How do you recognise a South Indian accent?

“Only” at the end of a sentence marks emphasis. You can “prepone” a meeting. Traffic lights are a “signal”. V and W often start alike.

Which famous people have a South Indian accent?

A. R. Rahman is a speaker whose recorded speech anchors the Chennai / South Indian English profile used by DialectGuessr.

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

Where is the South Indian accent spoken?

Chennai, Tamil Nadu and South India, in India.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu and South India

The South Indian accent

South Indian English shares prepone, “only” as a focus particle, and a tapped R with the rest of Indian English, but “I am coming tomorrow only” is at home in Chennai in a way it is not in Delhi. Traffic lights are often a “signal”.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

How to recognise a South Indian accent

“Only” at the end of a sentence marks emphasis.
You can “prepone” a meeting.
Traffic lights are a “signal”.
V and W often start alike.

Also known as Chennai accent, South Indian English, Madras English, Tamil English. Spoken in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and South India, India.

The South Indian pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a South Indian speaker on its 26 pronunciation questions. Where a feature varies within the region, more than one answer counts as a match.

“bath” takes the broad vowel of “father” — the trap–bath split
The Trap–Bath Split: Does “Bath” Rhyme With “Cat” or “Father”?
rhotic — the R at the end of “car” is pronounced
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” stay distinct
The Cot–Caught Merger: Do “Cot” and “Caught” Sound the Same?
“Mary”, “marry” and “merry” all sound different
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” keeps its Y — “tyoon”
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” hold two distinct vowels apart
Ship or Sheep? The Vowel That Divides Native and Learned English
“put” and “putt” have different vowels — the foot–strut split
The Foot–Strut Split: Do “Put” and “Putt” Rhyme?
TH-stopping — “three” sounds like “tree”, or a true TH at the start of “three”
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-tensing
Happy: Does It End in “-ee” or “-ih”?
“wine” and “vine” start alike — the V–W merger
Wine or Vine? Where V and W Fall Together
“school” starts straight on the S
“Eschool” for “School”: The Vowel Some Accents Add
“bed” keeps its voiced ending, apart from “bet”
Bed or Bet? Final-Obstruent Devoicing
a tapped or trilled R, or an approximant R, made without contact
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 Chennai, Tamil Nadu and South India

Expected everyday vocabulary for a South Indian speaker.
Question	Usual answer
What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink?	Soft drink
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?	French fries
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?	Parcel
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?	You all
What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish?	Dustbin
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 the queue
“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?	Traffic signal
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?	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?	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
Can you “prepone” a meeting — bring it forward to an earlier time?	Yes — “prepone” is a normal word
Does “I am coming tomorrow only” sound like a normal way to emphasise tomorrow?	Yes — that “only” marks emphasis

Speakers with a South Indian accent

A. R. Rahman
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
A South Indian English reference profile; Rahman was born and raised in Chennai.

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