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Quizzes > Literature & Language > English & Grammar

New York Accent Words Quiz: Show Off Your Accent Skills!

Think you know those Brooklyn & Bronx accent words? Take our accent test now!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for New York accent words quiz on a sky blue background

This quiz helps you spot New York accent words and see how locals use them across the city. Play for a quick, fun check of your ear and pick up a few new terms; when you're done, explore more city facts with a New York trivia quiz.

In New York dialect, what does the word "schlep" mean?
To cook a meal quickly
To dance awkwardly
To gossip or chat
To carry or drag something heavy
"Schlep" comes from Yiddish schleppen, meaning to drag or carry a heavy load. It's widely adopted in New York speech to mean lug something burdensome. The term is part of the city's rich pattern of Yiddish loanwords.
In New York City, what is a "bodega"?
A public park
A bagel variety
A small neighborhood grocery store
A type of taxi
A bodega is a small, usually family-run convenience or grocery store found on many NYC street corners. The term is Spanish for "wine cellar," but in New York it refers to these neighborhood shops. Bodegas are cultural fixtures providing everything from snacks to household items.
What does the New York word "stoop" refer to?
A traffic jam
A street food vendor
A subway station
The porch or set of steps outside a building
In NYC, a "stoop" is the raised porch or steps leading to a building's entrance, common on brownstones. It's often a social space where people sit and chat. The term comes from Dutch stoep via early colonial usage.
When a New Yorker says "fuhgeddaboudit," what do they mean?
Forget about it; it's hopeless or amazing
I'll be there shortly
See you later
Good luck with that
"Fuhgeddaboudit" is a stereotypical rendering of "forget about it," used to dismiss something as impossible or to emphasize how great something is. It's heavily associated with New York and Italian-American speech. The phrase has been popularized in media and comedy.
In New York slang, what does "goombah" refer to?
A subway line
A type of seafood dish
A close friend or associate, often Italian-American
A small neighborhood restaurant
"Goombah" comes from the Italian amicombà, meaning godfather or close companion. In NYC it refers to a buddy or associate, often with an Italian-American flavor. It can carry affectionate or slightly pejorative connotations.
How is the word "coffee" typically pronounced in a classic New York accent?
caw-fee
co-fee
co-uh-fee
coh-fuh
Traditional New York speech features the low-back vowel, so "coffee" is pronounced with an open back vowel, sounding like "caw-fee." This vowel quality is a hallmark of the regional accent. The pattern is detailed in studies of New York City speech.
If someone in New York says "youse," what are they using?
A plural form of you
The past tense of use
A singular form of you
Slang for house
"Youse" is the nonstandard plural pronoun for "you." It appears in many working-class and ethnic varieties of New York English. Linguists note it as part of the dialect's distinctive second-person plural.
What do the words "dese" and "dose" represent in New York speech?
Days and nights
Land and sea
These and those
Desserts and dinners
"Dese" and "dose" are phonetic spellings of "these" and "those" in certain non-rhotic, working-class New York accents. They reflect the local pronunciation where dental fricatives become alveolar stops. Such demonstrative substitutions are well documented.
In New York slang, who are "sidewalk superintendents"?
Street performers
City building inspectors
People who watch and comment on street activity
Tour bus guides
"Sidewalk superintendents" is a tongue-in-cheek term for those who stand on stoops or corners offering unsolicited opinions on everything. They're essentially neighborhood observers and commentators. The phrase captures a common social role in NYC communities.
In New York City, what is a "hero"?
A brave firefighter
A taxi driver
A subway conductor
A type of submarine sandwich
In New York, a "hero" is a long sandwich on an Italian roll, also called a submarine or hoagie elsewhere. The term dates back to early 20th-century Italian-American communities. It remains a staple in local deli culture.
What does the phrase "bridge and tunnel" describe?
Drivers in the city grid
Historic tour routes
Parts of the subway system
Commuters from outside Manhattan
"Bridge and tunnel" refers to people who commute into Manhattan from the outer boroughs or suburbs via bridges or tunnels. It's sometimes used disparagingly by Manhattan residents. The label highlights the geographic divide in NYC culture.
Which term do linguists use for the dropping of post-vocalic "r" in traditional New York speech?
Non-rhoticity
Vowel shift
Hypercorrection
Consonant blending
The absence of the "r" sound after vowels in words like "car" is called non-rhoticity. Many older New York accents are non-rhotic, similar to British Received Pronunciation. This feature distinguishes them from General American speech.
Which vowel pattern is characteristic of the traditional New York City accent's pronunciation of words like "bad" and "bat"?
Canadian raising
Split short-a system
Trap - bath split
Cot - caught merger
Traditional New York City English features a split short-a system, where the vowel in "bad" differs from that in "bat." This complex pattern depends on phonetic context. It's one of the most studied traits of the NY accent.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Iconic New York Accent Words -

    Recognize and recall classic terms featured in this accent test to build your familiarity with New York accent words.

  2. Differentiate Brooklyn and Bronx Dialects -

    Distinguish between characteristic vocabulary from Brooklyn accent words and those from the Bronx, sharpening your regional awareness.

  3. Evaluate Your Dialect Skills -

    Use the instant feedback in this New York dialect quiz to gauge your proficiency and track your progress in accent recognition.

  4. Apply Pronunciation Techniques -

    Internalize key phonetic patterns from the quiz to improve your ability to mimic and reproduce authentic New York accent inflections.

  5. Explore Cultural Contexts -

    Understand the historical and cultural influences that shaped these New York accent words, enriching your appreciation of local dialects.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Non”rhoticity (R”Dropping) -

    In classic New York accent words, speakers often drop the post-vocalic "r," so "coffee" sounds like "cawfee." This feature was documented by William Labov's renowned study at the University of Pennsylvania and remains a hallmark of dialect quizzes. Use the mnemonic "Never Really Rolls" to remember non-rhoticity.

  2. Short”A System -

    New Yorkers split the short /æ/ vowel into tense and lax categories, so "mad" and "man" can sound distinct, while "bad" and "bag" share the tense quality. Labov's 1966 research at Cornell University details this environment-driven vowel shift. Practice by contrasting "bat" versus "back" to feel the shift.

  3. Th-Stopping -

    The interdental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/ often become stops /t/ or /d/, transforming "these" into "dese" and "think" into "tink." This phenomenon appears in many Bronx accent words and is discussed in the Journal of Sociolinguistics. Try saying "three thin threads" as "tree tin tredz" to master the switch.

  4. Vowel Raising Before Nasals -

    Words like "man" and "ham" feature a higher, tenser /æ/ before nasals (m, n, ŋ), creating a subtle "ay" quality. Studies at Yale University's Linguistics Department confirm this raising is key to the New York dialect quiz. Remember "Nasal = High A" to cue the raised vowel.

  5. Lexical Favorites: Stoop & Fuhgeddaboudit -

    Iconic terms such as "stoop" (front steps) and the phrase "fuhgeddaboudit" (forget about it) are sturdy markers for accent tests. The American Dialect Society archives these lexical items as core New York dialect elements. Link "stoop-scoop" rhymes to recall the stoop usage in Brooklyn quiz questions.

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