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.

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

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.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

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 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”
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 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 different
Mary, Marry, Merry: One Sound, Two or Three?
“day” ends on a slight “ee” — day-ee
The Vowel in “Day”: Gliding or Steady?
“go” ends on a slight “oo” — go-oo
The Vowel in “Go”: Gliding or Steady?
“tune” sounds like “choon”, with a CH sound at the start, or “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”
“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” starts with a TH sound, with the tongue against the teeth, or “three” sounds like “free”, starting with F
Three, Free or Tree? What Happens to Your TH
the H in “house” is pronounced, or “house” sounds like “ouse”, without the H
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” 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 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
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?	Cool box / cool bag
You are waiting your turn behind other people. What are you doing?	Waiting in the queue
“Man’s getting emotional.” Who is “man”?	I know it means “I”, but I would never say it
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 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?	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”
What do you call a multi-storey building for parking cars?	Car park / multi-storey car park
What do you call the strip of ground in the middle of a dual carriageway?	Central reservation
Can “da kine” stand in for a thing you have not named?	No — that is not a word I use
What do you call the clothing you swim in?	Swimsuit / swimming costume

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.