Q&A for How to Learn a British Accent

It depends, but try looking at the sounds of others' accents that are different from your own. A lot of times when you're going from one accent to another, there's going to be some generals sounds that are pretty much exactly the same. Focus your attention on the sounds that are different from your own, as well as the overall intonation patterns and musicality of the accent. If you practice modeling those sounds and patterns, you'll be off to a great start.

It really depends on how much time you spend practicing. If you work with a dialect coach or use a dialect training course to teach yourself, you can probably pick it up in a few weeks with regular practice. You’ll learn even faster if you spend a lot of time around people with real British accents!

The best way to make it better is to practice. It might help to listen closely to people who naturally speak with a British accent and imitate the way they say things. If you don’t know anyone with the kind of accent you want, look for movies, TV shows, or YouTube videos that feature the accent you’re interested in. You can also take a dialect class or purchase a dialect/accent training book, preferably one that comes with recordings you can practice along with.

If you spend a lot of time around people with a certain accent, you might find that your natural accent begins to shift over time. You can also train yourself to speak with a particular accent, which is something many actors do for roles. If you want it to become your regular accent, however, you’ll need to practice doing it consistently all the time.