piller

In Appalachian and Southern speech, "piller" is the common pronunciation of "pillow." The middle "ow" sound shifts to "er," following the same vowel pattern as words like "yeller" (yellow) and "feller" (fellow).

#Appalachia #Southern

Hillbilly Dude Says...

If you need a place to lay you head out in the country, it'll probably be called a 'piller.'

Pronunciation

[PIL-ler]

Meaning & Usage

- A soft cushion for resting the head (noun)

Mae:

You brung your piller?

Earl:

Course I did - can’t sleep without it.

other spellings: pillow, cushion, headrest, bed cushion, and sleepin’ piller

★ "Piller" is one of the most recognizable Appalachian/Southern vowel shifts - nearly everyone from outside the region notices it right away. ★

Origin

From Old English *pyle* (cushion). Standard English fixed on "pillow," but in Appalachian and Southern speech, the vowel slid toward "er," giving us "piller."

Notes

Very common in Appalachia and the South, especially in casual family talk. Outside the region, people almost always pronounce it "pillow."

Say It Like a Southerner

Said plain: "pill-er." The "ow" sound in "pillow" flattens or disappears.

Kin Topics

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Common Questions

Is "piller" a different object than a pillow?

No - it’s just the regional way of saying it.

Do people outside the South ever say "piller"?

Rarely - it’s mostly Appalachian and Southern.

Is it considered incorrect?

In formal English, yes. But in dialect, "piller" is authentic and widely understood locally.