Voice Acting

What American Accent Do You Have?

Tara Parachuk | November 28, 2007

What American Accent Do You Have? | Voices.com Blog - Where clients and voice actors can find valuable information on pre-production, technology, animation, video and audio production, home recording studios, business growth, voice acting and auditions, celebrity voice actors, voiceover industry news and more!

It’s the middle of the week and time to shake things up a bit.
What American accent do you have?

I came upon this quiz and would love to hear what your results are!


This quiz is intended to identify which American regional accent you have.
I took the quiz myself as a Canadian, and according to the results, I have an Inland North accent, native to the Great Lakes Region which is in fact where I abide.

What American accent do you have?

Your Result: The Inland North

You may think you speak “Standard English straight out of the dictionary” but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like “Are you from Wisconsin?” or “Are you from Chicago?” Chances are you call carbonated drinks “pop.”

The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
North Central
The Midland
Boston
The West
What American accent do you have?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

There are 13 questions to answer, all fairly easy and straightforward.

One helpful tip I’d like to share is to read the questions aloud as you are answering them.

Why?
If you are reading the questions out loud, you’ll quickly find out what your answers are. You see, if you are reading the questions cold, you’ll have no doubt as to how you actually pronounce something because it will come across very well naturally (you can’t miss!) and thus reveal your native dialect.

If any dialect coaches would like to step up and take this test to help verify its credence, I’d be extremely interested to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Even if this test is not scientifically conclusive (it is better to have a professional evaluate you in person or on the phone), it is a good way to get an idea of what your accent may be.

You can take the test here:

What American Accent Do You Have?
Once you’ve taken the test, come back to VOX Daily and let us know what your results were!
Best,
Stephanie

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Comments

  • Avatar for Vince Londini
    Vince Londini
    November 28, 2007, 12:49 pm

    Midland (full bar). Not surprising – though I’ve adopted something of a Canadian accent, I was raised in central Indiana.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Jerry Scullion
    Jerry Scullion
    November 28, 2007, 8:17 pm

    Well, I am from, and live right outside of Philadelphia, so it had me pegged! Northeast, Full bar and then this –
    What American accent do you have?
    Your Result: Philadelphia
    Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you’re not from Philadelphia, then you’re from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you’ve ever journeyed to some far off place where people don’t know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn’t have a clue what accent it was they heard.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Caryn Clark
    Caryn Clark
    November 29, 2007, 8:35 am

    I love this subject. I took a class in college that was all about dialects and regionalisms… and admittedly, I generally have a good ear when it comes to figuring out where people are from.
    I was born outside of Philadelphia (both my parents were raised there), and when I was 11, we moved to the country in FL… so I picked up a little southern as a kid. As an adult, I worked hard to lose that southern, and now, I’m generally “unaccented” though my pronunciation of words let the quiz know that I am:
    Your Result: Philadelphia
    Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you’re not from Philadelphia, then you’re from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you’ve ever journeyed to some far off place where people don’t know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn’t have a clue what accent it was they heard.
    Fun… thanks Stephanie!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Jamee T Perkins
    Jamee T Perkins
    November 29, 2007, 10:09 am

    Perfect! It got me. Even though I was born in Illinois, was raised in California, and now reside in North Carolina… it knows.
    Your Result: The Midland “You have a Midland accent” is just another way of saying “you don’t have an accent.” You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Bobbin Beam
    Bobbin Beam
    November 29, 2007, 10:43 am

    Stephanie,
    I loved doing this first thing this AM, before several hours of recording ahead of me over the next few days. I took the test.
    I am regarded as “Midland”.
    Having spent half my life in Milwaukee, and the other half in Southern California, I’ve made a conscious effort to lose the midwestern twang, so I wouldn’t sound too “regional”, and thus more “Midland”. I guess it worked. However, whenever I get together with friends and family from Milwaukee and Chicago, I can really hear the difference now in them. After a week or two, I begin to pick up the lilt again, unless I make myself stop and think about it.
    By the way- I never called soft drinks “pop”, although my friends did!
    This was a way cool diversion! Thanks for listening.
    All the best,
    Bobbin Beam

    Reply
  • Avatar for Julie Williams
    Julie Williams
    November 29, 2007, 2:03 pm

    Missed it here. It said Northeast.
    Yes, I grew up in NY… but quiz said everyone could tell when I speak. Honestly… even being on radio all over the country… people are very surprised to hear I was born in NY!
    Maybe it’s because I mixed 13 years in NY, 7 years in FL, more years in TX, and 8 years in northern CA! It’s rare that something comes up that gives away my origin when I speak.
    I wonder, though, if it detected it so well… because in my head I know the words sound different?
    Julie

    Reply
  • Avatar for Carol Kodish-Butt
    Carol Kodish-Butt
    November 29, 2007, 2:23 pm

    Hi,
    I’m originally from Chicago but have lived in Alberta for many years. My quiz results say my accent is from the Inland North – kind of a composite, I guess!
    Carol Kodish-Butt

    Reply
  • Avatar for Anne Guthrie
    Anne Guthrie
    November 29, 2007, 2:23 pm

    The quiz hit me right on…..Midlands……was born in Missouri. Throughout my life people have asked me what kind of an accent I have. Funny isn’t it. That was interesting. Thanks!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Greg Hamilton
    Greg Hamilton
    November 29, 2007, 2:24 pm

    Hi Steph,
    I enjoyed taking the quiz and I tried to answer the questions as carefully as possible, but have to question its accuracy. Yes, I’m a Canadian; however the results saying that I was of the North Central and that if I had ever seen the movie “Fargo” that the accents used in that movie would not necessarily be that odd sounding. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Fargo stands out to be one of the funniest movies of all time due mostly in part to the outrageous accents. I thought they sounded like “Newfies” (Newfoundlanders) and I don’t believe that I sound anything like them.
    Regardless of all that it has cemented the fact that I need to get some coaching on my dialects. Maybe this Vox Daily has triggered a change in my thinking about my sound and how much work I’m getting.
    Thanks very much!
    Greg Hamilton

    Reply
  • Avatar for Kristi Stewart
    Kristi Stewart
    November 29, 2007, 2:25 pm

    Stephanie,
    I took the quiz. Very interesting! Considering I’m originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma…. lived in California for a few years during my youth… and am now living in the Great White North!
    I was rated as having a “MIDLAND” voice… which means I could come from the area… I DID come from… and that according to the results. ” You have a great voice for television or radio” because “people can’t really tell where I’m from. I really don’t have an accent.”
    I’ve been told that all my life. That I don’t really have an accent. Interesting?
    Thanks for letting us know about the quiz.
    It was fun!
    Cheers,
    Kristi Stewart

    Reply
  • Avatar for Kathy
    Kathy
    November 29, 2007, 4:44 pm

    It pegged me as a Bostonian which is correct because I am from Maine, but really you wouldn’t be able to tell because I pronounce my R’s with no accent.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Elaine Singer
    Elaine Singer
    November 29, 2007, 11:19 pm

    Loved the comments I got on mine, especially the last sentence – and I quote:
    “North Central” is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw “Fargo” you probably didn’t think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.”
    Now, I did see Fargo and I did think the characters sounded quite out of the ordinary.

    Reply
  • Avatar for David Phillippe
    David Phillippe
    December 1, 2007, 4:06 pm

    Very interesting and accurate in my case. I have a Midland accent. Lived in Northern Missouri most of my life.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Laurynda Pasma
    Laurynda Pasma
    March 26, 2008, 11:27 am

    Very interesting indeed. Being Canadian I was told my American accent was Inland North which would be very accurate since I’m also based in Ontario between a couple of Great Lakes.
    Occasionally I speak with a few members who can pick out the accent but are not overly sure where I’m from.

    Reply
  • Avatar for VOX Daily Reader
    VOX Daily Reader
    April 7, 2008, 6:54 am

    It told me I had a Boston accent, which is probably pretty accurate since I live in a suburb southwest of Boston. Although I didn’t think I had a Boston accent. But do people really pronounce “cot” and “caught” differently? and “don” and “dawn”? I thought that was just normal. But I don’t have a really bad Boston accent, like adding and dropping r’s to words, unless I’m tired and/or sleep deprived. Then, not only do I have a Boston accent, but I’ll start sounding like I’m from Minnesota too.
    Very interesting and accurate overall.

    Reply
  • Avatar for tiffaney
    tiffaney
    May 9, 2008, 10:01 pm

    I’m as far West as it is physically possible to be on the contiguous US, but they relocated me to the Inland North. HMM

    Reply
  • Avatar for Alicia
    Alicia
    September 9, 2008, 4:07 pm

    I live in Kansas and it said I have a midland accent, which means no accent. They had it right on.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Eva
    Eva
    December 3, 2008, 3:29 pm

    I have a Midland Accent. I am not American but my best friend is from Dallas which is probably why I have this accent 😛

    Reply
  • Avatar for Joan
    Joan
    December 16, 2008, 8:02 pm

    My father was from Chicago and mother from Kansas. The quiz said Midland. My daughter attended University of Wisconsin @ Stevens Point. When visiting I fit in pretty well , blonde hair , blue eyes, till we went shopping and opened my mouth. I didn’t use the long OOO’s. (Sounds like note). The store clerk said ” OOh, (long o) you’re not from around here are ye”. Sounds Alot like Fargo.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Scott Vines
    Scott Vines
    April 4, 2009, 1:12 am

    “Midland” – almost full bar. The second highest bar is “Western.” Born in California, but moved to Missouri when I was two. Moved back to California when I was eleven. Interesting quiz.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Pete B.
    Pete B.
    May 9, 2009, 4:22 pm

    It nailed me. I come from a city about 15 minutes north of Boston proper and still considered Greater Boston. I have an accent as thick as baked beans.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Misa
    Misa
    October 22, 2009, 2:06 pm

    I have lived in the DC metropolitan area my whole life and I have scored as having a western accent. Odd, but the results said you may actually live a south eastern city, which I do.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Rebecca
    Rebecca
    April 22, 2010, 10:01 am

    Crazy, since I was born and raised in south Georgia, as were both of my parents!
    Your Result: The Midland
    “You have a Midland accent” is just another way of saying “you don’t have an accent.” You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Melanie Haynes
    Melanie Haynes
    July 30, 2010, 11:47 am

    What American accent do you have?
    Your Result: The West
    Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you’re a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
    Or Houston, I guess!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Lynn Marshall
    Lynn Marshall
    July 30, 2010, 12:27 pm

    Having grown up in Georgia and lived in Tennessee, North and South Carolina I found it amusing that it said I have a Midland North accent.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Daniel
    Daniel
    July 31, 2010, 9:31 am

    Hi Stephanie,
    Inland North here. That fits given I am from Upstate NY and retain somewhat of a Canadian accent from the previous generation/lineage.
    Thanks for the link to the quiz.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Jay
    Jay
    August 6, 2010, 4:44 pm

    Just catching up with the Vox emails. I took the quiz it is uncanny. I grew up in Texas my first 18 years. Then moved to Rhoad Island for a year, Maryland for 4, Florida for 2 and have been in CA for 28 years. It said I have a Midland accent by 100%. The South was second by just a little. Of course, what convinces me of its accuracy is its opinion that I have a good voice for TV & radio!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Jodie
    Jodie
    October 20, 2010, 3:44 am

    I’m from New Orleans and it said I’m 100% Philadelphia.
    I call our accent “Mississippi meets Brooklyn” and I don’t think this test considers our accent at all.
    That’s why we get so irritated when Hollywood gives us either Southern or Cajun accents. ONLY the HBO show Treme has gotten it right. The ONLY ONE, EVER.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Meredith
    Meredith
    November 10, 2010, 3:31 pm

    I have lived in the South (Memphis and central VA) for 32 of my 34 years. The other 2 years I lived abroad. I have spent approximately 2 days in the Northeast, which is where I am from, according to the quiz results.

    Reply
  • Avatar for alfian
    alfian
    November 27, 2010, 9:55 pm

    i mostly got western accent and canadian border states, but actually im indonesian.lol

    Reply
  • Avatar for Anonymous
    Anonymous
    August 5, 2011, 2:30 pm

    Full bar for southern, no surprise there born in Florida and there all my life.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Bye Video
    Bye Video
    August 10, 2011, 1:51 pm

    We’re going to start with “cot” and “caught.” When you say those words do they sound the same or different?

    Reply
  • Avatar for Tom
    Tom
    September 30, 2011, 3:31 am

    I’m actually not from America but I watch American tv series and movies a lot. And it says I have Inland North accent..

    Reply
  • Avatar for M J
    M J
    November 23, 2011, 12:34 pm

    I did the test and it came back “North Central”. “People might mistake me for a Canadian”, which I am. Fun test.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Kat
    Kat
    November 23, 2011, 1:29 pm

    I was amused that it said I have a Midland accent. Although I have been in Oklahoma for 7 years, I spent most of my life in southwest Louisiana. I will admit to 12 years in the Dallas area.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Brett Boyer
    Brett Boyer
    November 23, 2011, 1:37 pm

    Hi it didn’t peg me at all. It said inland north and I’m from New Jersey with time in Colorado and So-cal. We never grew up saying pop and anyone who did was considered strange. Interesting quiz though. Thanks for sharing!!!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Greg
    Greg
    November 24, 2011, 11:01 am

    Interesting test, my results were midland accent, but I have lived in So. Cal. all my life. hummm…..my parents were from Dallas, Texas and Sioux City, Iowa.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Carol Kutcher
    Carol Kutcher
    December 1, 2011, 9:52 am

    I got 100% midland north, and that makes sense given I am born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and currently live in Toledo. This topic has me interested and a bit confused, since I supposedly have the neutral accent cornered and yet I have gotten feedback that I am “too Chicago” which I interpret as being more nasal. I get the feeling my neutral accent is not neutral enough and wonder if I should be making adjustments.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Davita Noble
    Davita Noble
    December 14, 2011, 10:52 am

    Midwestern

    Reply
  • Avatar for Anderson Mark
    Anderson Mark
    December 14, 2011, 10:53 am

    Southwest but have worked hard for years to sound like I am from “nowhere.”

    Reply
  • Avatar for Joe Shirley
    Joe Shirley
    December 14, 2011, 11:03 am

    Southern – no shocker there.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Cyndi Burke
    Cyndi Burke
    December 14, 2011, 11:10 am

    Midland, AKA I don’t have one.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Jesper Giovanni
    Jesper Giovanni
    December 14, 2011, 11:12 am

    Lundgreen None. I’m european!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Dean Christense
    Dean Christense
    December 14, 2011, 11:16 am

    According to the quiz: the Midland.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Dennis St John
    Dennis St John
    December 14, 2011, 11:17 am

    Midland! I could have a job in radio! Oh…yeah…done it. I also worked hard to sound like I’m from “nowhere”. Great test.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Morgan
    Morgan
    April 22, 2012, 4:15 pm

    I received the Midland as my result. It works because I’m from southern Ohio.

    Reply
  • Avatar for John Ihrig
    John Ihrig
    January 25, 2013, 11:57 am

    I came out 93% inland north (?) Not bad for someone born in Germany, lived in Jersey City and Newark and moved to upstate New York. But I have lived in New Mexico, Indiana near Louisville,
    Maryland near D.C., Savannah, Ga. and now Central Virginia. It sort of tempers any accent, Ya’ll here what Ima a sayin?

    Reply
  • Avatar for Mike Hanson
    Mike Hanson
    January 25, 2013, 1:33 pm

    I scored an “88” out of “100”. Which looks good. But the comments suggested I was in “the lowest common denominator” of American accents. I shook off what some might consider a serious dissing and chose to believe it meant I have no distinguishable regional accent, but sound broadly North American. That should be marketable in VO, right? So forgedaboudit!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Texas
    Texas
    February 27, 2013, 12:40 pm

    I dislike my strong Texas accent (89%) on quiz. How can I at least soften it? What habits do I need to develop in order to not sound so there? I have felt looked upon as less intelligent based upon my accent. I would like the opportunity to prove or disprove that assumption solely on capabilities or the lack thereof, please. Makes me just want to pitch a fit! LOL Texan enough for you? Any suggestions out there?

    Reply
  • Avatar for E Hallman
    E Hallman
    June 5, 2013, 9:59 pm

    Looks like maybe this test didn’t work so well for me… Born and raised in southern Georgia, I ALWAYS get comments on how “southern belle” my accent sounds, even when I’m only as near north as Atlanta. My quiz result? 75% Midland! Now that’s just slap crazy, y’all.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Liz
    Liz
    June 6, 2013, 8:32 pm

    I scored 100% midland, a part of the country I’ve never seen! I was raised mostly in Germany, around other army-brats, and have lived in south Georgia for 40 years. Go figure!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Brad
    Brad
    September 13, 2013, 8:54 pm

    It’s assessment of Midland was spot-on for this St. Louisan.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Aron
    Aron
    December 31, 2013, 8:15 am

    I live in Philadelphia. It nailed me as being Philadelphia as a cheesesteak. But I don’t eat cheesesteaks. That is to say, it is a very good test (if taken honestly) because it identifies the truly crucial items. We all think we don’t have an “accent.” My own speech, to the extent that it mostly sounds like those reading the national news, is closer to “standard.” Peter Jennings used to have some Canadian attributes in his speech, and of course Dan Rather has some southern identifiers. (But compare him to Bob Schieffer, who is that much more “folksy” and “twangy” sounding, at least to this Northerner. Both men are from Texas.) What I’m getting at is that, while I am “guilty as charged,” there are degrees to things. My parents, growing up, were from England and the Midwest. Though white, I grew up in black West Philly, so I have some southern identifiers in my speech (though not, apparently, the key identifiers used in this highly accurate test). A couple of times, people from the South asked me if I had lived in the South. There are Philadelphians who have an accent that we Philadelphians would really consider “Delaware Valley,” a real Philadelphia accent. One of my friends who grew up here says “liggle” instead of “legal.” That is why the Eagles, our football team, are jokingly referred to as the “Iggles”. This pronunciation seems so starkly colloquial to me when I hear it and very far from my own. Because, as I mentioned, I grew up among black kids more than white, I don’t have any of the working class white sounds that we within Philly would identify with various neighborhoods, and perhaps being true “Philadelphia.” None of the white boys who were from my neighborhood had them either. Black dialect in Philly of course owes more to the South, and thus might be less “Philly,” but presumably the test could work for a black Philadelphian whose parents or grandparents were from the South, because the key identifiers would still hold true? So, the irony is that for an expert attuned to the variables identified in this quiz, my accent would be “Philadelphia.” But to someone from here, a more true Philadelphia native speaker, I might seem to be from somewhere else.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Aron
    Aron
    December 31, 2013, 10:19 am

    My wife, a native of Japan also took the test. It nailed her as from Philadelphia also. (Her answers were identical to mine.) Last time she took such a test, several years ago (as a Philly resident), it “mislabeled” her as being Northern New York. Either that is because it was taken closer to the days when she lived in NYC, or because this test, though similar, is more accurate. In any event, no one here in Philly would consider her to have a Philly accent. So that goes to show you that the key identifiers are very accurate and effective. The Philly distinctions, though, that we natives would listen for in her speech we would not hear. We would think she was from somewhere else. Definitely foreign.

    Reply
  • Avatar for C
    C
    May 8, 2016, 10:02 pm

    Midland -southern OH IN MO or possible Atlanta and south. Weird it’s correct. Grew up in Cincinnati & Ky, have lived in GA for years.
    Just curious why it asks for age group.

    Reply
  • Avatar for john marengo
    john marengo
    May 15, 2018, 9:21 am

    Think the test is too general , as far as accents go.
    It said I was upland North.
    No one can ever detect my accent.
    I grew up in Oregon.
    Although, as an adult, I’ve lived in N.Y., Boston,
    New Orleans.
    My mother’s originally from Chicago, but after living in Oregon for 4 5 decades,
    you can hear both an Oregon accent, as well as Chicago.
    My father was from Europe.
    I think I’ve taken on a combo of accents.
    I would say I still pronounce the hard ‘r’ of the West Coast.
    Other than that, it’s mixed.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Araceli Garcia ramon
    Araceli Garcia ramon
    July 13, 2020, 12:22 pm

    I think I have a weird accent

    Reply
  • Avatar for Santiago
    Santiago
    February 24, 2022, 9:00 pm

    The midland
    But I was raised in Massachusetts worcester I had 70 something of midland and 20 of Boston.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Missy Reiss
    Missy Reiss
    August 5, 2022, 11:20 am

    That quiz is FREAKY! My results say Philadelphia and/or southern NJ. I was born in Philly, grew up in S. Jersey. I’m surprised it didn’t tell me what street I live on! ???? I’m really trying to reduce, if not lose this dialect, despite the fact that I’m over 50.

    Reply