Arabic accent in English: the sounds, and how to practise them.
The sounds Arabic speakers most often change in English, why it happens, and short drills for each — plus a free test that tells you which ones apply to you.
Read this aloud in your normal voice (about 30 seconds):
Last summer, my brother and I took the early train to the coast. We bought three thick sandwiches, a bottle of water and a map, and we walked along the cliffs until the weather turned. By the time the rain arrived, we were laughing in a tiny cafe, drying our socks by the heater.
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An Arabic accent in English usually shows in sounds Arabic doesn’t have: p becomes b (“park” → “bark”), v becomes f, short vowels like pin and pen merge, a vowel is added to break up clusters (“street” → “istreet”), and r is tapped. Dialects differ: Egyptian and Levantine speakers often say “th” as t, s or z.
How to practise English pronunciation if your first language is Arabic
- Take the free 30-second accent test to see which accents you sound closest to and which sounds the test noticed.
- Match those sounds with the table on this page and pick one or two to work on — not all of them at once.
- Practise each sound with the minimal pairs below: say both words slowly, then at normal speed, and check them in the pronunciation checker.
- Put the words into a full sentence and check it again; the checker shows which words still slip.
- Repeat for five minutes a day, then retake the accent test after two weeks to compare.
Common sound changes for Arabic speakers
| Sound | What often happens | Example | Try this |
|---|---|---|---|
| p | Becomes b | park → bark, people → beoble | Close the lips and release a puff of air |
| v | Becomes f | very → fery, van → fan | Same mouth as f, but switch the voice on |
| Short vowels | pin/pen and cot/cut merged | bit → bet, cup → cop | Practise vowel pairs in minimal pairs |
| Clusters | Vowel added before or inside | street → istreet, children → childiren | Glide straight through the consonants |
| r | Tapped or trilled everywhere | car, water | Fine to keep; soften for US-style speech |
| th /θ/ /ð/ | Fine in Gulf and Standard Arabic; t/s or d/z in Egyptian and Levantine | think → sink, this → zis | Tongue tip between the teeth |
| ch / sh | Mixed in some dialects | chair → share | ch: start with t, then sh |
| Silent letters | Pronounced | Wednesday, listen | Learn the common silent-letter words |
Why an Arabic first language changes English sounds
Standard Arabic has no p and no v, and only three short vowels (a, i, u) against English’s many. Arabic doesn’t allow three consonants in a row, so English clusters get a helping vowel. Spelling also matters: Arabic writing is close to how words sound, so silent English letters are often pronounced.
Arabic is stress-timed like English, which helps — but stress often lands on a different syllable, and long and short vowels change meaning in Arabic, so English vowel length can be overdone.
Not every speaker has every feature. Your region, the age you started English and how much you listen to native speakers all change the mix — that’s why it helps to test your own voice instead of guessing.
What our accent test heard in a sample voice
We don’t have an Arabic-influenced sample voice on the site yet, so there is no sample output to show here. The test itself can still name an Arabic-influenced English accent — it is one of the 23 it knows.
Minimal pairs to practise
| Sound | Pairs |
|---|---|
| p / b | pin–bin, pack–back, pull–bull |
| f / v | fan–van, fine–vine, ferry–very |
| ɪ / e | pin–pen, bit–bet, sit–set |
| ɒ / ʌ | cot–cut, lock–luck |
Say each pair slowly, then fast. If the pronunciation checker hears the wrong word, it shows what it heard instead.
Practice methods that work
- Shadowing: play a short native recording, then say it at the same time, copying the rhythm before the individual sounds.
- Record yourself reading the same 30-second passage once a week and listen back — changes are easier to hear side by side.
- Slow minimal-pair drills: exaggerate the difference first, then shrink it to normal speech.
- Hold a strip of paper in front of your lips: it should move for p but not for b.
Keep your accent or change it?
An accent is not a mistake. The goal for most people is being understood easily, not sounding like someone else. Work first on the sounds that change meaning (like ship and sheep) and leave the rest of your accent alone if you like it.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Arabic speakers say b instead of p?
Arabic has no p sound, so the closest sound, b, replaces it. The difference is voice and air: p has no voice and a puff of air; b has voice.
Do you have an Arabic sample voice?
Not yet. The 14 sample voices on this site don’t include an Arabic-influenced one. The test can still name Arabic-influenced English — it is one of the 23 accents it knows.
Is the accent test free?
Yes. The accent test is free with no account and no email. To stop abuse there is a soft limit of a few tests per day per connection.
Do you keep my recording?
No. The audio is analysed and then discarded — it is never stored. We keep the text result for 30 days so your share link works, and you can delete it any time from your account page. We never create a voiceprint.
Last updated 2026-10-18. Results are estimates for practice and entertainment, not a professional or official assessment.