Accent Training
Accent training teaches you to produce a specific accent reliably, on demand, under performance conditions. Effective training covers four things: the sound system of the target accent, its rhythm and intonation, the phonetics that let you write it down and repeat it, and enough unsupervised practice to make it automatic. What distinguishes good training from generic pronunciation courses is specificity — a coach works on one accent for one script, not on "accents" as a topic.
Where this accent is from
Accent training covers more than one place, and the recordings are grouped by each of them:
England accents
14 recordings from Devonshire, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and more
Hear England accentsUnited States accents
17 recordings from Los Angeles, California, San Francisco Bay Area, Chattanooga, Tennessee and more
Hear United States accentsIreland accents
8 recordings from Galway, Curragh, County Kildare, Churchtown, County Dublin and more
Hear Ireland accentsAustralia accents
3 recordings from Gold Coast, Perth, Brisbane
Hear Australia accentsHear it from real speakers
Every recording below is an unscripted native speaker, not an actor performing the accent — the reference that actually matters when you're learning it.
Woolwich Accent
Woolwich, South East London, EnglandWatch
New York Accent
Mamaroneck, New York, United StatesWatch
Omaha, Nebraska Midwest Accent
Omaha, Nebraska, United StatesWatch
Nashville Accent
Nashville, Tennessee, United StatesWatch
Liverpool / Scouse Accent
Liverpool, EnglandWatch
Dublin Accent
Dublin, IrelandWatchWhat actually separates them
The differences that matter when you're learning it — not the version you'd get from a vocabulary list.
- Performance conditions are the real test
- Producing an accent in a quiet room is a different skill from holding it through a scene, at volume, with emotion and movement. Training that never puts the accent under load produces actors who can pass a test and lose the accent on stage. Practising while walking, shouting and doing something else is part of the work, not an optional extra.
- Phonetics is a tool, not a hurdle
- International Phonetic Alphabet notation is a compression format: it lets a director or coach describe an exact sound in one symbol rather than in a paragraph of description. Actors often resist it, but it is the difference between being given a correction you can reliably repeat and being told "rounder" and hoping.
- Specificity is what you are paying for
- A generic pronunciation course teaches a general accent, which is close to useless for a script that needs a specific one. What a coach provides is the ability to work on the accent a role actually needs, to hear what you are doing wrong, and to tell you when it is done. That judgement is the service.
- Free archives and paid coaching do different jobs
- A recording archive gives you the reference: what the accent genuinely sounds like, from real speakers, as often as you want. Coaching gives you correction, direction and accountability. Most actors need both, and neither replaces the other — reference without feedback leaves you guessing, and feedback without reference leaves you with nothing to compare against.
Common questions
Is accent training worth it for actors?
For any role that specifies an accent outside your own, yes. Accents are one of the most common reasons an actor is not cast or is replaced during production, and they are one of the few skills that responds reliably to focused practice.
How is accent training different from a pronunciation course?
Accent training is specific: it works on one accent for one role, with feedback on your actual speech. A pronunciation course usually teaches general clarity or a general accent, which is a different goal and rarely enough for a script that needs a particular regional sound.
How many sessions does it take?
It varies with the accent and the actor, but a focused block of several sessions over a few weeks is typical for a specific role, with independent practice in between. Accents that are close to your own take less time than ones with a different rhythm and vowel system.
Working on Accent training for a role?
The recordings on this page are the reference. If you need correction, direction and someone to tell you when it's right, Sarah teaches this one-to-one — and there's a self-paced course if you'd rather work alone.