a-backwards
Backwards, with the old dialect a- stuck on the front.
Also called backwards, back'ards.
Updated September 21, 2026
a-backwards pronunciation
/uh-BACK-wurdz/
Meaning
Same thing as backwards: reverse direction, or the wrong way round. In Appalachian and Southern talk, folks often hang a soft a- on direction words the way they do with verbs like a-running. The prefix does not change the sense. It just rides the rhythm of the sentence.
How folks use it
- “He put that shirt on a-backwards again.”
- “That mule went a-backwards when we tried to load him.”
Origin and etymology
The a- comes from an old unstressed form of on (or an), the same family you hear in a-going and afire. In Smoky Mountain English it shows up on direction adverbs too. Corpus talk records people "running a-backwards and forwards." The meaning stays "backwards"; the prefix is mostly sound and habit.
Frequently asked questions
Does a-backwards mean something different from backwards?
No. Same meaning. The a- is just old mountain grammar hanging on for sound.
Is a-backwards the same as aback of?
No. Aback of means behind, like "aback of the barn." A-backwards means in reverse.