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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › english › y-all
Y'ALL | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
5 days ago - Y'ALL meaning: 1. used to address a group of people that you are speaking to: 2. used to address a group of…. Learn more.

Southern–American English nonstandard second-person plural pronoun

Y'all - Wikipedia
The Florence Y'all Water Tower in Florence, Kentucky; the words were painted in 1974. Y'all (pronounced /jɔːl/ yawl) is a contraction of you and all, sometimes combined as you-all. Y'all is the … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Y'all
Y'all - Wikipedia
November 8, 2025 - Y'all is a contraction of you all. The spelling you-all in second-person plural pronoun usage was first recorded in 1824. The earliest two attestations with the actual spelling y'all are from 1856, and in the Southern Literary Messenger (published in Richmond, Virginia) in 1858.
Discussions

What's the difference between y'all and all y'all?
My Texan FWB just explained this to me! He said “All y’all” definitely means everyone should take notice because all y’all are in trouble for something More on reddit.com
🌐 r/NoStupidQuestions
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February 4, 2024
"Y'all" is a brilliant use of the English language and i refuse to be told otherwise
Wait until you start using "Y'all'd've" More on reddit.com
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December 2, 2020
What is the difference between "y'all" and "all y'all"?
The difference is "all yall" is more pluraler. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/NoStupidQuestions
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May 2, 2020
Why do we say y'all for 'you all', but not w'all for 'we all' or th'all for 'they all'?
"You" is both singular and plural. As this can be a source of ambiguity, various regional alternatives have been devised to indicate a plural "you": y'all, youse, you guys, yinz, and so on. Unless you're the king or queen, however, it is I/he/she/it for singular and we/they for plural, which makes "we all" unnecessary as a pronoun. Possibly, with the rise of singular "they," "they all" will become necessary in the future, but it's pretty rare for now. More on reddit.com
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People also ask

What does all y’all mean?
All y’all essentially means the same thing as y’all. It is used in place of the second-person pronoun “you” to address a group of people. The addition of “all” typically serves to emphasize the size of the group. · The phrase all y’all (or “all of y’all”) is an example of a pleonasm (a redundant phrase), and it is often used for an intentionally humorous or exaggerated effect. · All y’all examples · All y’all better show up tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of work to do! · When I finally get done with this project, I’m buying all y’all drinks to celebrate. · QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you v
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quillbot.com
quillbot.com › home › y’all | meaning, spelling & examples
Y’all | Meaning, Spelling & Examples
Should I say you all or y’all?
Y’all is a contraction of you all, but the two phrases are not completely interchangeable. The choice of which to use depends on the context. · Y’all is not typically used in formal contexts, while you all can be (e.g., “Would please bow your heads for a moment of silence?”). · Y’all can be used to address two people (e.g., “Mom and Dad, will y’all loan me twenty dollars?”), while you all is reserved for groups of three or more. · Y’all can be used in greetings as a substitute for “everyone” or “guys” (e.g., “Hi y’all!”), while you all cannot. · Even though y’all is quite common in the souther
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quillbot.com
quillbot.com › home › y’all | meaning, spelling & examples
Y’all | Meaning, Spelling & Examples
How do you spell y’all?
The contraction for “you all” is spelled yall, with the apostrophe immediately following the “y.” A common misspelling is “ya’ll,” but this is always incorrect. · QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re spelling yall correctly.
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quillbot.com
quillbot.com › home › y’all | meaning, spelling & examples
Y’all | Meaning, Spelling & Examples
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Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › yall
Y'ALL Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
1 month ago - Y'ALL definition: you (used in direct address usually to two or more people, or to one person who represents a family, organization, etc.): Y’all let me know when you want those coffees warmed up. See examples of y'all used in a sentence.
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NPR
npr.org › 2025 › 07 › 16 › nx-s1-5467295 › yall-word-history-use-etymology
How 'y'all' took over modern English : NPR
July 16, 2025 - "Y'all means all" has emerged as a slogan of support for immigrants and marginalized groups.
Find elsewhere
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Southern Living
southernliving.com › culture › yall-or-ya-ll
What's The Difference Between Y'all And Ya'll?
August 13, 2025 - Unlike French, German, and Spanish languages, the English language does not have a designated second-person plural pronoun. Using "y'all" also adds a gender-neutral variation to the familiar phrase "you guys."
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Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › y'all
Y'ALL Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of Y'ALL is you —usually used in addressing two or more persons.
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Oxford English Dictionary
oed.com › dictionary › yall_pron
y'all, pron. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
At a store it is proper to ask, ‘Do y'all have any more of these?’ where y'all means not just the clerk but the whole company.
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Quora
quora.com › What-does-the-word-yall-mean-and-how-is-it-used-in-English
What does the word 'y'all' mean and how is it used in English? - Quora
Answer (1 of 16): It’s a contraction of “you all”, and is used as a plural form of “you” in the southern United States. I think it’s spread to other dialects a little bit because of its use by rappers (black American dialects are ...
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QuillBot
quillbot.com › home › y’all | meaning, spelling & examples
Y’all | Meaning, Spelling & Examples
October 23, 2024 - Y’all is a contraction of the phrase “you all” and is used frequently as a second-person plural pronoun (i.e., in place of “you”) in Southern American
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Writer's Digest
writersdigest.com › write-better-fiction › yall-vs-ya-ll-grammar-rules
Y'all vs. Ya'll (Grammar Rules) - Writer's Digest
August 24, 2021 - So, y'all is the correct contraction for "you + all," right? Of course, it is, y'all. And that means ya'll is incorrect and, for me, the equivalent of hearing nails screeching on a blackboard.
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Grammarphobia
grammarphobia.com › home › english language › did ‘y’all’ originate in england?
The Grammarphobia Blog: Did ‘y’all’ originate in England?
March 20, 2023 - The older usage is simply a contracted form of “you all” and means “all of you.” That sense of “you all” has been acceptable English for a thousand years, but has seldom been contracted.
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Wiktionary
en.wiktionary.org › wiki › all_y'all
all y'all - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Y'all may refer to an indefinite set of members of a group, but all y'all definitively includes everyone in the group.
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Quora
quora.com › Is-the-word-y-all-basically-a-slang-for-you-all
Is the word y’all basically a slang for you all? - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): Is the word y’all basically a slang for you all? Well, yes, of course it is. I wouldn’t have bothered answering except that the expression has an interesting etymology.
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Wiktionary
en.wiktionary.org › wiki › y'all
y'all - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
y'all means all · Y'all Qaeda ... y'alling, simple past and past participle y'alled) (ambitransitive, informal) To use the pronoun "y'all" (to)....
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BBC
bbc.com › worklife › article › 20211119-why-more-people-are-saying-yall
Why more people are saying 'y'all'
November 23, 2021 - Speakers use phrases like ‘you lot’, ‘you all’, ‘folks’, but the one that’s most embedded in daily life is ‘you guys’. ‘You guys’ is what linguists call ‘highly productive’, meaning it’s used by an extremely large group of people, all the time, everywhere.
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Quora
quora.com › What-does-Yall-mean
What does 'Y'all' mean? - Quora
Answer (1 of 12): I think it simply means ‘You all’ and its short form is Y’all
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-meaning-of-yall-when-someone-says-it-to-you-Is-there-a-specific-definition-for-this-word
What is the meaning of 'y'all' when someone says it to you? Is there a specific definition for this word? - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): I live in the South and we use it all the time. It is a contraction of you and all, meaning you all. We don’t really use it in reference to just one person, as some people seem to thing.