By Teoman Atakan

Welsh dialects reflect the deep cultural and geographical diversity of Wales.

While all varieties share the same Celtic roots, their sound, rhythm, and vocabulary differ noticeably between regions.

North Welsh is known for its crisp pronunciation and distinctive words like llestri and swper, while South Welsh features softer intonation and alternatives such as llongau and cinio.

West Wales preserves some of the oldest rural forms, and the Valleys have their own instantly recognisable melodic speech patterns.

Together, these dialects show how Welsh identity remains vibrant, local, and proudly unique across the whole nation.

Here are the Talk Dialect 10 Frequently Used Welsh Dialect Words:

1. Be? – what?, used in South Wales
2. Cei di, gei di – you will get, you may
3. Cwtch – hug, cuddle, used in South Wales
4. Hogan – girl, used in North Wales
5. Hogyn – boy, used in North Wales
6. Ia, ie – yes
7. Nesa – next, used in North Wales
8. Shwmae, su’mae – hello, how are you?, used in South Wales
9. Sdim – nothing, there isn’t, used in West Wales
10. Wan – now, used in North Wales
    

Teoman Atakan is a final year Law student and data and policy researcher for Talk Dialect, you can read more about his work on his Linked In profile.