Mighten

In Appalachian and Southern mountain speech, "mighten we" (or "mighten I," "mighten you") is a tag question meaning "don’t you think so?" or "might we not?" It’s the local descendant of older English "mightn’t we," reshaped in mountain speech for smoother, easier rhythm.

#SouthernWords #Appalachia

synonyms: don’t you think so, right, maybe so

Hillbilly Dude Says...

I use 'mighten' often myself, and it's fairly common out in the country. It's one I don't even realize sayin'.

Hillbilly Dude Says...

I use 'mighten' often myself, and it's fairly common out in the country. It's one I don't even realize sayin'.

Pronunciation

[MAHT-n we]
/ˈmaɪt.n̩ wi/

Meaning & Usage

- Tag question meaning "don’t you think so?"

Earl:

We might win that prize down here today-mighten we?

Buddy:

Reckon we just might.

variations: mightn’t, might not we, mighten I, mighten you

Origin and Etymology

Derived from older British English "mightn’t," a contraction of "might not." In Appalachian and Southern speech, the sound softened to "mighten," which fit local pronunciation patterns and rolled easier in quick conversation. The form appears most often in tag questions like "mighten we?"-a gentle, hopeful way to seek agreement.

Usage Notes

"Mighten" survives mainly in tag questions, where it adds warmth or humility to a statement. The form echoes older English yet sounds fully natural in Appalachian rhythm and phrasing.

"We could get there first, mighten we?" → "Don’t you think so?"
"He might bring her along, mighten he?" → "He might, right?"

Kin Topics

Appalachia

Common Questions

What does "mighten we" mean?

It’s a tag question meaning "mightn’t we?" or "don’t you think we might?"

Is "mightn’t" still used in the U.S.?

Not often-most Americans find it old-fashioned or British. "Mighten" is the Southern and Appalachian form that replaced it in natural speech.

Where did it come from?

From "mightn’t," which early settlers brought from Britain. Mountain speech simply softened and preserved it.

How to Cite This Page

APA (7th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, October 6). Mighten. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/mighten
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Mighten." HillbillySlang.com, 6 Oct. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/mighten.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Mighten." HillbillySlang.com. October 6, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/mighten.