Johannesburg, Gauteng and South Africa
The South African accent
South African English is non-rhotic with clipped, steady vowels and an Afrikaans-influenced consonant pattern. Its “kit” vowel splits into two depending on the surrounding consonants, a feature found nowhere else, and “price” often flattens so that “nice” approaches “nahs”.
Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →
How to recognise a South African accent
- The kit split — the vowel in “kit” differs depending on nearby consonants.
- Steady, non-gliding “face” and “goat” vowels.
- A clear, unaspirated T.
- Afrikaans loanwords in daily use: “braai”, “lekker”, “bakkie”, “robot” for traffic light.
Also known as South African accent, Johannesburg accent, SA accent, South African English. Spoken in Johannesburg, Gauteng and South Africa, South Africa.
The South African pronunciation fingerprint
These are the answers the quiz expects from a South African 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
“put” and “putt” have different vowels — the foot–strut split
a clear T in the middle of “bottle”
“cot” and “caught” stay distinct
The Cot–Caught Merger: Do “Cot” and “Caught” Sound the Same?
“Mary”, “marry” and “merry” all sound different
the vowel in “day” stays steady — a monophthongal face vowel
the vowel in “go” stays steady — a monophthongal goat vowel
a true TH at the start of “three”
the H in “house” is pronounced
“tune” keeps its Y — “tyoon”
“fur” and “fair” stay distinct
“beer” and “bear” stay distinct
“happy” ends on a long “-ee” — happy-tensing
Everyday words in Johannesburg, Gauteng and South Africa
| Question | Usual answer |
|---|---|
| What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink? | Soft drink |
| What do you call shoes worn for sport or exercise? | Trainers |
| What do you usually call the main evening meal? | Supper |
| 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 guys |
| What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish? | Rubbish bin |
Speakers with a South African accent
Trevor Noah
Johannesburg, South Africa
A Johannesburg reference profile; Noah was born there and grew up partly in Soweto.
Accent profiles are anchored to primary-source regional recordings from the International Dialects of English Archive, not to any individual performance.
Is my accent South African?
The only way to answer that against real data is to compare your own speech to the profile. The quiz takes about four minutes: answer 26 questions, pin the town where you grew up, and see your closest accent matches ranked by how well they fit — plus where people who answer like you actually live.