How do you 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”.

Which famous people have a New Zealand accent?

Taika Waititi is a speaker whose recorded speech anchors the New Zealand English profile used by DialectGuessr.

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

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.

The New Zealand pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a New Zealand 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” rhyme
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 “uh” in “the”
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” stay distinct
Celery or Salary? Melbourne's Quiet Giveaway

Everyday words in New Zealand

Expected everyday vocabulary for a New Zealand 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?	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
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?	Chilly bin
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?	Jandals
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?	Togs

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.