Russian accent
Russian is the eighth most spoken language in the world, with approximately 258 million total speakers, 154 million of whom are native speakers.
Russian is widely used across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and former Soviet states, making it the most spoken Slavic language globally.
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">Distinguish Russian Accent
You have probably noticed the Russian accent in movies; many villains or simply characters with Slavic roots speak with a Russian accent. It stands out among other languages with its directness and sometimes sharpness.
Watch videos of characters speaking with a Russian accent and try to notice what distinguishes the Russian accent from others.
Galina “Red” Reznikov from “Orange is the New Black”
Viggo Mortensen, Nikolai Luzhov from “Eastern Promises”
Galina “Red” Reznikov from “Orange is the New Black”
Viggo Mortensen, Nikolai Luzhov from “Eastern Promises”
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">What makes Russian English special?
Rolling or trilling the "r" sound
A distinctive feature of the Russian accent in English is the rolled or trilled /r/ sound. Unlike the English /r/, which is produced with the tongue curled back deep in the throat, the Russian /r/ involves a light flick of the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
The main difference between the English and Russian /r/ sounds is that Russians vibrate the tongue, while English speakers keep the tongue still, resulting in a much softer sound. To mimic this, try lightly flicking the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth when pronouncing words.
Consistently rolling or trilling the “r” sound can make an English accent sound authentically Russian.
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">Got it? Try to pronounce with the Russian accent
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">“Nothing hard here”
The substitution of the "w" sound with a "v" sound
One notable feature of the Russian accent in English is the substitution of the /w/ sound with a /v/ sound. Since the /w/ sound does not exist in Russian, native Russian speakers often pronounce words starting with /w/ using a /v/ instead.
For example, the English word “water” might be pronounced as “vater,” and the word “wine” as “vine.” To sound more like a Russian speaker, try pronouncing a strong /v/ sound every time you see /w/.
Got it? Try to pronounce with the Russian accent
“What do you prefer, whiskey or vodka?”
The substitution of the "th" sound with "d" or "zh" sounds
A common feature of the Russian accent in English is the substitution of the /th/ sound with /d/ or /zh/ sounds. Since the “th” sound does not exist in Russian, native speakers often replace it with sounds more familiar to them.
For example, “thanks” might be pronounced as “dzhanks,” “the” as “de” or “ze,” and “think” as “fink” or “sink.” This substitution results from the absence of a comparable /th/ sound in Russian, contributing significantly to the distinctiveness of the Russian accent in English.
Got it? Another exercise for you!
“Take the third pass to get to the theater”
Messed up with the pronunciation of vowels, which leads to different words being pronounced similarly
A prominent feature of the Russian accent in English is the substitution of the short /i/ sound (as in “bit”) with the long /ee/ sound (as in “beet”). Since the short /i/ sound doesn’t exist in Russian, native Russian speakers often replace it with /ee/. Similarly, the sounds /æ/ (as in “cat”) and /e/ (as in “bet”) are often replaced with a single sound comparable to the English /e/ in “bet,” since Russian has only one similar vowel sound. As a result, Russians may not distinguish between words like “bad” and “bed,” or “sheet” and “shit,” and “beach” and “bitch.”
Got it? Let’s check it out!
“Do I like this beach or bitch?”
Harsh, fricative pronunciation of the "h" sound
A distinctive feature of the Russian accent in English is the harsh, fricative pronunciation of the /h/ sound. Instead of the soft /h/ used in English, Russians often pronounce it more forcefully, similar to the /kh/ sound.
For instance, “human” may be pronounced with a strong, guttural /kh/ sound. In some cases, Russians might even replace /h/ with a /g/, as seen in borrowed words like “gamburger” for “hamburger.” This characteristic adds a noticeable edge to the Russian accent in English.