New Zealand
The New Zealand accent
New Zealand English is closest to Australian English but separated by a clear vowel difference: the “kit” vowel has centralised, so “fish and chips” sounds to Australians like “fush and chups”. It has also merged “beer” and “bear”, which few other varieties do, and it draws steadily on te reo Māori for everyday vocabulary.
Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →
How to recognise a New Zealand accent
- Centralised “kit” vowel — “fish” towards “fush”.
- The near–square merger: “beer” and “bear” rhyme.
- Non-rhotic, with a broad “bath” vowel.
- Māori loanwords in daily use: “kia ora”, “whānau”, “kai”.
Also known as New Zealand accent, Kiwi accent, NZ accent, New Zealand English. Spoken in New Zealand, New Zealand.
The New Zealand pronunciation fingerprint
These are the answers the quiz expects from a New Zealand speaker on its 14 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
The Trap–Bath Split: Does “Bath” Rhyme With “Cat” or “Father”?
non-rhotic — “car” ends in a vowel, with no R sound
“put” and “putt” have different vowels — the foot–strut split
a quick D-like tap in “bottle” — T-flapping, or a clear T in the middle of “bottle”
“cot” and “caught” stay distinct
The Cot–Caught Merger: Do “Cot” and “Caught” Sound the Same?
“Mary”, “marry” and “merry” all sound different
the vowel in “day” glides
the vowel in “go” glides
a true TH at the start of “three”
the H in “house” is pronounced
yod-coalescence — “tune” sounds like “choon”, or “tune” keeps its Y — “tyoon”
“fur” and “fair” stay distinct
“beer” and “bear” rhyme — the near–square merger, or “beer” and “bear” stay distinct
“happy” ends on a long “-ee” — happy-tensing
Everyday words in New Zealand
| 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? | 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? | Drinking fountain |
| What do you call a small neighbourhood shop selling everyday items? | Dairy |
| How do you usually address a group of people informally? | You guys |
| What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish? | Rubbish bin |
Speakers with a New Zealand accent
Taika Waititi
Wellington, New Zealand
A New Zealand reference profile; Waititi grew up between Wellington and Waihau Bay.
Accent profiles are anchored to primary-source regional recordings from the International Dialects of English Archive, not to any individual performance.
Is my accent New Zealand?
The only way to answer that against real data is to compare your own speech to the profile. The quiz takes about four minutes: answer 26 questions, pin the town where you grew up, and see your closest accent matches ranked by how well they fit — plus where people who answer like you actually live.