How to Do a British Accent: Tips, Resources and Techniques

Have you ever noticed that on your 3rd (48th) rewatch of “Pride and Prejudice,” you unconsciously mimic Macfadyen’s accent when you exclaim along to him, “Miss Elizabeth. I have struggled in vain, and I can bear it no longer”? Or perhaps you’ve been mesmerized by Tom Hiddleston’s deep and velvety voice as he recites a poem by T.S. Eliot, and you are wondering how to sound more British. Well, this fascination with the British accent is quite common!

There’s something undeniably charming about British English. There are various beautiful and interesting varieties and dialects, like Scottish and Welsh. Learning how to speak in a British accent, regardless of which one you choose, is going to be a fun challenge.

In this guide, we will explore the different accents and we will go over a few tips, resources, and strategies to help you get a proper British accent.

Varieties of British accents

In reality, there is no such thing as a unified British articulation but rather an assortment of accents and dialects. However, we can still perceive and understand when a speaker is from Britain. So, you might still be wondering how to develop a British accent. The question is: which one? Let’s go over some of the different varieties in brief.

Received Pronunciation (RP)

Received Pronunciation (RP) is also called “BBC English” or “Standard English”; however, it’s not that standard. RP is the accent you will hear when viewing Downton Abbey, which is quite posh. It bears no regional characteristics, and it is the accent employed by spokespeople and theatre actors.

Cockney

The OG London accent. A dialect of the working class of London, a mix of phonetical differences (such as /f/ instead of /th/), idioms, and slang. Think of Adele or Michael Caine.

Northern English

This is a much broader category in our British accent guide, which encompasses some of England’s most well-known and distinctive accents:

• Mancunian: A native Manchester accent. It has a distinct flat /a/ sound, consonants disappear and forget about the /h/ at the beginning of the words. Famous examples: the iconic musician siblings Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.
• Scouse: The accent of Liverpool. It features a heavy /k/ at the end of the words, elongated vowels, and a fast pace. The accent that you probably have heard from the Beatles.
• Geordie: Common in Newcastle. It uses glottal stops and swinging intonation. It is the original accent of Rowan Atkinson and Sting.

Brummie

Have you ever listened to Ozzy Osbourne speak? The Prince of Darkness uses a heavy Brummie accent, with the distinctive /oi/ sound, the /u/ pronounced as /oo/, as well as the drop of the /h/ at the beginning of the words.

Other British accents

Scottish

Highland or Lowland, the Scottish accent is melodious and quite fast. Roll your Rs, intonate your /oo/ and /ee/, and learn how to get a British accent like Ewan McGregor, James McAvoy, and Gerard Butler.

Welsh

While Welsh is a quite different language, you can understand a Welsh person when they speak English, especially with their singing intonation. Think of Sir Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Northern Irish

Finally, there is the unique accent of the West, with the characteristic intonation and the several missing letters—Northern Irish. Brought to us by Jamie Dornan and Kenneth Branagh.

How to speak with a British accent: understanding the nuances

To properly understand a British accent tutorial, we first have to go over the characteristics that define the “standard” British accent—that is if you want to speak like Olivia Colman rather than mimic the heavy Mancunian accent Phil Dunster used in “Ted Lasso,” which would make for a whole different article.

Features of the standard British accents

Let us begin with the characteristics of received pronunciation, the “Queen’s English.” As we mentioned, while a very small percentage of Britons use this posh accent, it’s widely recognized and frequently taught to non-native speakers. If you want to learn how to sound more British, consider the following characteristics:

1. Non-Rhotic. The standard British accent is non-rhotic, which means that the /r/ is only pronounced when followed by a vowel.

2. NG-coalescence. This linguistic term means that the /ng/ at the end of the word is merged into /ŋ/, dropping the /g/.

3. H-retention. The letter /h/ is always pronounced at the beginning of a word.

4. Long vowels. What is also known as the trap/bath split , in many cases the vowels are elongated. That means “trap” is pronounced with a short /a/, whereas “bath” is pronounced with a long /a:/.

5. Consistent Intonation. In contrast with the singing stress and intonation of other accents and dialects, Standard British maintains a flat and consistent intonation.

6. Clear consonants. Finally, consonants are clearly pronounced. In general, RP takes its time; meaning, you have enough time to pronounce and articulate clearly almost every phoneme in a word. So, instead of Bri’ish , you will hear a clear and crisp /t/ in the word British .

We will review some British accent tips below to see how you can achieve the accent.

Common challenges for learners

Learning to speak with a British accent can be complicated. The most common challenges are the following:

1. Distinguishing among the vowel sounds. It can be tricky to remember the various contexts where a vowel is pronounced differently.

2. Mastering sounds that do not exist in the learner’s native language. Understanding and pronouncing different sounds from the ones in our native language is one of the hardest parts when learning British accents. Knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can be helpful in these cases.

3. Adopting the correct mouth positions in order to produce the proper phonemes. Even with a wide knowledge of IPA, it could be difficult to articulate the “right” sound.

4. Forming the right stress patterns and intonations. This is a common challenge when attempting to learn British English or any language other than your native one.

How to develop a British accent: tips, tricks, and exercises

Listening exercises and resources

The best way to learn how to speak with a British accent is to expose yourself to it. You try and watch movies and TV shows with English actors to accustom yourself to the language. Some excellent choices include:

• Fleabag
• The Great British Bake-off
• Ted Lasso
• The IT Crowd
• Heartstopper
• Sherlock

These are my personal favorites, along with classic films such as (anything by) Monty Python or romance classics like “Love Actually.”

Of course, you can always do listening exercises or even train your vocabulary using Word Trainer in the LiveXP app.

Pronunciation drills and techniques to speak with a British accent

Begin by practicing for all of the challenges listed above. The best English accent tips include:

1. Drop your Rs at the end of the syllable.
2. Distinguish among vowels; use the IPA to learn where the vowel is long and where it is short. This is especially the case with /a/.
3. Focus on the consonants as well. Don’t forget to enunciate the /t/ sounds and make everything clear and crisp.
4. Use the IPA charts to practice mouth positioning. For instance, a general rule is to drop your jaw and round your lips to achieve these elongated sounds of British English.

Private tutoring for developing a British accent

The advantages of online English tutoring, online or in person, cannot be doubted. Having a lesson with a certified teacher or a native speaker can be undeniably beneficial, as it allows for tailored feedback and personalized learning. Tutoring can be a very effective way to achieve a proper British accent.

LiveXP offers access to native British-speaking English tutors online who can teach you how to speak in a British accent. When practicing with a native speaker, you actively listen to authentic British speech. During your 1-on-1 lessons, the tutor will work on your proper pronunciation, lips, and mouth movements to make perfect sounds. Besides the pronunciation, you will be exposed to the culture of the UK, its slang and idioms, so no one will say you’re not a native British speaker.

You also have the opportunity to choose a tutor who shares the same interests as you do, something that will make learning a pleasurable experience. Overall, language learning and accent practice are much more effective when you talk about something you are passionate about. LiveXP’s native tutors can assist you with this while also finding out the areas where you need improvement. Currently, you can use an exclusive offer from LiveXP to get a free trial lesson with any tutor on the platform.

Start practicing your British accent with native-speaking English tutors on LiveXP. Get a free trial lesson with any tutor of your choice to start today!

Famous actors known for their accent-switching abilities

If you might think that mastering any accent is too hard or even impossible, we would like to encourage you that it’s not. Did you know that some actors you know from movies or series might not speak their native accent? For example:

• Hugh Laurie in “House MD” had an amazing American accent while being British.
• Renee Zellweger in “Bridget Jones’ Diary” had a great London accent while being an American.
• Gillian Anderson is the pinnacle of accent-switching celebrities.
• Meryl Streep in “Iron Lady” used a spot-on English accent, and she has also been praised for being able to use different accents accurately.
• Brad Dourif in “Lord of the Rings” (as Wormtongue ) was so good at doing a British accent that his castmates thought he was actually British (while benign an American).

This list can be much, much longer, but we think you got the point, right? We just want to demonstrate that learning to speak in a proper British accent is not impossible! It’s just a matter of time and hard work.

Conclusion on how to speak in a British accent

As we mentioned above, learning how to get a British accent poses difficulties. However, as a learner, you can overcome all of these barriers by following the British accent guide or even investing in personalized, one-on-one lessons with English teachers online. Being able to use a British accent will not only be a fun activity but can also help you appreciate British culture.

I would like to close this article on a personal note. Regardless of the sophistication and the beauty that accompanies the British accent, keep in mind that all accents should be appreciated and valued for their own charm. When learning a British accent, the goal is not to erase your personal linguistic identity but rather to enrich your repertoire with yet another accent. At the end of the day, learning an English accent is a fun and challenging endeavor, and it should be viewed as such rather than the be-all and end-all of learning English. Have fun learning and cheerio!