Discovering Minnesotaisms: Phrases Only Locals Understand

If you’ve lived in Minnesota long enough, chances are you’ve picked up a few phrases that instantly give away your status as a resident of the North Star State. From quirky expressions to our charming local slang, these Minnesota-isms say as much about us as our lakes, our winters, and our cities and towns do, don'tcha know!

Why Minnesotans Speak the Way We Do

Residing here in the Bold North, among our 10,000 Lakes that make up our state, means, like many parts of the country, that we have our own unique dialect and phrases of speech. Some of which are so localized that they really only make sense if you've spent a decent amount of quality time in the North Star State.

And while some movies and TV shows go WAAY overboard overdoing the stereotypical Minnesota accent (looking at you, Season 5 of FX's Fargo), our unique language and turns of phrase can likely be traced to the first immigrants who settled in Minnesota.

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The Immigrant Roots of Minnesota’s Unique Dialect

The Minnesota Historical Society notes that the first European immigrants were German and Irish settlers, who were soon followed by immigrants from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. All of them brought their own unique languages, cultures, and food, which likely had a distinct influence on some of the phrases we still use today.

Some of these Minnesota-isms seem to make sense, while others-- if you said them wrong or used them in the wrong way-- would totally stick out like a sore thumb and announce to the world that "I'm not from Minnesota!"

Minnesota Sayings That Instantly Reveal You're a Local

So, how many of the following phrases have YOU said? Keep scrolling to find out. And, to PROVE your Minnesota cred, keep scrolling to check out 15 Minnesota towns that are tough to pronounce (for someone NOT from here, of course...)