Accent LabBritish pronunciation checker
Type any word or sentence and hear how it sounds in a British English accent, then compare it with American English. Free, no sign-up, works in your browser.
Your device has no British English voice installed, so playback may sound American. On iPhone and Mac: Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices → English (UK).
Words people check most
Each guide shows the British and American IPA, an easy respelling, step-by-step mouth positions and sentences to practise.
water
/ˈwɔːtə/ · WAW-tuh
How to say it →schedule
/ˈʃedjuːl/ · SHED-yool
How to say it →data
/ˈdeɪtə/ · DAY-tuh
How to say it →tomato
/təˈmɑːtəʊ/ · tuh-MAH-toh
How to say it →can't
/kɑːnt/ · KAHNT
How to say it →bath
/bɑːθ/ · BAHTH
How to say it →garage
/ˈɡærɑːʒ/ or /ˈɡærɪdʒ/ · GARR-ahzh or GARR-idge
How to say it →either
/ˈaɪðə/ or /ˈiːðə/ · EYE-thuh or EE-thuh
How to say it →vitamin
/ˈvɪtəmɪn/ · VIT-uh-min
How to say it →aluminium
/ˌæljəˈmɪniəm/ · al-yuh-MIN-ee-um
How to say it →privacy
/ˈprɪvəsi/ · PRIV-uh-see
How to say it →herb
/hɜːb/ · HERB (H pronounced)
How to say it →leisure
/ˈleʒə/ · LEZH-uh
How to say it →banana
/bəˈnɑːnə/ · buh-NAH-nuh
How to say it →What makes British pronunciation different
Most differences between British and American pronunciation follow a few patterns, so once you know them you can predict the British pronunciation of thousands of words:
- No R after vowels. Car, water and better end in a vowel sound.
- Long "ah" in bath words. Bath, can't, dance and after use /ɑː/.
- A rounded short O. Hot, lot and stop use /ɒ/.
- Clear Ts. Water and city keep a real T instead of a D-like tap.
A smaller group of words, like tomato, schedule and vitamin, simply has a different British pronunciation that you have to learn one by one. The full list of patterns is in our British vs American accent guide.
Hearing is not the same as saying
This checker plays a correct British pronunciation. It can't tell you whether you say it correctly. For that you need feedback on your own voice: Accent Lab listens to you read, scores your British accent and highlights each word that needs work.
British pronunciation FAQ
How do I hear the British pronunciation of a word?
Type the word into the checker above and press Play British. It uses a British English (en-GB) voice built into your device. Press Play American to compare it with the American pronunciation.
Why does the British voice sound American on my device?
Your browser can only use voices installed on your device. If no British English voice is installed, it falls back to another English voice. On iPhone and Mac, add one in Settings, Accessibility, Spoken Content, Voices, English (UK). On Windows, add English (United Kingdom) in Settings, Time & Language, Speech.
Is British pronunciation the same as RP?
When dictionaries give a British pronunciation, they describe Received Pronunciation (RP), the standard British accent. Real British speakers use many regional accents, but RP is the reference used for learning and the one this checker aims to reproduce.
How can I check my own pronunciation?
Listening is half of it. To check how you say a word, you need something that listens back. Accent Lab on iPhone records you, compares your pronunciation with British English and shows which sounds to fix.
Hear how British you really sound
Accent Lab listens to you speak and scores your British accent on every sentence, with word-by-word fixes.
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