5 American Accents Captivating People Globally
To anyone familiar with them, accents are a giveaway about where you’re from. But according to a Preply survey, some American accents are more alluring than others.
Is yours on the list of the most attractive accents in the US?
Findings
Preply surveyed 1,000 individuals to determine how they perceive accents, including how accents may impact attractiveness, conversations, and intelligence. They divided the data into three main categories: accents considered the sexiest, smartest, and most annoying. These are the American accents that topped the list.
1: Southern Accent
Of the 1,000 individuals surveyed, 41% responded that they consider the Southern accent the most attractive in America. The Southern accent is known for its unique twang and vowel shortening in states like Mississippi and Louisiana.
2: New York Accent
Donned by famous people like Frans Dresdner, Ray Romano, and Billy Joel, the New York accent is among the most distinct in the United States. A key feature of the accent is its roundness in words like “water” or “coffee.” The survey found that 30% of participants consider New York’s accent the most attractive.
3: Midwestern Accent
Often referred to as the “neutral English accent” by linguists, the Midwestern accent is known for phrases like “doncha know” and “oh ya.” Preply’s survey revealed that 24% of participants found the Midwestern accent the most attractive in the US.
4: New Orleans Accent
Characteristically known as a melting pot of mixed dialects, the New Orleans accent has influences from the Irish, Italian, and French languages. The New Orleans accent ranked as the third most favorite US accent, with a 19% rating.
5: Southern California Accent
Individuals with a Southern Californian accent elongate and slowly pace their vowel sounds. If speaking to someone from the area, they may use filler words like “uhm.” The accent rounds out the bottom of the list with an 18% approval rating from participants, making it still score high, given that there are around 30 English dialects in the US.
Beyond the Top Five
Preply’s survey found that the “smartest sounding” American accent was the Northeastern accent, followed by the New York and Midwestern accents. The Northeastern accent comprises New England, Greater New York, and Greater Philadelphia dialects.
Standing Ovation
The New York accent ranked in all categories within the survey. In the categories of “sexiest American accent” and “smartest sounding accent,” the state ranked second. Nonetheless, it ranked fourth in the category of “most annoying accent.”
Who’s in Last
Based on Preply’s survey, the Pittsburgh accent ranked last in attractiveness, at 3%. When speaking to someone with a Pittsburghese accent, you’ll likely hear a distinctive long “a” sound. This accent originates from the Scots-Irish settlers and German immigrants who initially settled in the area.
Region vs Dialects
Preply found that unique accents often get misinterpreted as dialects. It’s important to note that dialect refers to how someone pronounces words, constructs sentences, and converses with others.
For example, there’s more than one Southern accent; accents from Coastal or Lowland Southern English dialects are considered “classic.”
Accents in America
Accents in the US have changed over the years. The Transatlantic accent spread across media like wildfire from the 1930s to the 50s. For 20 years, a blend of American and British accents took center stage in the U.S. due to its neutrality and sophistication.
A Gateway to Stardom
Famous people’s accents often correlate with their stardom or attractiveness. Fran Drescher, Kim Kardashian, and Gilbert Gottfried ranked as some of the “most annoying” famous people’s accents in Preply’s survey.
Music to Our Ears
People like Idris Elba, Sean Connery, and Chris Hemsworth ranked in the top three for the category “most attractive celebrity accents.” In comparison, Brad Pitt ranked in last place, at number 20.
Always Evolving
Accents aren’t set in stone. As groups of people become isolated from other groups, accents develop and change over time. Don’t believe it? Watch an old American film and see how different the accents were back then.
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