How do you recognise a London accent?

Glottal stops replace T between vowels and at the end of words: “water”, “what”. TH-fronting — “three” as “free”, “brother” as “bruvver”. L-vocalisation — “milk” towards “miwk”. Non-rhotic with the broad “bath” vowel.

Which famous people have a London accent?

Adele is a speaker whose recorded speech anchors the London / Estuary English profile used by DialectGuessr.

Where is the London accent spoken?

London, Essex, Kent and the Thames Estuary, in England.

London, Essex, Kent and the Thames Estuary

The London accent

Estuary English is the everyday accent of London and the counties around the Thames, sitting between Received Pronunciation and traditional Cockney. It is the most influential accent in Britain: its glottal stops, TH-fronting and L-vocalisation have spread outward to cities hundreds of miles away.

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How to recognise a London accent

Glottal stops replace T between vowels and at the end of words: “water”, “what”.
TH-fronting — “three” as “free”, “brother” as “bruvver”.
L-vocalisation — “milk” towards “miwk”.
Non-rhotic with the broad “bath” vowel.

Also known as Estuary English, London accent, Cockney accent, Essex accent. Spoken in London, Essex, Kent and the Thames Estuary, England.

The London pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a London speaker on its 14 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”?
non-rhotic — “car” ends in a vowel, with no R sound
Rhotic vs Non-Rhotic: Do You Pronounce the R in “Car”?
“put” and “putt” have different vowels — the foot–strut split
The Foot–Strut Split: Do “Put” and “Putt” Rhyme?
a glottal stop 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 different
Mary, Marry, Merry: One Sound, Two or Three?
the vowel in “day” glides
The Vowel in “Day”: Gliding or Steady?
the vowel in “go” glides
The Vowel in “Go”: Gliding or Steady?
a true TH at the start of “three”, or TH-fronting — “three” sounds like “free”
Three, Free or Tree? What Happens to Your TH
the H in “house” is pronounced, or H-dropping — “house” sounds like “ouse”
H-Dropping: Do You Say “House” or “'Ouse”?
yod-coalescence — “tune” sounds like “choon”, or “tune” keeps its Y — “tyoon”
Tune, Toon or Choon? The Y After a Consonant
“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”?

Everyday words in London, Essex, Kent and the Thames Estuary

Expected everyday vocabulary for a London speaker.
Question	Usual answer
What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink?	Fizzy drink
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?	Roll
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
What do you call a public fixture you drink water from?	Drinking fountain
What do you call a small neighbourhood shop selling everyday items?	Corner shop
How do you usually address a group of people informally?	You lot
What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish?	Bin

Speakers with a London accent

Adele
London, England
A London reference profile; Adele grew up in Tottenham and south London.

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

Is my accent London?

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