How to do an Australian accent: 7 sounds that make it believable

Short answer: to sound Australian, drop the R after vowels, start the vowel in mate and day low so it nearly sounds like "mite", start I and time further back, push the vowels in go and you forward, soften the T between vowels into a quick D, and keep the delivery relaxed, with an occasional rise at the end of a statement. Practice the seven changes below, then check yourself with the free Australian accent test.

First, pick which Australian accent

Linguists describe three broad types. General Australian is what most Australians speak and what you hear on national TV and radio, and it's what this guide teaches. Broad Australian is the stronger, more drawn-out version (think Steve Irwin). Cultivated Australian is closer to British English and much rarer today. Australia has surprisingly little regional variation, so General Australian works for most characters from Perth to Sydney.

How to sound Australian: the 7 changes at a glance

1. Drop the R after vowels

Like southern British English, Australian English is non-rhotic: car is "cah", here is "hee-uh", water is "waw-duh". The R comes back before a vowel (car alarm, far away), and many speakers even add one where there's no letter R: drawing can sound like "draw-ring".

2. Start mate and day low

This is the vowel everyone notices. Where Americans say "meyt", Australians start the vowel lower and further open, so to outsiders mate sounds close to "mite" and day close to "die". Don't go all the way, or you'll be doing a cartoon: start between "eh" and "ah", then glide up.

3. Start I and time further back

I, time, nice and right start further back in the mouth, with the lips slightly rounded, which is why "Hi" can sound like "Hoi" to Americans. In General Australian it's a hint, not a full "oi".

4. Push go and you forward

The vowels in go and home, and in you and school, are made further forward in the mouth than in American English, with less lip rounding. No comes out closer to "naow", and you to a fronted "yew".

5. Soften the T between vowels

Australians turn the T in water, better and city into a quick D sound, as Americans do: "waw-duh", "bedda". Combined with the missing R, that is a big part of the Australian sound. At the start of a word, T stays crisp.

6. Raise the short vowels a little

The short vowels in bad, bed and bit are made with the tongue a little higher than in British English: bad edges toward "bed", and yes sounds slightly tighter. Keep it subtle. If fish and chips turns into "fush and chups", you've crossed into a New Zealand accent.

7. Keep the melody relaxed

Australian English sounds unhurried: vowels a little longer, consonants a little softer. Some speakers also use a rise at the end of statements that aren't questions, known as high rising terminal or "uptalk". Use it now and then, not on every sentence.

Australian accent words and phrases

Australian English is famous for shortening words, often with an -o or -ie ending:

As with any accent, slang without the sounds just sounds like a tourist. Get the vowels right first.

Australian vs British accent

Both are non-rhotic, which is why they're often confused. The differences are mostly in the vowels and the T:

• Mate and day start much lower in Australian English ("mite").
• I and time start further back ("Hoi" for Hi).
• Australians soften the T between vowels into a D sound; British RP keeps it crisp.
• Most Australians say bath, path and laugh with a long "ah", as British speakers do, but dance, chance and plant with a short A. South Australia is the exception, with more long "ah" words.

For the British side, see how to do a British accent. For the American soft T, see American accent training.

Australian accent practice script

Read it slowly three times, then record yourself at normal speed:

G'day, mate. Are you coming to the barbie this arvo? We're going down to the beach after lunch, so bring a hat and heaps of water. No worries if you're running late. I reckon it'll be a ripper of a day, but the traffic's going to be a nightmare.

What to listen for: no R in are, barbie, arvo, water, after, nightmare; a linking R in ripper of, because the next word starts with a vowel; the low start in G'day, mate, day, late; the back start in I, nightmare; forward vowels in no, going, you; the soft T in water and it'll.

Common mistakes

1. "G'day mate" in every line. One greeting is enough. The vowels do the work.
2. Going full Broad. Steve Irwin's accent was real, but most Australians sound much milder.
3. Sounding British. Crisp Ts and a neutral mate vowel slide into an English accent.
4. Sounding like a New Zealander. If fish sounds like "fush", you've gone too far.
5. Uptalk on every sentence. An occasional rise sounds Australian; a constant one sounds unsure.

How to practice: a 2-week routine

Ten minutes a day:

• Days 1–7: one change a day. Listen to native speakers for 2 minutes (ABC radio presenters, or actors such as Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie or Chris Hemsworth speaking in their own accent), then drill the words and the phrase, then record yourself.
• Days 8–14: the whole script, every day. Shadow an Australian speaker for 5 minutes, then record the script and run it through the Australian accent test to see how close you are and which sound to fix next.

Other accents to try

• How to do a British accent, a Scottish accent and an Irish accent.
• American accent training, and all accents compared in the English accents hub.

Sources

• Wikipedia — Australian English phonology: non-rhoticity, linking R, the FACE and PRICE vowels, flapped T, high rising terminal
• Wells J. C. — Accents of English. Cambridge University Press, 1982