How do you recognise a Filipino accent?

Rhotic, like American English, but with no T-flapping in “water”. No schwa — unstressed vowels keep their full value. TH becomes T and D: “this” as “dis”. American-leaning vocabulary with local terms: “stoplight”, “sari-sari store”, “comfort room”.

Which famous people have a Filipino accent?

Lea Salonga and Manny Pacquiao are speakers whose recorded speech anchors the Philippine English profile used by DialectGuessr.

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

Metro Manila and the Philippines

The Filipino accent

Philippine English is the one variety in Asia modelled on American rather than British English, and it is robustly rhotic as a result. What makes it distinct from American English is the substrate: Tagalog has no schwa, so unstressed vowels keep their full quality, and there is no flap in “water” — the T stays a clean T. Yod-coalescence turns “tune” into something closer to “choon”.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

How to recognise a Filipino accent

Rhotic, like American English, but with no T-flapping in “water”.
No schwa — unstressed vowels keep their full value.
TH becomes T and D: “this” as “dis”.
American-leaning vocabulary with local terms: “stoplight”, “sari-sari store”, “comfort room”.

Also known as Filipino accent, Philippine English, Manila accent, Filipino English. Spoken in Metro Manila and the Philippines.

The Filipino pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a Filipino 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”?
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”
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 the same, or two of “Mary”, “marry” and “merry” match and one differs
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
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” share a vowel
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 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
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 Metro Manila and the Philippines

Expected everyday vocabulary for a Filipino speaker.
Question	Usual answer
What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink?	Soft drink
What do you usually call the main evening meal?	Dinner
What do you call a small, round piece of bread for one person?	Bun
What do you call thin strips of potato served hot and fried?	French fries
What is your general word for small sugary treats?	Candy
What do you call the wheeled basket used in a supermarket?	Shopping cart
What do you call restaurant food collected to eat elsewhere?	Takeout
What do you call a public fixture you drink water from?	Water fountain
How do you usually address a group of people informally?	You guys
What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish?	Trash can
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 line
“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?	Stoplight
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?	Jeepney
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 Filipino accent

Lea Salonga
Manila, Philippines
A Philippine English reference profile; Salonga was born and raised in Manila.
Manny Pacquiao
General Santos, South Cotabato, Philippines
A Philippine English reference profile; Pacquiao was raised in General Santos in Mindanao.

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