10 Things That Now Make Perfect Sense… If You’re From Minnesota

If you’ve ever called it 'pop,' apologized to someone who bumped into you, or warned friends about 'the roads,' there’s a good chance Minnesota has rewired your vocabulary.

Yes, these everyday phrases may seem ordinary or routine. But they are more than just words. They are dead giveaways that you’ve spent some serious time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

The Secret Language of the North: Why We Talk Differently in Minnesota

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!

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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.

Beyond the 'Fargo' Accent: The Surprising Roots of Minnesota Slang

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 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.

How to Spot a Local: 10 Phrases That Prove You’re a True Minnesotan

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!"

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...)