How to Speak in a British Accent

Co-authored by Patrick Muñoz

Last Updated: November 28, 2021 References Approved

This article focuses on "Received Pronunciation" (RP), the stereotypical British accent mainly spoken in the south of England, and exaggerated by the upper classes, sometimes described as "the Queen's English".^{[1]
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Research source} There are greatly differing accents across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for a more regional or "authentic" accent, it's best to choose one particular area, and try to learn how to mimic that accent instead. Adopting British mannerisms while speaking will also help for authenticity. This study of RP is concerned largely with pronunciation, while study of the standard language is also concerned with matters such as correct grammar, more formal vocabulary and style.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:
R's

1
Start with the Rs. Understand that in most British accents, speakers don't roll their Rs (except for those from Scotland, Northumbria, Northern Ireland, and parts of the West Country and Lancashire), but not all British accents are the same. For example, a Scottish accent varies greatly from an English accent. After a vowel, don't pronounce the R, but draw out the vowel and maybe add an "uh" (Here is "heeuh"). In words like "hurry", don't blend the R with the vowel. Say "huh-ree".^{[2]
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- In American English, words ending with "rl" or "rel" can be pronounced using either one or two syllables, completely interchangeably. This is not the case in British English. "-rl" words like "girl", "hurl", etc., are pronounced as one syllable with silent R, while "squirrel" is "squih-rul", and "referral" is "re-fer-rul".
- Some words are easier to say in a British accent. For example, mirror, which sounds like "mih-ra". Do not say "mirror" like a "mere"; British people almost never do that.
- Some awkward pauses in sentences are also removed by the addition of "r" before a vowel. For example, "I saw it" becomes "I saw-rit", to avoid the pause between the words 'saw' and 'it'. Another example is "Bacteria are small", pronounced "Bacteria-rar-small".

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:
U's

1
Pronounce U in stupid and in duty with the ew or "you" sound. Avoid the oo as in pronounced ; thus it is pronounced stewpid or commonly schewpid, not stoopid, etc. duty would be pronounced dewty or more often jooty. In the standard English accent, the A (for example, in father) is pronounced at the back of the mouth with an open throat—it sounds like "arh". This is the case in pretty much all British accents, but it's exaggerated in RP. In southern England and in RP, words such as "bath", "path", "glass", "grass" also use this vowel (barth, parth, glarss, grarss, etc.). However, in other parts of Britain "bath", "path", etc. sound like "ah".

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:
Heavy consonants

1
Enunciate on heavy consonant words.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.} Pronounce that T in "duty" as T: not as the D as doody so that duty is pronounced dewty or a softer jooty. Pronounce the suffix -ing with a strong G. This way it sounds like -ing rather than -een. But sometimes it is shortened to in as in lookin.^{[4]
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- The words human being are pronounced hewman being or yooman been in certain areas, though it could be pronounced hewman bee-in.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:
T's

1
Sometimes drop the Ts. With some accents, including cockney accents, Ts aren't pronounced in words where Americans use D to replace it. However, there is usually a short pause or "hiccup" in its place. So "battle" might be pronounced ba-ill but it would be a rare occasion to find someone saying "Ba-ill" catching the air behind the back of the tongue at the end of the first syllable before expelling it on pronunciation of the second syllable. This is known as the glottal stop. use glottal stops, too, for words like "mittens" and "mountain". It's just that British use them more often.^{[5]
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Research source}
- People with Estuary English, RP, Scottish, Irish and Welsh accents do consider it lazy and rude to drop the Ts, and this feature doesn't exist, but in almost all accents it's accepted to do it in the middle of words in casual contexts and almost universal to put a glottal stop at the end of a word.

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:
Pronunciation

1
Observe that some words are pronounced as written. The word "herb" should be pronounced with an H sound. The word "been" is pronounced "bean", rather than "bin" or "ben". For RP, "Again" and "renaissance" are pronounced like "a gain" and "run nay seance", with the "ai" as in "pain", not "said." The words ending in "body" are pronounced as written, like "any body", not "any buddy." But use a British short O sound.
2
Observe that H is not always pronounced. The "H" is pronounced in the word "herb," in contrast erb. However, in many British accents, the H at the beginning of a word is often omitted, such as in many Northern accents and the Cockney accent.
3
Say "bean," not "bin" for the word been. In an American accent, this is often pronounced been. In an English accent, been is a common pronunciation, but "bin" is more often heard in casual speech where the word isn't particularly stressed.
4
Notice that two or more vowels together may prompt an extra syllable. For example, the word "road" would usually be pronounced rohd, but in Wales and with some people in Northern Ireland it might be pronounced ro.ord. Some speakers may even say "reh-uud."

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:
Listening and copying

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Listen to the "music" of the language. All accents and dialects have their own musicality.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.} Pay attention to the tones and emphasis of British speakers. Sir Johnathan Ive is a good example, listen to his accent at Apple revealings. Do sentences generally end on a higher note, the same, or lower? How much variation is there in tone throughout a typical sentence? There is a huge variation between regions with tonality. British speech, especially RP, usually varies much less within a sentence than American English, and the general tendency is to go down slightly towards the end of a phrase. However, Liverpool and north-east England are notable exceptions!^{[7]
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Research source}
- For example, instead of saying, "is he going to the STORE?" Say, "is he GOING to the store?" Have the question descending in tone as opposed to ascending in tone (going up in tone is more common in American or Australian English).
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Get a British person to say well known sentences: "How now brown cow" and "The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain" and pay close attention. Rounded mouth vowels in words such as "about" in London, are usually flattened in Northern Ireland.
3
Immerse yourself in the British culture; this means surround yourself with individuals that speak, live, walk and talk British English. It's the surest way to learn a British accent quickly. Soon, you'll find yourself naturally able to speak with the variations above. Anything with a British speaker will work—try listening to the BBC (which provides free radio and television newscasts on the web), songs with British singers, or movies with British characters.

Community Q&A
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Question

Can you change your voice?

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.

Patrick Muñoz

Voice & Speech Coach

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Yes, absolutely. It's not even about changing your voice, it is about growing your voice. So many people speak right from the throat, so their voices aren't really fully embodied. If you start to breathe and do exercises to open up your voice, you'll find out the full range of your voice.
Question

How do I learn to talk fast with the British accent?

Community Answer

Keep practicing to improve your accent, and try to think in a British accent so it comes more naturally.
Question

What would it take for me to master a British accent in 8 months?

Community Answer

Watch lots of British entertainment and listen closely. Practice everyday by reading aloud in a British accent. Also, record your voice to see how you're doing. You could easily have the accent down sooner than 8 months.
Question

What can I do if I do not know a British person?

Community Answer

As explained in the article, you can watch movies or TV shows with British characters in them and watch British people on YouTube. Listen to podcasts from British speakers.
Question

How do I use my accent in America without people seeing that I am trying to speak in a British accent?

Community Answer

Practice until it becomes natural. After time, people will start believing your accent is true.
Question

Do you have any more tips if these methods still did not work?

Community Answer

Watch a TV show where most people do British accents, such as Doctor Who and Wolfblood. If you're old enough, watch Man Up, in which Lake Bell adopts an amazing British accent even though she is American -- her performance will give you the confidence that you can do it too.
Question

Are there any movies of British accent that I can watch, like animated movies, to get a kid's British accent?

Community Answer

Sure, watch Harry Potter movies, even though they are not animated. They are appropriate for kids and have a British accent in them. There are some other movies with British accents too, like the Wallace and Gromit ones and Flushed Away. Do an online search for: "British animated movies".
Question

If I was in Britain for a long period of time, would I pick up an accent without trying?

Community Answer

Accents solidify between the ages of 18 and 24. If you live in Britain for many years before you are 18, you will pick up an accent. If you are over 18, however, then you will likely keep the accent of wherever you grew up in.
Question

Would it be possible for me an eleven year old who lives in the Philippines and have no British friends be able to adapt a solid British accent?

Community Answer

Of course. Just watch videos shows and movies with accents and if you immerse yourself and practice consistently you can easily adapt an accent.
Question

How can I avoid getting an American accent if I already have a British accent?

Community Answer

You could always just pay close attention to the enunciation of your words so that you pronounce them in your British accent consistently.

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Warnings

Don’t forget that some people might be offended by you imitating their accent. Even if you don’t mean to be rude, they could still take it the wrong way and think you’re mocking them.

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Don't be overconfident that you do a good British accent. It is rare to find an imitation that sounds genuine to the native ear.

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Don't think that you'll get it right quickly. It is likely that any true British person will know that you're faking it straight away, but it might pass for a real accent to non-Brits.

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