You may recognize at least a few redneck vocabulary words from some of the things in Jeff Foxworthy’s “You know you’re a redneck if … ” act. If not, then you are in for a real treat. Many people seem to think that rednecks are people from the backwoods of the Deep South with a language and culture all their own. Rednecks can actually live anywhere, though most tend to be from rural areas. One thing people from the redneck culture have in common is a tendency to weave redneck words into everyday conversation.
How to Speak Redneck
The redneck vocabulary words below are spoken exactly as they are spelled in this list. The official English word the redneck term represents is in parentheses. A sample sentence is included to show how each term could be spoken in context. Please note that these spellings are not considered to be correct, except for the ones that are actual English words. They're used simply to illustrate the dialectical pronunciation of each term.
Redneck Terms A-K
There are a lot of redneck words, many of which begin with letters in the first part of the alphabet. If you're a bit of a redneck or identify totally as a redneck, chances are that you use some of these terms on a regular basis without even realizing it.
- ahz (eyes) - I can’t see nuthin’ out these old ahz.
- ain't (am not, are not, is not) - We ain't goin' back to the beach this year.
- bard (borrowed) - Cousin Jesse bard money from me and I ain’t seen him since.
- bleeve (believe) - Does you bleeve in ghosts?
- co-cola (Coca Cola) - Y'all want some co-cola? It’s nice and cold.
- dem's (them's/them is) - Dem's fightin' words!
- drank (drink) - I need an ice-cold drank.
- far (fire) - If he don’t turn that stove down, them chickens will catch far.
- farn (foreign) - I ain’t understand nuthin’ he said. 'Must be some farn talk.
- fixed (made) - I fixed fried chicken for dinner.
- fixin' (about) - I'm fixin' to take a nap.
- gots (have) - I gots lots of homework.
- greens (leafy green vegetables that are served cooked) - Those sure were some tasty greens you cooked.
- gubmint (government) - Casey's goin' to work for the gubmint.
- hale (hell) - What the hale is goin’ on here?
- hep (help) - “Hep! There’s a far!”
- idn't (isn't/is not) - He idn't welcome here.
- hongry (hungry) - What's for dinner? I'm hongry, momma.
- kumpny (company) - We gots kumpny coming over tonight.
Redneck Terms L-Z
Redneck terminology doesn't just stop with "k." There are plenty more options in the rest of the alphabet. Keep in mind that some people might make negative assumptions about your smarts if you regularly use these words. Why? Because there are common stereotypes about redneck dialect and the people who speak it.
- lawman (police officer) - I looked out to see a lawman knocking on the door.
- likker (liquor) - He sure does like his likker.
- 'mater (tomato) - I just love fried green 'maters.
- me'n dem (me and them) - Me'n dem's goin' to the feed store.
- momma'n dem (momma and them) - Momma'n dem is coming for dinner.
- munts (months) - It’s been four munts since I heard from my brother.
- nekkid (naked) - There he was nekkid as a jaybird.
- okry (okra) - My momma makes tasty fried okry.
- own (on) - Turn your lights own.
- sammich (sandwich) - I'm hongry for a tomato sammich.
- seed (saw) - I never seed this before.
- seen't (seen) - Have you seen't my new shirt?
- shevuhlay (Chevrolet) - I got me a new shevuhlay pickup!
- shut-eye (sleep) - I need to get some shut-eye.
- tar (tire) - My car needs new tars.
- tarred (tired) - I sure am tarred.
- thank (think) - I thank I want a 'mater sammich.
- yur (your) - Pick up yur trash.
- 'zat (is that) - 'Zat yo’ car?
Redneck Vocabulary Phrases and Expressions
Some common redneck terminology involves more than just putting a dialectical twist on actual words. There are quite a few interesting redneck phrases, including some funny southern sayings.
- city slicker - someone who is from an urban area and lacks knowledge about rural activities or ways (My boss sure is a city slicker.)
- country bumpkin - an unsophisticated, uneducated person who has spent most of their life in a backwoods area (My grandpa is a country bumpkin.)
- goin' muddin' - going offroad in a truck or jeep when the ground is wet and muddy (Let's go muddin' this weekend!)
- got the vapors - someone who is feeling faint or weak due to stress or heat exhaustion (I'm feeling weak; I must've got the vapors)
- hitch your wagon to - attach (or anchor) yourself to someone else (Don't hitch your wagon to that loser.)
- I seen - means the same thing as the grammatically correct "I saw" (I seen that on TV last week.)
- might could - could possibly; might be able to (I might could come over tomorrow.)
- picture show - watching a movie in a theater (I love going to the picture show.)
- set a spell - sit down and rest for a while (You look exhausted. Come over here and set a spell.)
Discover Even More Redneck Words
As you can see, there are a lot of redneck words. Check out some examples of redneck slang for phrases and expressions that seem to be specific to the redneck culture. You may also want to explore some hillbilly slang, as there are some similarities between hillbilly and redneck dialects.