To British people: do you actually say 'trainers' all the time, or is 'sneakers' used too?

We say trainers. No one would say sneakers unless they were heavily influenced by Americans. There are several items of vocabulary where this is the case, as is true for all dialect differences.

For what it’s worth, your northern neighbours don’t say sneakers either. They’re runners in Canada.

Very occasionally i'll say sneakers. For the most part, I just refer to all types of shoes as shoes

Although I grew up with sneakers in the northeast, I realized that I hadn't used that word in decades. Now it is 'gym shoes' or 'running shoes' or 'bike shoes'.' We only used 'sneakers' in high school when we had one athletic shoe for all casual sports.

You'll probably still hear alternatives, particularly in older generations, such as *sannies* (Scotland), *gutties* (Northern Ireland), and *plimmies*. These originally refer to rubber plimsolls but were readily extended to modern training shoes (the more proper term for signage and inventory). Tennis shoes are usually just that, at least by design: lower, flatter, slightly closer to a deck shoe or espadrille. But people will generalise from the familiar specific.

Side note: in Canada we call them "runners"

British. I would never say "sneakers" This often confuses Europeans as well, they are not really familiar with the term "trainers" for sports shoes, and often assume you are referring to a personal sports trainer, not footwear!

Are there Canadians and Australians here? What do you say?

Trainers Pumps Sneakers Sports shoes

I thought I'd just find out about 'trainers' and 'sneakers', but now I'm left with a pile of different ways to say 'sports shoes'. P.S. But you know what? After thinking about it for a while, I guess even in my native language there's an official name for them—but most people just say 'shoes' anyway.

I’m English and never have, and never would say sneakers. Always trainers! Some younger people might say it, but generally just those who’ve watched too much YouTube. They’re usually the once who spell licence wrong!

Nope, I would never call them 'sneakers'. Only ever 'trainers'.

Trainers, but I call my running shoes "running shoes".

I say “trainers”.

My first exposure to the word "sneakers" was in the Harry Potter books. I remember I kept forgetting what it meant and thinking they were some kind of socks. I'm not sure why it was used in HP, perhaps it's more widely used in Scotland, or the editors preferred it for some reason.

I always say trainers - there are US words that have crept into my dialogue but not this one

I'm from Liverpool. They've always been "trainies" as opposed to trainers.

Nobody says sneakers.  They're not for sneaking in.

Never met a Brit who's said sneakers. Always trainers or tennis shoes.

In Northern Ireland they were gutties growing up. Derived from gutta percha

Never “sneakers”.

Wait until you learn about the regional differences in the US! I grew up in Chicago saying gym shoes, my Mom said sneakers because she grew up in New England, but she was obviously wrong. It's right up there with calling pop soda like a weirdo. Now in the south I keep hearing people say tennies or tennis shoes

Just a note: Where I live in the West Coast of the U.S., I pretty much never hear "sneakers". We just say "tennis shoes". My mom said "tennies" back when I was a kid in the nineties, but I haven't heard that much at all since.

I spent one year living with a whole bunch of Brits. They never said “sneakers.” Never.

I spent one year living with a whole bunch of Brits. They never said “sneakers.” Never.

Trainers. But some people call them runners

I spent one year living with Brits. They never said sneakers. Never.

Never tennis shoes?