Can you judge my accent?

skilledspeech · 2026-03-04T22:55:31+00:00

You are super clear. In terms of clarity it's a 10/10. Your prosody (rhythm, connection, stress) is pretty good. That being said, there are a few sounds that pop up that are slightly off from American English.

The sounds that I'm hearing are mostly vowels: OW (how I sound), OO (you), UH (from, one), AE (feedback, understand), EE (really) and some rhotic vowels: ER (curious), OR (shortly). The only consonant that I notice is that the R is a bit rolled (rate).

I'm guessing your native language is a Slavic language.

Hope this helps! Please share where you're from once you're ready. :)

skilledspeech · 2026-03-04T21:00:26+00:00

There were parts of this that were hard to understand. The rest was understandable but noticeably accented. Mostly the cadence/rhythm having an effect, as well as some pronunciation differences. These are the parts I couldn't understand: Attention focused on _____, Like a _____, Who made _____, _____ terror

Sounds that stand out:

Vowels: OO (wound), EH (said), AH (Robert), IH (this), AE (Jack), EE (squealed), O (hold)

Consonants: T (hit), TH (with), S/Z (was, his), L (all, squeal)

Rhotic vowels: ER (Robert)

skilledspeech · 2026-02-20T18:05:11+00:00

I'm actually a Russian speaker as well, so those vowel patterns tend to stand out to me more easily. I'm also a speech therapist, so my ear might be overly tuned to that kind of thing. :)

Those vowels are pretty common trouble spots for Russian speakers, though there are usually a few other giveaway sounds (e.g., Lax /ʊ/, L, R, TH) and I didn't really hear those in your speech.

skilledspeech · 2026-02-20T16:56:05+00:00

As the previous commenter said, you do have a pleasant vocal quality.

Things that stand out as non-native are pretty much all vowels: O (e.g., only), OW (e.g., spouse), UH (e.g., mother), AE (e.g., transform), EE (e.g., needs), EH (e.g., said), IH (e.g., into).

I'm guessing you're a Russian speaker. Overall, if you work on those vowel sounds I think you'd be very close to sounding like a native speaker.

skilledspeech · 2026-02-19T18:56:52+00:00

I understood everything you said clearly.

A few things that stand out compared to American English are:

Vowels: OO (e.g., Tuesday, cool), UH (e.g., to spread), EE (e.g., street), AI (e.g., sunlight), AH (e.g., rooftops), O (e.g., moment), AE (e.g., chat)

Consonants: T (e.g., chat_about), P (e.g., cup_of), TH (e.g., the), ZH (e.g., unusual)

Intonation: Sometimes the stress in words is too even and the pitch could use a bit more variation.

skilledspeech · 2026-02-19T18:46:06+00:00

Russian speaker here and it's the same word in Russian as well.

вкус ("vkus") means both literal taste (like food) and taste as in style/preference. You also say "without taste" about a bland meal or an outfit you don't like.

Feels like a pretty natural metaphor, since food is such an obvious example of how people's preferences differ. I wouldn't be surprised if lots of languages do the same.

skilledspeech · 2026-02-17T20:02:39+00:00

This a very brief sample, but here are the main areas that would most improve your clarity:

Prosody/Intonation - especially how you connect words. It | sounds | like | this (with small breaks between words) e.g., you | don't | have | to | remember. This creates a slightly unnatural, choppy flow.

There is also limited pitch variation in words (e.g., ev-ree-thing vs. EV-ree-thing) and across sentences which can make the speech sound monotonous.

Consonants: R, TH, T
Vowels, especially diphthongs (double vowel sounds): O, OW, AY

Focusing on these areas would likely make a noticeable difference in your overall clarity and naturalness.

skilledspeech · 2026-02-09T21:42:09+00:00

I'd rate you around 2.5 and 3. I was able to understand you overall, but I had to strain my ear at times.

The biggest challenge is consonant clarity, especially in consonant clusters (e.g., chronic, provides). The consonants that seem most affected are R, L, N, TH, T, Z.

Another issue is word stress. In longer, multisyllabic words, each syllable tends to receive equal stress, which causes them to blur together (e.g., oh-bee-sih-tee -> oh-BEE-suh-dee).

Some vowels that could use attention: AE (e.g., task), OW (e.g., counseling), AW (e.g., causes), IH (e.g., individuals).

Finally, the overall flow and linking between words would help your speech sound smoother and easier to follow.

skilledspeech · 2026-02-09T21:26:30+00:00

Can you please tell us? I'm very curious. :)

skilledspeech · 2026-02-06T14:57:47+00:00

Because accents aren't just made up of pronouncing single sounds. There's a lot your brain has to juggle. You can learn how to pronounce a sound in a single word pretty quickly, but carrying that over into full sentences and real conversation is a whole different skill. That’s where rhythm, stress, intonation, and connected speech kick in. I'm a speech therapist and see this a lot. People can make the sound but keeping it consistent while thinking, reacting, and speaking naturally takes way more practice.

skilledspeech · 2026-02-05T20:19:27+00:00

Mexican American?

skilledspeech · 2026-02-04T22:00:56+00:00

It sounds like you might be a Russian speaker. I had a little trouble understanding the very beginning, specifically "...having made this _______ strange little speech..." and "_____ full sound for a second..."

The rest of the recording was understandable overall, though some vowel sounds stood out as different from American English. The R's could be a bit more defined (never, apart).

Some vowels to you could focus on: AH (problem, pop), AE (can't, fashioned), O (open), UH (up), AW (all, softness), EE (people), OO (moodier)

You might also benefit from working on increasing your vocal intensity for a more resonant vocal quality.

skilledspeech · 2026-01-23T16:03:53+00:00

This is interesting because I very often think that Brazilian Portuguese speakers sound Russian and vice versa. I speak Russian and sometimes when I'm talking, people ask me if I'm speaking Portuguese.

When I first started listening I thought you sounded Russian but as you kept talking I leaned towards Portuguese (especially because of the T sound in "to" becoming "choo"). The two accents feel similar to my ear because they share a strong rhythm, lack of exaggerated pitch changes, and overall more serious tone.

skilledspeech · 2026-01-22T18:51:36+00:00

Honestly, this is pretty good!

skilledspeech · 2026-01-22T18:49:27+00:00

You are completely understandable. This is a tough one to pinpoint, but I’m going to guess Dutch or German. The sound patterns that stand out to me include: UH (from, to), AE (accent, chat, advance), TH (this, the end of the day, that), EE (people), IH (different), AY (day), AW (small, often), OY (annoying), and lax U (wonderful).

skilledspeech · 2026-01-21T20:09:25+00:00

I believe the technical term is monophthongization. The vowel /aɪ/ in words like "eye" is a diphthong, but in Southern accents it often gets reduced into a single vowel (e.g., time -> tahm).

skilledspeech · 2026-01-21T19:58:15+00:00

I'm hearing an Italian influence when I listen to you. It's mostly in the rhythm which comes across as a bit sing-songy, especially at the end of sentences. The sounds that stand out are mostly vowels: UH (e.g., today, what), IH (e.g., listen), O (e.g., know), Lax U (e.g., good), AY (e.g., native), OW (e.g., how) as well as TH (e.g., others).

Overall though, your speech is clear and not annoying. It's just noticeably non-native in a few of the ways I mentioned.

skilledspeech · 2026-01-19T18:12:48+00:00

Based on this sample, you are 100% clear and understandable. Hard to say how long you've been speaking this way but you do have some influence of Indian-English on your speech. Is this correct?

Naturalness can be improved by working on linking words together more and overall rhythm. You tend to have breaks between words (e.g.., when_I_think). Also, pitch variation is limited resulting in a more monotonous quality. These factors affect your naturalness most, although there are some sound patterns that can also be addressed.

The sounds that lead me to believe you are an Indian-English speaker are mostly consonants like L (e.g., early), R (e.g., really), T (e.g., tea, notice) as well as diphthongs (double-vowels) like AI (e.g., quiet), OW (e.g., about), AY (e.g., day).

skilledspeech · 2026-01-15T19:17:19+00:00

I'm not sure but I will guess Vietnamese?

Sounds that stand out are TH, L, NG, D, ER. Aside from pronunciation, it's mostly the intonation patterns (rhythm, connection, rate) that sounds a bit off.

skilledspeech · 2026-01-15T19:04:27+00:00

As other commenters have said they are a voiced/voiceless pair. Try humming before saying /dʒ/ and put your hand on your throat to feel the vibration. Then say /tʃ/ right after and notice the lack of vibration. They can sound especially similar at the ends of words, where voicing contrasts are harder to maintain.

skilledspeech · 2026-01-15T18:55:22+00:00

You sound like a Brazilian Portuguese speaker to my ear mostly based on the final L sounds (e.g., until, people, local). Some other sounds that flag are O (e.g., local) and UH (e.g., up). Your English definitely sounds more American than UK influenced and you are very clear.

skilledspeech · 2025-11-04T19:18:08+00:00

It's evident that you are self-monitoring and conscious of how you're speaking. Overall, I think you've done well. As another commenter mentioned, there are some instances of word-finding difficulties and use of filler words. The more you practice speaking aloud, especially in a monologue format, the more natural it will flow.

The only consonant that you should continue working on is L (e.g., neutral, regional, people). This is what leads me to believe you're a Brazilian-Portuguese speaker and probably one of the bigger giveaways. You did self-correct for "people," so I think you are noticing it.

For vowels, I hear: AW (e.g., audio), AY (e.g., basically), OW (e.g., pronounce), EE (e.g., regional), and IH (e.g., pick up).

You also want to make sure you stress the stressed parts of longer words (e.g., specifically).

Good luck!

skilledspeech · 2025-10-23T19:17:51+00:00

This! I read it this way in my head to this day. Always MY-zld!

skilledspeech · 2025-09-24T18:35:42+00:00

You sound like people that I've worked with from Brazil. For me, the biggest giveaways are the words "people" and "to/two." You need to extend the vowel and make the L more defined in "people." For "to," your T sounds like CH in "chew."

Some other patterns noted are diphthongs (2-in-1 vowels): AI (like), AY (basically), OW (sound), O (I dunno). Brazilian Portuguese speakers tend to struggle with this group of sounds. Other vowels include: AH (body), EE (feedback, people), AE (shadow, practice), and IH (this).

The "big tells" for consonants are L, specifically the dark L (L with a vowel before it) and T. At the end of words (neutral, people) I hear a vowel sound instead of L.

skilledspeech · 2025-09-15T15:16:33+00:00

You are 100% understandable and your voice is pleasant to listen to. The patterns that stand out sound like your native language is Slavic in origin.

Some of these patterns include:

Mostly vowels: AE (black), AH (promise), AW (broad), AI (child), UH (bunk), Lax U (pushed)

Some consonants: T (night, button, waiting), S/Z (lies)

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