Study finds regional differences in how Americans pronounce 'Thanksgiving'

An analysis of American speech patterns released by language-learning marketplace Preply shows regional variation in how people pronounce the name of the Thanksgiving holiday, with two dominant pronunciations and a third casual variant that research and linguists say is consistent with broader patterns of sound reduction.

Preply surveyed 1,000 Americans and mapped pronunciations across the 50 states, reporting that most Americans favour either an emphasis on the second syllable — "thanks-GIV-ing" — or the first syllable — "THANKS-giving." The marketplace said a separate, often-cited Harvard study found that roughly 74% of states emphasise the "GIV" syllable while the remaining states favour emphasis on "THANKS." Preply also identified a third variant, transcribed as "THANGSgiving," which speakers use in casual conversation.

Dr. Melissa Baese Berk, a professor of linguistics at the University of Chicago, said there is no single correct pronunciation and that regional upbringing shapes people's perceptions of correctness. "Chances are, if you are from the American South, you're part of the 16 percent emphasizing 'thanks,' with the exception of Louisiana and Florida," she told Preply. She said Southerners tend to say "THANKSgiving," while Northerners tend to say "thanksGIVing," and that speakers often hear an alternate regional pattern as wrong simply because it differs from their own dialect.

Dr. Baese Berk also explained the linguistics behind the third pronunciation. "The pronunciation of 'THANGSgiving' is also consistent with other trends in language production," she said. "We often 'reduce' the pronunciation of words when we are speaking casually, and sometimes these pronunciations end up becoming the default pronunciation through language change." Linguists describe such reductions as common in fast or informal speech, and they can spread over time through everyday use.

The variation appears in informal media and social platforms. Preply noted several YouTube videos in which presenters offer guidelines for a "correct" pronunciation; one video by Julien Miquel recommends neither strongly stressing the first nor second half but keeping an even focus across the word. Preply's mapping of state-level tendencies, and the accompanying commentary by linguists, reflects how accent, dialect and speech tempo influence pronunciation more than any formal rule.

The holiday itself is observed each year on the last Thursday of November and traces its popularly told origins to a 1621 harvest meal in Plymouth, Massachusetts, shared by English colonists and members of the Wampanoag nation. Historical accounts, including entries in encyclopedias such as Britannica, say the gathering included fowl, venison, fish, vegetables and ale, and that the early relationship between the groups later deteriorated; a formal treaty from 1675–76 broke down during King Philip's War, which resulted in significant loss of life among Native American communities and colonists.

In contemporary practice, Thanksgiving is known for family gatherings, large meals, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and presidential turkey pardons at the White House. Linguists and educators who study speech patterns said the way people say "Thanksgiving" is primarily a marker of regional dialect and speech style rather than a measure of correctness.

Whether someone says "THANKS-giving," "thanks-GIV-ing" or "THANGSgiving," linguists say the variation reflects normal language change and social differences in speech. For most Americans, the pronunciation debate remains peripheral to the holiday's broader cultural role as a day for family, food and giving thanks.