How do you recognise a African American accent?

Habitual “be”: “she be working” means she works regularly. “Pin” and “pen” often sound the same. The vowel in “ride” can stay as one sound. TH-stopping is common: “that” towards “dat”.

Which famous people have a African American accent?

Viola Davis is a speaker whose recorded speech anchors the African American English profile used by DialectGuessr.

How do I test whether I have a African American 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 African American English profile and every other profile in the survey. It takes about two minutes and needs no account.

the US South and cities of the Great Migration

The African American accent

African American English is a complete variety of English with its own grammar and sound system, spoken across the US South and in the cities of the Great Migration. Habitual “be” marks a regular event (“she be working on Fridays”), “pin” and “pen” often merge, and the vowel in “ride” can stay on one sound. It is not “slang” and it is not broken Standard English.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

How to recognise a African American accent

Habitual “be”: “she be working” means she works regularly.
“Pin” and “pen” often sound the same.
The vowel in “ride” can stay as one sound.
TH-stopping is common: “that” towards “dat”.

Also known as African American English, AAVE, African American Vernacular English, Black English. Spoken in the US South and cities of the Great Migration, United States.

The African American pronunciation fingerprint

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

“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, or the R at the end of “car” is pronounced
Rhotic vs Non-Rhotic: Do You Pronounce the R in “Car”?
a quick D-like tap in “bottle”, or a catch in the throat instead of the T in “bottle” — “bo’le”
Bottle, Bo'le or Boddle? The T in the Middle of a Word
“cot” and “caught” stay distinct
The Cot–Caught Merger: Do “Cot” and “Caught” Sound the Same?
“Mary”, “marry” and “merry” all sound the same
Mary, Marry, Merry: One Sound, Two or Three?
“day” is one flat sound — deh, or “day” ends on a slight “ee” — day-ee
The Vowel in “Day”: Gliding or Steady?
“go” is one flat sound — gaw, or “go” ends on a slight “oo” — go-oo
The Vowel in “Go”: Gliding or Steady?
“tune” sounds like “toon”, without a Y sound
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 d-like sound — “dat”, or a th sound
“Dat” for “That”: TH-Stopping in the Function Words
“ship” and “sheep” have different vowel sounds
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” sounds like “tree”, starting with T, or “three” starts with a TH sound, with the tongue against the teeth
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
a smooth R, without tapping or rolling the tongue
Rolled, Uvular or Neither? How the R Is Made
“pin” and “pen” sound the same
Pin or Pen? The Southern US Vowel Merger
the vowel in “ride” stays as one sound
Does “Ride” Stay on One Sound? Southern PRICE
“celery” and “salary” stay distinct
Celery or Salary? Melbourne's Quiet Giveaway

Everyday words in the US South and cities of the Great Migration

Expected everyday vocabulary for a African American speaker.
Question	Usual answer
What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink?	Soda
What do you call shoes worn for sport or exercise?	Sneakers
What do you usually call the main evening meal?	Dinner
What do you call a small, round piece of bread for one person?	Roll
What do you call thin strips of potato served hot and fried?	Fries
What is your general word for small sugary treats?	Candy
What do you call the wheeled basket used in a supermarket?	Shopping cart
What do you call restaurant food collected to eat elsewhere?	Takeout
What do you call a public fixture you drink water from?	Water fountain
What do you call a small neighbourhood shop selling everyday items?	Convenience store
How do you usually address a group of people informally?	Y’all
What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish?	Trash can
What do you call the narrow passageway between or behind houses?	Alley / alleyway
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 line
“Man’s getting emotional.” Who is “man”?	It does not make sense to me
What do you call rubber sandals held on by a strap between the toes?	Flip-flops
What do you call the red-amber-green signal at a junction?	Stoplight
What do you call a circular junction you drive around?	Traffic circle
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?	I do not have a word for that
Does “she be working on Fridays” sound like a normal way to say she works Fridays regularly?	Yes — that is how I would say it
Does “the car needs washed” sound normal — without “to be”?	No — I would say “needs to be washed”
What do you call a long sandwich in a split roll?	Sub / submarine
What do you call a multi-storey building for parking cars?	Parking garage
Can “da kine” stand in for a thing you have not named?	No — that is not a word I use

What 88 people from the African American area told the survey

88 people who grew up in the African American area have taken the DialectGuessr quiz. These are the answers where they differ most from everyone else who has taken it.

Answers from people who grew up in the African American area, against everyone else in the survey.
Question	Their answer	Here vs elsewhere
Which is closest to how you naturally say “tune”?	“Toon” — without a Y sound	94% vs 37% elsewhere · 83 of 88
What is your general word for small sugary treats?	Candy	90% vs 41% elsewhere · 79 of 88
What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink?	Soda	83% vs 36% elsewhere · 73 of 88
What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish?	Trash can	75% vs 32% elsewhere · 66 of 88
What do you call restaurant food collected to eat elsewhere?	Takeout	72% vs 32% elsewhere · 63 of 88
What do you call the wheeled basket used in a supermarket?	Shopping cart	80% vs 41% elsewhere · 70 of 88

From people who chose to take the quiz and pinned where they grew up, so a self-selected sample rather than a random one. The figures are recalculated daily as more people answer.

Speakers with a African American accent

Viola Davis
St. Matthews, South Carolina, United States
An African American English reference profile; Davis was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina.

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