An accent can melt a heart or make you cringe. It turns out that most people are on the same page about the most attractive accents in the world. Does your favorite accent make the cut?
Key Findings
A study by Preply surveyed 1,000 individuals and gathered their opinions on accents around the globe. Their goal? To determine which accents made people seem intelligent, desirable, and more pleasant to speak with.
#1: British
Little surprise to many, the British accent is the most attractive in the world, with a 69% approval rating. The accent, popularized in many American films, often signifies a sign of allure and class. Preply’s study found that some actors like Idris Elba have an “attractive” British accent, while other celebrities, like Russel Brand, were considered to have an “annoying celebrity accent.”
#2: Australian
The Australian accent ranked second in both the “most liked foreign accent” and “most sexy” categories, with an approval rate of 54%. The accent is famously known for its absence of the letter “r” in words like butter or car.
#3: Irish
Irish celebrities are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, but their accents make a lasting impression on individuals. The Irish accent received an approval rating of 36% in the “most liked” category.
#4: French
The French accent ranked third in the “sexiest foreign accent” category and received a rating of 34% in the “most liked” category. Celebrities such as Jodie Foster and Bradley Cooper are fluent in the language and have spoken in French during interviews. The accent varies from region to region within the country.
#5: Scottish
Derived from Scotland, many non-native speakers commonly mistake the Scottish accent for British or Irish. However, the accent has a different rhythm when communicating; words like “house” may sound like “hoose.” The Scottish accent came in at a 29% rating.
#6: Italian
Clocking in right after the top five “most liked” accents, the Italian accent received a rating of 25%. The accent typically adds an extra vowel or consonant to words in English. For Example, “man” may sound like “man-a” for Italian individuals who speak English as their second language.
#7: Spanish
The Spanish accent received a rating of 23% under the “most liked” category. The findings distinguished actress Penelope Cruz as having one of the most appealing celebrity accents, standing at 12 out of 20 in the “most attractive” category.
#8: Russian
Following the Spanish accent, the Russian accent received a 16% in the “most liked” category. The survey also found that the Russian accent was ranked third as the “most annoying” foreign accent.
#9: Latin American
According to the “most attractive celebrity accent” category, Colombian actress Sofia Vergara was considered to have one of the most appealing accents, coming in sixth among 15 celebrities. Vergara represents Latin America, with the Latin American accent receiving a 15% rating.
#10: Japanese
The Japanese accent ranked in various categories, such as “most liked” and “smartest sounding.” The accent scored a 13% in the survey and ranked third in the “smartest sounding” accent findings.
#11: German
The German accent came in at 12% in the “most liked” category, second place for the “smartest sounding” foreign accent, and fourth place for the “most annoying.” The accent commonly lacks a “w” sound in certain words.
#12: Canadian
The Canadian accent came in at 11%, just above the Swedish accent. The Canadian accent is known for pronouncing two-part vowels and, like the Welsh accent, uses the ‘oo’ sound in words like “about.”
#13: Swedish
One percent away from the Canadian accent, the Swedish accent obtained a percentage of 10 under the “most liked” category.
#14: South African
Typically heard from stars like Trevor Noah, the former television host of “The Daily Show,” the South African accent is often mistaken for the British accent. According to Preply’s survey, the South African accent came in at 9% in the “most liked” foreign accents category.
#15: Welsh
In spot number 15, the survey of 1,000 people found that the Welsh accent was the least attractive accent, with a rating of 9%.
Welsh is a Celtic language and is known for being a more convenient language to learn due to its “straight-forward phonetic pronunciation.” Years of history between English and Welsh have resulted in borrowed words.
Melt My Heart
Preply’s survey found that 80% of people believe accents make someone more attractive. A massive 77% of those surveyed said someone’s accent was what attracted them to that person in the first place.
About Accents
Over 160 English accents likely exist in the world today. When starting out, individuals learning English as a second language often think of American, British, Australian, or Canadian English.
Accent vs. Dialect
The terms “dialect” and “accent” are frequently used interchangeably. However, the word “accent” refers to how an individual pronounces words, and “dialect” looks at an individual’s pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
Regional Accents
Many people think of accents as something constant within a country. However, most countries have regional accents. Regional accents differ from North to South and East to West across states, cities, and social classes worldwide.
Famous Dialect Coaches
Actresses Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, and Eliza Scanlen used Dialect Coach Sam Lilja on the set of “Little Women” (2019) to ensure their accents were delivered precisely. Famous dialect coaches include Eric Singer and Samara Bay.
Developing an Accent
Research shows that by the age of 10, the accent and grammatical fluency one has developed are generally considered permanent. Although it’s possible to pick up a slight accent after spending a long time in a different country, most pronunciations remain as part of a person’s “permanent” accent.
Celebrities With Accents
Some famous actors and actresses, such as Andrew Garfield, Henry Cavill, KJ Apa, Jamie Dornan, and Margot Robbie, have distinctive accents that are not commonly heard in their movies. This news surprises many fans since their accents are disguised so well when acting.
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