for example, drop the letter E in the middle and pronounce it like “diffrent.”
  7. Pronounce the phrase like “oof-dah” whenever someone says something shocking or surprising. Whenever you would say something like, “That’s not good” or “Oh no,” use the term “uff da” instead. Hold out the vowel sounds when you say the phrase so your accent sounds more authentic. [12]
    • For example, if someone says, “I lost my wallet,” you may reply, “Uff da, that’s rough.”
    • "Uff da" is a Norwegian phrase that was popularized by settlers who immigrated to Minnesota from Scandinavia.
  8. Minnesotans use this iconic phrase to convey that they can’t believe something or something has shocked them. Use “holy buckets” as an exclamation in place of “oh my goodness,” “I can’t believe that,” or “holy cow.” [13]
  9. If you’re standing in a long line or queue and someone cuts in front of you, some native Minnesotans call it a budge. To talk Minnesotan, say something like “Someone budged in front of me” or “Hey, that guy just budged me!” [14]
  10. Fans of the Minnesota Vikings NFL football team use “skol” as a cheer or chant at their games. Otherwise written as “skall” or “skål,” this phrase originates from Scandinavia, where it was thought to be used as a Viking battle cry. [15]
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  • Question
    Is this true, or just stereotypical?
    Community Answer
    The more rural the area, the more true these things are. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, the accent is much less noticeable, and you probably won't hear anyone say "spendy" anyway - but it does exist in other less-populated parts of the state.
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    Not Helpful 6 Helpful 27
  • Question
    Can I follow this if I'm already a Minnesotan?
    Community Answer
    Yes.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 7 Helpful 20
  • Question
    Does Minnesota have a different accent than Wisconsin?
    Community Answer
    Yes, but it can be difficult to discern unless you've spent some time around one accent or the other.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Tips

      • Remember that not everyone in Minnesota will have this accent—it may depend on what area of the state they are from or what dialect they grew up around.
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      • Listen to native Minnesotans to see what they sound like so you can imitate them.
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      • Be subtle with the accent and phrases if you want to sound more believable. If you do a stereotypical accent, other people may realize it’s fake.
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      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • Many people (at least where I grew up) do use the term "y'all" to refer to a group of people, or even an individual. In fact, some people I know as well as myself coined the term "yalls" as a plural form of "yall" even though the latter is already plural.
      • When trying to get information, Minnesotans will allow everyone an "out" by offering an “er,” which means “or:” Ex: “So, ya goin’ to Florida again this winter, er..:?” “Missed ya at church. Were you sick, er….?”
      • Minnesotans say "hairbinder" instead of hair tie or ponytail!
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      Warnings

      • Avoid doing a stereotypical Minnesotan accent around people from the state since they may see it as disrespectful.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/-S4YQJ9Tx1k?t=24
      2. ↑ https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-united-states-of-accents-midwestern-american-english
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/-S4YQJ9Tx1k?t=75
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/-S4YQJ9Tx1k?t=65
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/-S4YQJ9Tx1k?t=89
      6. ↑ https://givemethemike.com/you-betcha-brush-up-on-your-minnesota-slang/
      7. ↑ https://givemethemike.com/you-betcha-brush-up-on-your-minnesota-slang/
      8. ↑ https://givemethemike.com/you-betcha-brush-up-on-your-minnesota-slang/
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/t5N8A4fZVVU?t=66
      1. ↑ https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/07/14/10-minnesota-words-phrases-asg-visitors-should-know/
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/t5N8A4fZVVU?t=40
      3. ↑ https://matadornetwork.com/life/8-expressions-learn-coming-minnesota/
      4. ↑ https://wanderlustinreallife.com/minnesotan-phrases/
      5. ↑ https://wanderlustinreallife.com/minnesotan-phrases/
      6. ↑ https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/10-minnesota-words-phrases-asg-visitors-should-know/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To speak with a Minnesota accent, form a round shape with your mouth by contracting the corners of your lips to emphasize “O” and "A" sounds. Also, emphasize "ah" sounds, like in the word "father," with a nasal tone of voice and stress “R” sounds in words like “are” and “work." Once you've mastered the accent, work on incorporating common Minnesotan phrases like "yah" or "you betcha" when you agree with something and referring to soda as "pop." Since many Minnesotans end sentences on an upward inflection so the sentence sounds inquisitive, you can try that, too! To learn other common Minnesotan phrases, read on!

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