How do you recognise a Birmingham accent?

A falling intonation at the end of statements. The “price” vowel is lowered — “nice” towards “noice”. No foot–strut split in broader speech: “put” and “putt” can match. The Black Country keeps older forms like “am” for “are” — the “Yam Yam” nickname.

Which famous people have a Birmingham accent?

Ozzy Osbourne is a speaker whose recorded speech anchors the Birmingham / West Midlands English profile used by DialectGuessr.

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

Birmingham, the Black Country and the West Midlands

The Birmingham accent

The Birmingham or Brummie accent is one of the most recognisable in England and one of the most frequently caricatured. Its melody falls at the end of phrases where other accents rise, which is why it is often described as flat. Birmingham and the neighbouring Black Country are not the same accent, and locals hear the difference immediately.

Take the quiz and see how close your accent is →

How to recognise a Birmingham accent

A falling intonation at the end of statements.
The “price” vowel is lowered — “nice” towards “noice”.
No foot–strut split in broader speech: “put” and “putt” can match.
The Black Country keeps older forms like “am” for “are” — the “Yam Yam” nickname.

Also known as Brummie accent, Birmingham accent, Black Country accent, Yam Yam. Spoken in Birmingham, the Black Country and the West Midlands, England.

The Birmingham pronunciation fingerprint

These are the answers the quiz expects from a Birmingham 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
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, or “day” ends on a slight “ee” — day-ee
The Vowel in “Day”: Gliding or Steady?
“go” is one flat sound — gaw, or “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
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, or “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, or “three” sounds like “free”, starting with F
Three, Free or Tree? What Happens to Your TH
“house” sounds like “ouse”, without the H, or 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 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 Birmingham, the Black Country and the West Midlands

Expected everyday vocabulary for a Birmingham speaker.
Question	Usual answer
What do you usually call a sweet carbonated drink?	Pop
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?	Cob
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?	Drinking fountain
What do you call a small neighbourhood shop selling everyday items?	Corner shop
How do you usually address a group of people informally?	You lot
What do you call the household container for unwanted rubbish?	Bin
What do you call the narrow passageway between or behind houses?	Jitty
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?	I know it means “until”, but I would never say it
“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

Speakers with a Birmingham accent

Ozzy Osbourne
Aston, Birmingham, England
Osbourne was born in Birmingham and grew up in Aston.

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