How do you 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.

Which famous people have a South African accent?

Trevor Noah is a speaker whose recorded speech anchors the Johannesburg South African English profile used by DialectGuessr.

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

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.

The South African pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a South African 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 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” 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”
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” 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” 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 Johannesburg, Gauteng and South Africa

Expected everyday vocabulary for a South African speaker.
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
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 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?	Slops
What do you call the red-amber-green signal at a junction?	Robot
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?	Kombi
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

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.