There is no single British accent: Britain has many. The one used in dictionaries and most teaching is Received Pronunciation (RP), also called Standard Southern British English. It differs from General American mainly in the r sound, in such as bath and hot, and in a few stresses. IELTS accepts any clear accent.
There is more than one British accent
People from London, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Liverpool and Newcastle all speak British English, and they sound very different. Britain has dozens of regional accents, and each has its own , rhythm and .
When a learner says 'I want a British accent', they usually mean the accent in the dictionaries, on the BBC World Service and in most English courses. This is called Received Pronunciation, or RP, and it is also described as Standard Southern British English. It is spoken by a minority of people in Britain, but it is widely used in teaching because it is well described and very clear.
What RP sounds like
RP is the model used in the Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries and in this series. It is the accent behind the symbols you see on this site. Its main features are easy to hear once you know them.
It does not pronounce the letter r after a (car, teacher). It has the long vowel in words like bath and dance. It uses the short, round vowel in hot and dog. It says in go, starting from a neutral vowel. And it usually keeps a clear in the middle of a word, as in water, although many British speakers glottalise it in casual speech.
British and General American compared
General American (GA) is the accent most often heard in American films and news. The differences are small in number, but they affect many common words. The list below shows the ones that matter most for a learner.
Learn one model at a time. The of RP and GA are different systems, and mixing them can produce sounds that fit neither accent.
- car (British) /kɑː/: no r at the end · car (American) /kɑːr/: r at the end
- bath (British) /bɑːθ/: long vowel · bath (American) /bæθ/: short vowel
- hot (British) /hɒt/: short and round · hot (American) /hɑːt/: open and unrounded
- go (British) /ɡəʊ/ · go (American) /ɡoʊ/
- water (British) /ˈwɔːtə/: clear t · water (American) /ˈwɑːɾɚ/: t becomes a quick tap
- schedule (British) /ˈʃedjuːl/ · schedule (American) /ˈskedʒuːl/
- tomato (British) /təˈmɑːtəʊ/ · tomato (American) /təˈmeɪtoʊ/
The r sound is the biggest difference
Most American accents are rhotic: the r is always said, even at the end of a word. RP is non-rhotic: the r is only said before a . So you say 'car' without an r, but you say the r when a vowel follows, as in 'far away', where it links the two words.
This also changes endings. In RP, teacher, doctor and sugar end in a . In American English they end in an r-coloured vowel.
Stress and word differences
A few words are differently, or have a different number of . Advertisement is /ədˈvɜːtɪsmənt/ in British English, with the stress on the second syllable, and often /ˌædvərˈtaɪzmənt/ in American English. Secretary is /ˈsekrətri/ in British English and /ˈsekrəteri/ in American English. Missile ends in /aɪl/ in British English and in in American English.
and rhythm also differ a little between accents. For IELTS, these differences are not important. The listener's task is to understand you.
Regional accents you may hear
Outside RP, you will meet other British accents in films, in the street and in some listening recordings. A few features are worth knowing, so that you are not surprised.
- Scottish accents usually say the r in every position, so car has an r.
- Many northern English accents use the short in bath and in cup, so bath and cat share a vowel.
- London and south-east England speech often says f for th (think sounds like fink) and uses the in bottle.
What does IELTS ask of your accent?
IELTS does not ask you to copy a native accent. It asks you to be easy to understand. Candidates come from every country, and their accents are different. The Listening recordings also use a range of native accents, so it helps to hear more than one.
So pick one model for speaking, stay with it, and listen to others. Your aim is to be consistent and clear: clear sounds, correct word , and a natural rhythm. No accent is better for the test.
- Choose a model: RP-style British is used on this site.
- Learn the key features in this article and use them in the same way each time.
- Listen to American, Australian and regional British speakers, so you can understand them.
- Check any word in a dictionary with both British and American audio.
How to make the sound
- For in bath: open the mouth wide, pull the tongue back and make it long.
- For in hot: open the mouth, round your lips a little and keep the sound short.
- For in an American bath: open wide with the tongue forward, which gives a brighter .
- For the non-rhotic r in car: stop at the vowel and do not curl the tongue.
IELTS tip
In the Speaking test, you do not need to sound British, only clear. Use the , and rhythm of one model and be consistent. In the Listening test, expect a range of accents, so listen to short clips from speakers in Britain, Australia, New Zealand and North America.
Frequently asked questions
What is RP?
Received Pronunciation is the accent used in dictionaries and most English teaching in Britain. It is also called Standard Southern British English.
Do I need a British accent for IELTS?
No. IELTS asks you to be clear and easy to understand. You can use any accent, as long as it is consistent and clear.
What is the main difference between British and American English?
The r sound. British RP does not say the r after a in words like car, while General American does.
Is it a problem to mix British and American features?
It is better to choose one model and stay with it, because mixing can produce vowels that fit neither accent. The meaning will usually still be clear.
Sources
- Cruttenden, A. (2014). Gimson's Pronunciation of English (8th ed.). Routledge.
- Roach, P. (2009). English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Wells, J. C. (1982). Accents of English (vol. 1: An Introduction; vol. 2: The British Isles). Cambridge University Press.