How do you recognise a Pakistani accent?

Retroflex T and D, without the American flap or the London glottal stop. Non-rhotic, where Indian English is variably rhotic. Flat “go”, and “bath” and “thought” on the same vowel. Pakistani vocabulary: “joggers” for trainers, “cold drink”, “signal” for traffic lights.

Which famous people have a Pakistani accent?

Mahira Khan and Wasim Akram are speakers whose recorded speech anchors the Pakistani English profile used by DialectGuessr.

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

Karachi, Lahore and Pakistan

The Pakistani accent

Pakistani English shares the retroflex consonants and steady vowels of Indian English but takes a British model for its vowels, and it is more consistently non-rhotic than the Indian standard. The BATH and THOUGHT vowels land on the same near-open sound, and the GOAT diphthong simplifies to a long monophthong. Its vocabulary diverges from Indian English more than most people expect.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

How to recognise a Pakistani accent

Retroflex T and D, without the American flap or the London glottal stop.
Non-rhotic, where Indian English is variably rhotic.
Flat “go”, and “bath” and “thought” on the same vowel.
Pakistani vocabulary: “joggers” for trainers, “cold drink”, “signal” for traffic lights.

Also known as Pakistani accent, Pakistani English, Karachi accent, Urdu-English accent. Spoken in Karachi, Lahore and Pakistan.

The Pakistani pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a Pakistani 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” rhyme
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 d-like sound — “dat”
“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” sounds like “tree”, starting with T
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 alike
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
an R made by tapping or rolling the tongue, or 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 Karachi, Lahore and Pakistan

Expected everyday vocabulary for a Pakistani speaker.
Question	Usual answer
What do you call shoes worn for sport or exercise?	Joggers
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?	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?	Takeaway
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 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

Speakers with a Pakistani accent

Mahira Khan
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
A Pakistani English reference profile; Khan was born and raised in Karachi.
Wasim Akram
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
A Pakistani English reference profile; Akram was born and raised in Lahore.

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