How do you recognise a Ghanaian accent?

The shared minibus is a tro-tro. “You people” as a plural “you”. KIT and FLEECE often fall together. Educated speech keeps TH more often than Lagos English does.

Which famous people have a Ghanaian accent?

Michael Essien is a speaker whose recorded speech anchors the Ghanaian English profile used by DialectGuessr.

How do I test whether I have a Ghanaian accent?

DialectGuessr's free accent test asks 29 questions about the words you use and how you pronounce them, then scores your answers against the Ghanaian English profile and every other profile in the survey. It takes about two minutes and needs no account.

Accra, Ghana and West Africa

The Ghanaian accent

Ghanaian English is a West African standard with a smaller vowel system than British English, so “ship” and “sheep” often come together and “face” and “goat” stay flat. What separates it from Nigerian English is not the vowels but the local words: the shared minibus is a tro-tro, not a danfo, and the plural of “you” is often “you people”.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

How to recognise a Ghanaian accent

The shared minibus is a tro-tro.
“You people” as a plural “you”.
KIT and FLEECE often fall together.
Educated speech keeps TH more often than Lagos English does.

Also known as Ghanaian accent, Ghanaian English, Accra accent, Ghana English. Spoken in Accra, Ghana and West Africa.

The Ghanaian pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a Ghanaian speaker on its 30 pronunciation questions. Where a feature varies within the region, more than one answer counts as a match.

“bath” takes the broad vowel of “father”, or “bath” takes the short vowel of “cat”
The Trap–Bath Split: Does “Bath” Rhyme With “Cat” or “Father”?
“car” ends in a vowel, with no R sound
Rhotic vs Non-Rhotic: Do You Pronounce the R in “Car”?
a clear T in the middle of “bottle”
Bottle, Bo'le or Boddle? The T in the Middle of a Word
“cot” and “caught” rhyme
The Cot–Caught Merger: Do “Cot” and “Caught” Sound the Same?
two of “Mary”, “marry” and “merry” match and one differs
Mary, Marry, Merry: One Sound, Two or Three?
“day” is one flat sound — deh
The Vowel in “Day”: Gliding or Steady?
“go” is one flat sound — gaw
The Vowel in “Go”: Gliding or Steady?
“tune” sounds like “tyoon”, with a Y sound after the T
Tune, Toon or Choon? The Y After a Consonant
no — they sound different
Do “Singer” and “Finger” Rhyme? The Velar Nasal Plus
one — “film”
“Film” or “Fillum”? The Helping Vowel in Highland and Irish English
no — they end in a vowel
The Bristol L: Why “Area” Can Sound Like “Areal”
a th sound
“Dat” for “That”: TH-Stopping in the Function Words
“ship” and “sheep” share a vowel
Ship or Sheep? The Vowel That Divides Native and Learned English
“put” and “putt” have different vowels
The Foot–Strut Split: Do “Put” and “Putt” Rhyme?
“three” starts with a TH sound, with the tongue against the teeth, or “three” sounds like “tree”, starting with T
Three, Free or Tree? What Happens to Your TH
the H in “house” is pronounced
H-Dropping: Do You Say “House” or “'Ouse”?
“fur” and “fair” stay distinct
Fur and Fair: The Merger That Marks Liverpool
“beer” and “bear” stay distinct
Beer and Bear: The Merger That Marks New Zealand
“happy” ends on a long “-ee”
Happy: Does It End in “-ee” or “-ih”?
“wine” and “vine” start with different sounds
Wine or Vine? Where V and W Fall Together
“school” starts straight on the S
“Eschool” for “School”: The Vowel Some Accents Add
“bed” ends with D and “bet” ends with T
Bed or Bet? Final-Obstruent Devoicing
an R made by tapping or rolling the tongue, or a smooth R, without tapping or rolling the tongue
Rolled, Uvular or Neither? How the R Is Made
“pin” and “pen” stay distinct
Pin or Pen? The Southern US Vowel Merger
the vowel in “ride” glides from one sound to another
Does “Ride” Stay on One Sound? Southern PRICE
“celery” and “salary” stay distinct
Celery or Salary? Melbourne's Quiet Giveaway

Everyday words in Accra, Ghana and West Africa

Expected everyday vocabulary for a Ghanaian speaker.
Question	Usual answer
What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink?	Mineral
What do you call shoes worn for sport or exercise?	Trainers
What do you usually call the main evening meal?	Dinner
What do you call a small, round piece of bread for one person?	Bun
What do you call thin strips of potato served hot and fried?	Chips
What is your general word for small sugary treats?	Sweets
What do you call the wheeled basket used in a supermarket?	Trolley
What do you call restaurant food collected to eat elsewhere?	Takeaway
How do you usually address a group of people informally?	You people
What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish?	Dustbin
What do you call the narrow passageway between or behind houses?	Passage / passageway
What do you call the insulated box you carry cold drinks in?	Cooler
You are waiting your turn behind other people. What are you doing?	Waiting in the queue
“Man’s getting emotional.” Who is “man”?	It does not make sense to me
What do you call the red-amber-green signal at a junction?	Traffic lights
What do you call a circular junction you drive around?	Roundabout
How do you say “the” in a phrase like “I’m going down the shop”?	A full “the”
“We’ll not be home while seven.” What does that sentence mean to you?	It does not make sense to me
“I’m after having my dinner.” What does that sentence mean to you?	It does not make sense to me
What do you call a shared minibus used as public transport?	Tro-tro
Does “she be working on Fridays” sound like a normal way to say she works Fridays regularly?	No — it does not sound like my English
Does “the car needs washed” sound normal — without “to be”?	No — I would say “needs to be washed”
Can “da kine” stand in for a thing you have not named?	No — that is not a word I use

Speakers with a Ghanaian accent

Michael Essien
Accra, Ghana
A Ghanaian English reference profile; Essien was born and raised in Accra.

Accent profiles are anchored to primary-source regional recordings from the International Dialects of English Archive, not to any individual performance.