it'tun / ittun
Dialect for "it one" or "that one," built with the mountain 'un ending.
Also called ittun, it'un, that'un, this'un.
Updated September 24, 2026
it'tun / ittun pronunciation
/IT-un/
Meaning
In Appalachian speech, 'un is a clipped one stuck on words like that, this, which, and big. It'tun or ittun fits that pattern for pointing at a thing: that one, the one you're talking about. Spelling wobbles because writers are chasing the sound. Same family as that'un and this'un when somebody holds up two choices at the flea market.
How folks use it
- “Hand me it'tun on the end of the bench.”
- “You want the red ittun or the blue one?”
Origin and etymology
From reduced one ('un), long recorded in Smoky Mountain and Southern Appalachian English: that'un, this'un, which'un, big'un. Joseph Hall noted those forms in the 1940s. It'tun follows the same habit with it. Some writers also use ittun for a slurred isn't it, so listen to the sentence.
Frequently asked questions
Does ittun always mean that one?
Mostly in the 'un family sense, yes. In other mouths ittun can sound like isn't or isn't it. Pitch and the rest of the sentence usually settle it.