Top 20 Sexiest Accents
#20: New Zealand / Kiwi
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The New Zealand or Kiwi accent is, as many of the entries on our list, an amalgam of historical sounds and influences. The Kiwi accent developed in the late 19th century and was initially thought of negatively, as a “colonial twang.” It’s basically closest to a Southern-English sound, with Maori and Australian influences rounding it off, and creating a small variety of dialects. This is due to British colonization in the 1840s. The Kiwi accent is sometimes mistaken for Aussie, but there are considerable differences in vowel pronunciation. In 2019, major travel website Big 7 declared, after a survey, that the Kiwi accent was the sexiest in the world. It definitely has its charm.
#19: Arabic
Let’s be real, there are dozens of Arabic dialects. For the purposes of this list, we’ll stick to what is known to linguists as MSA, or Modern Standard Arabic, which refers to the dialect developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Arabic alphabet has two more letters than the English, however it only contains eight vowel sounds, whereas English has twenty-two. This perhaps adds to the exotic and “mysterious” side of the language to the basic English-speaker, which plays into the whole “sexiness” thing. For instance, Egyptian actor Omar Sharif was quite the heartthrob when he made his way into America, beginning with “Lawrence of Arabia” in 1962. Ask your grandma.
#18: German
In 2020, a poll on a British site found that the top sexy accent for local men is German. A rep from the site said “It’s not surprising a German accent will arouse men – it is dominant and icy, with a certain elusive quality.” It’s also important to note that many European supermodels speak with German accents, which definitely can’t hinder these results. German speakers, when speaking English, apply the rules of their mother tongue pronunciation, such as pronouncing the “Wh” sound as “V.” Also a voiced “Th” sound (as in “there”) comes out as a “Z,” and an unvoiced one (as in “thought”) comes out as an “S.” All this, as naive as it may sound, may be considered whimsical by native English speakers.
#17: Japanese
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Many of the entries on this list contain languages that don’t have certain English sounds. This is again the case with Japanese - for example, the English “L” and “R” sounds. This is because in Japanese, neither exact sound exists, and the closest is a sound that falls between the English “R” and ‘L.” This makes it difficult for Japanese speakers to tell the difference between the two. Aside from this, we can’t ignore the influence of anime on this entry. The medium definitely romanticizes Japan, but it creates the attraction some have to the culture, accent and overall appeal of Japanese. There’s also a timidity and/or coyness that’s often associated with Japanese women, which can also be alluring.
#16: Swedish
Swedish is a vowel-heavy language, with a possible eighteen vowel sounds in most dialects. The language contains a lot of pitch variations and lengthy syllabic pronunciation, giving it a “singsong” sound to the untrained ear. As with Latin-based languages, Germanic languages pronounce their “J”s as “Y”s, making for some interesting mistakes when speaking English. All of these things, among others, contribute to the accent being perceived as sexy. Also, let’s face it, we owe a lot to IKEA and the Skarsgård family. If Tarzan had those abs but spoke like a gremlin, we might not be so enticed.
#15: Trinidadian
The Trinidadian Creole accent is one of diverse and complex history. The word “Creole” means a melange of languages simplified and/or borrowed from to create a new, stable language. Much like many Caribbean languages, Trinidadian is composed of a vocabulary derived from English. Its influences involve French, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, South Asian languages and a number of African languages, which is one heck of a mix. This secret linguistic recipe evidently makes for a sexy sound. A CNN article in 2014 referred to it as “A rubber life raft bobbing on a sea of steel drums”... whatever that means. Trinidadians have also been called some of the happiest people in the world, and that definitely helps.
#14: Scottish
There are a considerable amount of differences in Scottish English when compared to American English. This sometimes makes comprehension difficult between English speakers. This doesn’t affect the sexiness factor, however. Website “The Tab” asked a number of people what makes the accent so alluring. It was said that: “The Scots are real men – their accents match their big chests, manly breath and back hair.” Actor Gerard Butler is a good example of this. As for the women, it was said that “Scottish girls sound edgy even when they’re just asking for directions. There’s just something about that slightly sharp, Buckfast-soaked drawl. It can be soft and considered or harsh and loud.” Think Karen Gillan.
#13: Jamaican Patois
Jamaican Creole - or Patois - is spoken by the majority of Jamaican residents. It’s primarily English, but contains a number of words from the Akan language of West Africa. The Creole developed in the 1600s, as slaves adopted the various accents of slave owners - British, Scottish and Irish - and combined them with their own West African dialects. It’s a warm, welcoming, singsong of a dialect that reminds us of the sun, smooth reggae music and good times. World’s fastest man and Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt hails from Jamaica, and it’s honestly quite nice to hear him speak in that mellow, relaxed tone.
#12: Iranian
Iranian, or Persian, is a soft, phonetically smooth language, and its accent reflects this. The language itself is ancient, its modern version having developed in a fairly linear way dating back to the 4th century BCE. Persian literature is also very prominent, and responsible for some of the most striking works of the Middle Ages. A language and accent rooted in antiquity and poetry can’t possibly be unattractive, right? On this topic, we have two words: Shohreh Aghdashloo. This Iranian actor has the sultriest voice of them all, and her Persian accent adds to the auditory wonder that is her voice. There’s no way anyone can resist this level of charm.
#11: Nigerian
Though English is the official spoken language in Nigeria, there are hundreds of others present in some capacity, often in more rural parts of the country. With such variety, there’s no definite “Nigerian accent,” but we can say here in the Americas that we have a general idea of its sounds and pronunciations. The Nigerian accent is often cited as one of the sexiest in the world, and its popularity was greatly influenced by musician King Sunny Adé and actor Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, as well as called “dignified, with just a hint of willful naivete, the deep, rich ‘oh’s’ and ‘eh’s.’” It’s also the accent everyone’s rich distant royal relative presumably uses in a spoken version of their emails.
#10: Russian
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The Russian accent has been referred to as “serious, mysterious and even a little dangerous” by its admirers. Typical Russians speaking English roll their Rs, and pronounce “TH” sounds as “Ds.” As seen previously in this list, these small changes in pronunciation can add to the romanticism of European accents. Russians also tend to speak in a low register and in a monotonous tone, which can add to a standoffish, hard-to-get vibe. The “dangerous” side of the accent can also be considered attractive, as some like the whole bad boy or girl thing. As Trevor Noah put it, the Russian accent almost always sounds frightening, no matter what is being said. Some find scary sexy.
#9: South African
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Speaking of Trevor Noah, we come to the South African accent. Once again, there are a number of dialects, but we’ll try to be as general as possible. In 1795, the first British colonists arrived in South Africa, where the Dutch had settled a trade outpost in the 17th century. Thus, the first declared official languages of the region were English and Dutch. However the latter was rapidly replaced with Afrikaans. In 1994, English, Afrikaans and nine Southern Bantu languages became co-holders of the official language title. As you can see, the accent has a multitude of sources, resulting in a unique melange that’s considered quite an attractive sound to the common English-speaking ear.
#8: Australian
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Australia was famously colonized in the 18th century by England as they established a large penal colony on the Southern continent. The modern Australian accent is thus developed from Irish and British accents particularly from the Southeast regions of England. It closely resembles the Kiwi accent, though it lacks the Maori influence of New Zealand’s pronunciation. There are a number of celebrities of Australian origin that surely helped the accent make this list: Nicole Kidman, the Hemsworth brothers and Elle MacPherson, to name a few. The idea of the accent being associated with the rugged folk of the wild Australian Bush also helps, much like the associations made between the Scottish and their traits.
#7: Bajan Creole
Bajan Creole is the primary language of the island of Barbados in the Caribbean. Much like other languages in that area, it derived from British and African influences. Bajan is spoken informally, where English is used in almost all other media, including the judicial system and government documents. The Bajan accent, much like the aforementioned Trinidadian, is reminiscent of its location for many: the tropical island heat, mellow sounds and cheerful locals. Arguably the most popular current celebrity who speaks with a typical Barbadian accent is singer Rihanna. However, she has admitted to “adjusting” her accent for the sake of interviews and such.
#6: British English
Once again, we find ourselves with a number of dialects to choose from. Arguably, when someone mentions the British accent, the first thing that comes to mind for non-Brits is the Queen’s English, otherwise known as “Received Pronunciation.” This is clearly a romanticized notion, however, as in reality only about 3% of Brits actually speak this dialect. There are nearly forty dialects total in England. So, what makes us swoon when we hear an English accent? Is it Mr. Darcy? Is it our friends at “Downton Abbey?” Or is it the rough, gruff Cockney tone of Jason Statham? It’s quite difficult to pinpoint, but the general “British” accent always finds itself on the sexy side.
#5: Irish
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Irish English, also known as Hiberno-English, consists of four or five dialects, such as Ulster, Cork and Dublin accents. The Irish language is still important to the country and its identity, yet it fell out of common usage around 1800 for a number of reasons. The influence remains in the modern accent, however, as it clearly differs from the British and Scottish sounds. So, why is it so attractive? Well, there’s no shortage of exposure to Irish celebrities - U2, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, and so on. And their culture, music and literature is widespread and well-known. Many celebrate Ireland’s holidays, such as St. Patrick’s Day, without any cultural affiliation whatsoever. Perhaps we feel a closeness to the green isle, making the accent warm and somehow familiar.
#4: Brazilian Portuguese
The Brazilian Portuguese accent differs from the European Portuguese, mainly due to less effective Portuguese occupation in Brazil compared to that of other colonies, and the influences of indigenous and African dialects on the language in South America. Portuguese itself is a language that borrows from numerous other languages, including English, French, German and Italian. These four languages appear on our list. Coincidence? CNN’s article mentioned the use of “drawn-out vowels [that reveal] a flirty freedom of spirit that suggests a permanent vacation.” Supermodels Gisele Bündchen and Adriana Lima are Brazilian, as was the late singer/dancer Carmen Miranda.
#3: French
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Ah oui, le français! The French accent has long been associated with romance. The French language is heavy in vowel sounds, making it breathy. It’s also considered melodic, with its intonation greatly differing from English speech, reminding non-French speakers of poetry. Other publications have cited the French language’s “come-hither condescension” and “fiery disinterest,” which is the classic romantic concept of “playing hard to get.” Some also believe the French culture is the reason behind the sexiness, and its accent just reminds us of baguettes and riding tandem bicycles through the streets of “gay Paree.”
#2: Spanish
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Spanish from different regions may sound the same to non-speakers, but it actually does have some subtle differences. For the purposes of this list, let’s stick to Spain. The language itself is heavy on “S” sounds, which creates a sense of a rakish, come-hither whistle. Where American Spanish pronounces “J” as “H,” Spanish sounds more like a throaty “KH” sound. Spain’s dialect is perhaps slightly more complex, more exotic-sounding. But why is it so sexy? Well, as was mentioned with French, the culture definitely plays into the attractiveness. The dancing, the music, the warm Spanish summer nights, Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas…
#1: Italian
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The Italian language is, of course, quite similar to Spanish. However, it does have its idiosyncrasies. Most Italian words end in voiced vowels, so when speaking English, Italians will often voice the silent vowels at the ends of words. There is also quite a bit of gesturing that accompanies Italian speech. So, where’s the sexiness? Well, this is another culture-rich part of the world. Italy is ancient, and has seen a plethora of time periods and changes. It was the setting for “Romeo and Juliet,” the birthplace of masterful artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, philosophers, scientists, and so on. The accent represents this rich history, and perhaps we feel that we’re immersed in this romantically when we hear the speech.
