How do you recognise a Lancashire accent?

Traditional east Lancashire is rhotic, unlike Manchester twenty miles away. “Gradely” for fine or proper — the county's signature word. “Ginnel” for a narrow passage between houses. “Singer” rhymes with “finger”.

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

Preston, Blackburn, Burnley and the Lancashire coast

The Lancashire accent

Lancashire English covers the county outside the Manchester and Merseyside conurbations, and east Lancashire in particular holds the last rhotic ground in the north of England: in Blackburn and Burnley the R in “word” is still pronounced by older speakers. Its vocabulary is the Old Norse and Old English layer that the industrial cities around it have mostly shed.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

How to recognise a Lancashire accent

Traditional east Lancashire is rhotic, unlike Manchester twenty miles away.
“Gradely” for fine or proper — the county's signature word.
“Ginnel” for a narrow passage between houses.
“Singer” rhymes with “finger”.

Also known as Lancashire accent, Lancy accent, Preston accent, Blackburn accent. Spoken in Preston, Blackburn, Burnley and the Lancashire coast, England.

The Lancashire pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a Lancashire speaker on its 30 pronunciation questions. Where a feature varies within the region, more than one answer counts as a match.

“bath” takes the short vowel of “cat”
The Trap–Bath Split: Does “Bath” Rhyme With “Cat” or “Father”?
“car” ends in a vowel, with no R sound, or the R at the end of “car” is pronounced
Rhotic vs Non-Rhotic: Do You Pronounce the R in “Car”?
a clear T in the middle of “bottle”, or 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” 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 “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
yes — “singer” has a hard g
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” sound the same
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
“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 short “-ih”, or “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 Preston, Blackburn, Burnley and the Lancashire coast

Expected everyday vocabulary for a Lancashire 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?	Tea
What do you call a small, round piece of bread for one person?	Barm
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?	Water fountain
What do you call a small neighbourhood shop selling everyday items?	Corner shop
How do you usually address a group of people informally?	Yous / youse
What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish?	Bin
What do you call the narrow passageway between or behind houses?	Ginnel
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”?	It does not make sense to me
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”
Can “da kine” stand in for a thing you have not named?	No — that is not a word I use

What 12 people from the Lancashire area told the survey

12 people who grew up in the Lancashire area have taken the DialectGuessr quiz. These are the answers where they differ most from everyone else who has taken it.

Answers from people who grew up in the Lancashire area, against everyone else in the survey.
Question	Their answer	Here vs elsewhere
What do you call shoes worn for sport or exercise?	Trainers	100% vs 33% elsewhere · 12 of 12
What is your general word for small sugary treats?	Sweets	100% vs 42% elsewhere · 12 of 12
What do you call a small neighbourhood shop selling everyday items?	Corner shop	92% vs 34% elsewhere · 11 of 12
What do you call restaurant food collected to eat elsewhere?	Takeaway	100% vs 42% elsewhere · 12 of 12
How do “Mary”, “marry”, and “merry” compare in your natural accent?	All three sound different	92% vs 34% elsewhere · 11 of 12
What do you call the wheeled basket used in a supermarket?	Trolley	100% vs 43% elsewhere · 12 of 12

From people who chose to take the quiz and pinned where they grew up, so a self-selected sample rather than a random one. The figures are recalculated daily as more people answer.