Turnt

In Southern and Appalachian speech, "turnt" is the old-style past tense of "turn." It means turned, as in "She turnt the light off." This form survives from older English and remains common in mountain and rural talk.

#SouthernWords #Appalachia #OldTimers #Southern

synonyms: turned, switched, flipped

Hillbilly Dude Says...

I hear 'turnt' from old timers out in the country. It's gettin' more and more rare.

Hillbilly Dude Says...

I hear 'turnt' from old timers out in the country. It's gettin' more and more rare.

Pronunciation

[TURNT]
/tɜːrnt/

Meaning & Usage

- Past tense of "turn" (verb)

Earl:

You turnt the porch light off?

Ruby:

I reckon I did" unless I just meant to.

Origin and Etymology

Carried over from Early Modern English, when many past tenses ended in -t instead of -ed ("learnt," "spilt," "dreamt"). This pattern survived in rural Southern and Appalachian speech, where "turnt" became the natural spoken form of "turned."

Usage Notes

Not to be confused with modern slang "turnt" (meaning excited or drunk). In the South and Appalachia, this is a traditional grammatical form, not a new coinage.

He turnt the light off. → He turned the light off.
She turnt mean after he left. → She became mean.
Older parallel forms: learnt, spilt, burnt.

Kin Topics

Common Questions

What does "turnt" mean in Southern speech?

It’s the old past-tense form of "turn," meaning "turned."

Is it slang?

No. The modern slang "turnt" (meaning excited or wild) is unrelated. The Southern "turnt" simply preserves an older verb form.

Is it still used today?

Yes, mostly among older speakers or those who grew up hearing Appalachian or deep-rural grammar.

How to Cite This Page

APA (7th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, October 5). Turnt. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/turnt
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Turnt." HillbillySlang.com, 5 Oct. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/turnt.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Turnt." HillbillySlang.com. October 5, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/turnt.

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