British English pronunciation
British English here means Standard Southern British English, the accent most reference dictionaries transcribe and the one most learners are taught. Its defining traits are the opposite of American English: the letter r is dropped unless a vowel follows, so car becomes “cah”; the a in bath, dance and grass is a long “ah”; and the t is pronounced clearly rather than tapped. Type any word above to hear it in a British voice.
Hear it in British English
Tap a word to hear it spoken in an British voice.
Voices
These voices are provided by Learn Pronounce for every visitor. If your own device has more British voices installed, they appear too — set them on the main screen.
What makes British pronunciation distinct
The r is dropped (non-rhotic)
An r is only pronounced when a vowel follows it. At the end of car or in the middle of hard it disappears, lengthening the vowel instead.
The trap–bath split
Words like bath, dance, grass and laugh take a long “ah”, where American English keeps a short a.
A clearer t
The t in water and better is pronounced as a full t (or, in casual speech, a glottal stop) rather than the American tap.
Distinct word choices
Schedule often begins with a soft “sh”, tomato rhymes with “mah-toe”, and the metal is aluminium.
Compare with other accents
The quickest way to hear what changes is side by side. Hear the same word in British and another accent with Compare, or read how they differ:
Practise the differences
Show the 15 words
Show the 15 words
Show the 15 words
Show the 15 words
Show the 15 words
Show the 15 words
Related guides
British English vs Received Pronunciation
The two are not the same thing. British English is the whole family of accents spoken across the UK — Scouse, Geordie, Brummie, Estuary, Scottish, Welsh and dozens more — most of which differ from each other far more than either differs from American English. Received Pronunciation is one accent within that family: the prestige standard of southern England, historically taught to learners and used by the BBC, and spoken natively by only a small minority of British people.
The voices on this page are RP-based, because that is the reference accent dictionaries transcribe and the one learners are usually aiming at. If you want RP itself — where it came from, how modern RP has drifted from the 1950s version, and which of its features mark class rather than region — read Received Pronunciation explained.
Last reviewed 2026-08-18 · Learn Pronounce