y'all
You, when there is more than one of you.
Also called you all, you-all, all y'all.
Updated September 24, 2026
y'all pronunciation
/YAWL/
Meaning
The South's plural you. Y'all talks to a group without the mess of using the same word for one person and a whole porch full. Redneck and rural Southern speech lives on it: y'all come over, y'all hungry, what are y'all doing. Some folks stretch all y'all for a bigger crowd. Outsiders treat it like a costume. Locals treat it like breathing.
How folks use it
- “Y'all coming to supper or what?”
- “I told y'all not to leave the gate open.”
Origin and etymology
Contraction of you all, in American print by the early 1800s. Strongest in Southern and African American English. Scholars argue over Scots-Irish ye aw versus creole influence versus plain Southern grammar filling a gap English left open. Whatever the mix, it stuck as the region's everyday plural.
Frequently asked questions
Can y'all mean just one person?
Purists say no. In real talk some Southerners use it for one, especially when being friendly. Plural is still the main job.