Anywhere you go in the United States, you’re likely to encounter a word you’ve never heard before or never used regularly, as each state has its own set of slang words that might cause a few head scratches.
But that’s what makes each of the 50 states unique, thanks to the blending of cultures and languages in a single place.
To help you blend in like a local, here are some regional slang words that you might even hear on your next domestic vacation, originally explained by Daily Passport.
Tri-state area slang
A staple in New York and New Jersey, “mad” is often used to add weight to something, replacing words “many” or “very.”
For example, one could say something was “mad cool,” or use the adjective to describe the amount of something, such as, “There were mad people at the restaurant.”
In Philadelphia, “jawn” is a catch-all word for pretty much any noun. If you’re in Philly and refer to a person, place or thing with “jawn,” the people around you will understand what you mean.
Some New Yorkers might even catch on to it because, apparently, the word originated in New York, according to the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.
It’s believed that the word derives from the slang word “joint” — meaning a dining establishment — which is often used in the New York dialect.
“Yinz” is essentially Pittsburgh’s version of “y’all.” It’s used as a second-person plural pronoun, so someone living in Pittsburgh might ask, “Yinz want to get something to eat?”
Yinz — sometimes “yunz” — is thought to come from Scottish immigrants and is largely believed to have been a shortened version of “you ones.”
New England slang
If you’ve ever spent time with someone from Boston, you’ve probably heard them refer to something as “wicked good.” No, they were talking about the movie starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. It’s basically another word for “really” or “very.”
Although”janky” is New Hampshire slang, it’s often heard from the mouths of tri-state people, too. “Janky” refers to something that’s of poor quality or messed up. For example, a run-down car might be called a “janky old car.”
In Maine, “Ayuh” is the informal version of “yes,” and while pronunciation does vary, it sounds something like “ey-yeah.”
Fun fact: author Stephen King, a Maine native, often uses the term in his stories set in fictional Maine locations
When New England natives need to pick up alcohol, they’re going to run to the “packie” — which is what natives refer to as liquor stores.
“Packie,” also spelled “packy,” is short for the term “package store.” New Englanders referring to liquor stores as package stores comes from the Prohibition era, when buyers had to conceal anything that was purchased in a liquor store.
Midwest and West Coast slang
When in Wisconsin, if you’re thirsty and looking for a drinking fountain, you’ll want to ask where the “bubbler” is.
There has been much debate about where this term originated, but no one has been able to figure it out. Word on the street is that an employee of Kohler Water Works — a Wisconsin company — designed the “Bubbler” in 1888, which was then patented by the company, which trademarked the name. But as Wisconsin NPR station WUMW noted, none of that is actually true, so the mystery remains.
The word is also used in Rhode Island — and even Australia.
“Ope” is more recently used on social media, but it’s what Midwesterners have long been using instead of “whoops” or “oops” when they do something accidentally.
Take New York’s “mad” or Boston’s “wicked” and head out west to California, and you’ll have to start saying “hella.” Someone who moved across the country might be “hella nervous” to change up their dialect.
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