How do you recognise a Melbourne accent?

“Celery” and “salary” can sound the same — a Melbourne/Victoria giveaway. Non-rhotic, with the broad “bath” vowel. Australian vocabulary: “thongs”, “esky”, “arvo”, “milk bar”. The rest of the vowel system is General Australian, not Broad Queensland.

Which famous people have a Melbourne accent?

Cate Blanchett and Chris Hemsworth are speakers whose recorded speech anchors the Melbourne / Southern Australian English profile used by DialectGuessr.

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

Melbourne

The Melbourne accent

Melbourne English is General Australian with one local merger the rest of the country does not share: “celery” and “salary” can sound the same. Otherwise it keeps the non-rhotic, trap–bath-split system of the rest of southern Australia, which is why Queensland and Melbourne agree on almost every other question in the bank.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

How to recognise a Melbourne accent

“Celery” and “salary” can sound the same — a Melbourne/Victoria giveaway.
Non-rhotic, with the broad “bath” vowel.
Australian vocabulary: “thongs”, “esky”, “arvo”, “milk bar”.
The rest of the vowel system is General Australian, not Broad Queensland.

Also known as Melbourne accent, Victorian accent, Melbourne English, southern Australian accent. Spoken in Melbourne, Australia.

The Melbourne pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a Melbourne 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 quick D-like tap in “bottle”, or 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” ends on a slight “ee” — day-ee
The Vowel in “Day”: Gliding or Steady?
“go” ends on a slight “oo” — go-oo
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
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”?
closer to the vowel in “feet”
Fish and Chips: The Vowel That Separates New Zealand from Australia
“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” sound the same
Celery or Salary? Melbourne's Quiet Giveaway

Everyday words in Melbourne

Expected everyday vocabulary for a Melbourne 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?	Runners
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?	Hot chips
What is your general word for small sugary treats?	Lollies
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 bubbler
What do you call a small neighbourhood shop selling everyday items?	Milk bar
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?	Esky
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?	Thongs
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 do you call the clothing you swim in?	Bathers

Speakers with a Melbourne accent

Cate Blanchett
Ivanhoe, Melbourne, Australia
A Melbourne reference profile; Blanchett was born in Ivanhoe and raised in Melbourne.
Chris Hemsworth
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
A Melbourne reference profile; Hemsworth was born in Melbourne and raised in Victoria.

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