WORCESTER may not have a strong regional accent like nearby Birmingham or Dudley but there are certain phrases you are bound to hear.
If you haven't lived in the city long you may be left scratching your head when hearing "you'm", "Bert" or "Babby".
People find regional dialects harder to understand than foreign languages, according to Trainline.
With more people likely to be taking staycations this summer because of covid-19 travel restrictions, the city may see an influx of tourists.
We are proud of the things which make our city so unique.
To help those who are new to the city, our Worcester-bred reporter Cat Phillips and Worcester News Facebook fans have created this guide.
- Bab/Babber
"Alright bab?" or "You okay, babber?" is a phrase you might come across meeting someone born and bred in Worcester.
It's a term of endearment like "love" or "hun" and shouldn't be confused with...
2. Babby
If you have pushed a pram through the city you may have been stopped and asked "Can I look at the babby?".
The 'babby' they are referring to is the infant in the pram.
3. You'm
"You'm best to go down The Shambles" might be the reply if you were asking where to find the Market Hall.
Suggested by Martin, 'You'm' is the shortened version of 'you am' which is the regional version of 'you are'.
4. Am ya?
From 'you am' to 'am ya?'. If someone wants to know if you're going to do something they might ask "am ya?"
As in - "Am ya going down town?". Translation: "Are you going into the city centre?"
5. Bert
"Why does this person think my name is Bert?" you might wonder if someone calls you this.
It isn't a case of mistaken identity. Bert is a term of endearment usually, but not exclusively, used towards men.
Same goes for 'Ern'.
6. Black over Bill's mother
This is a real headscratcher and was suggested by Jack on Facebook.
If someone mentions it is 'black over Bill's mother' you better bring an umbrella with you as it is likely to rain.
7. Ennit
Somehow the word 'isn't it' morphed into 'ennit' and is used as either a question or as a reply in agreement.
"Listening to people talk in Worcester can be confusing."
"Ennit," comes the reply.
8. We'em
See number three: You'm
9. Hers is ent 'er
Suggested by Wendy on Facebook, 'Hers is ent 'er' is a phrase when you want to agree with someone's observation about a woman.
and finally...
10. How to pronounce Worcestershire
For those outside of the county, pronouncing the word "Worcestershire" has often been a struggle.
There have been numerous viral videos of people struggling to say "Worcestershire".
Aim for 'wu-stuh-shuh' rather than 'wor-ses-ter-shy-err'
