What’s the hardest British accent to understand?

[beatriced]

The Glaswegian accent is hands down the hardest one for me. I'm an Italian who's currently living in Glasgow and sometimes I can't understand a single word when I hear people talking!

[jwbz]

MLE spoke like he had a mouth full of marbles. Other than that, I don't generally find any British accent all that difficult to understand and I'm American. Perhaps I spent too much of my life watching so much UK TV that I am ear trained by now.

[pristinegirl]

Scouse accent is a little bit harder, the Glaswegian and Geordie accent have some complex voices in it. while Brummie, Cornish voices are easy for foreign ears.

[linkash]

Most of these are media trained professionals so will be easier to understand than your average person with those accents

[cmarq]

As a foreigner, it’s the Scouse accent 😊

[fanofitall]

Glaswegian for sure! I love to listen to Lewis Capaldi speak so I can understand his accent.

[C.M.]

However, I had a roommate once from Yorkshire and had a hard time understanding him half the time. Once, I asked him to repeat what he was trying to say to me over 10 times, before I threw up my hands and gave up, never knowing what he was trying to say, so frustrating. My Grandma was from Sheffield and my Grandpa was from Wolfhill, Scotland. So, I understood them. Sometimes I had a hard time understanding my Grandpa when he talked fast . Deep brogue.

[amerikawoche]

Years ago, I called the Scottish home of a friend I had met in the states, we were to meet in London, and I did not understand one word his mom said.

[rhalme]

MLE without a doubt. I've spent quite some time in London, and I've been exposed to MLE irl, and it's definitely the accent I most frequently need to ask for repetition. I haven't been exposed to a lot of Glaswegian, so I can't say how well I'd understand a broad Glaswegian accent, but the ones I have spoken with, I've had no trouble understanding, apart from the occasional accent specific vocabulary.

[hollyshaw]

tbh the first one, but i'm british so, i understand almost every accent due to exposure

[Maurice-Navel]

Geordie! When I hitchhiked through Europe (years ago), that was the only situation where I could not communicate.

[gosiamikolajczyk]

Liverpool !!!! I have lived in the Uk for 13 years and still no luck in understanding them !

[BubblyinUSA]

My grams immigrated here to the states as a teen with her brothers and parents. I had no problem understanding her, but I never had the opportunity to hear my great grandparents speak. But my mom said they sounded like they had a mouth full of marbles. Since then I’ve had the privilege to go to their birthplace numerous times. And had no problem understanding them. Now the Cockney accent is I think one of the hardest next to Scottish, to understand. I can do it, but that’s because my family is from the country which I believe makes it a natural thing.😊

[nyneeveanya]

MLE for me. The others I understood just fine. Dad was military, spent time in England and all sections of the USA so I’ve heard many different annunciations of English. I don’t know if it was his annunciation or just the pitch of his voice falling into the range I have trouble hearing.

[luciamatejovie]

Based on this video I'd say Scouse.

[sierra]

its got to be glasweigian. i'm an indian and could understand each of the accents but glasweigian, hands down, the hardest!!

[dfpguitar]

Most of these accents were very mild/soft examples.
Also there is immense variables even within regions. I am a brummie myself but the Erdington accent is one of the hardest to understand. Very mumbly.

[MultiKswift]

English is my native language, but I’m American so I’m not that familiar with British accents. I think Scouse was the hardest for me. I understood a little bit of what the Scouse guy was saying, but the other accents were much easier to understand.

[StormyDay]

None were hard to understand. If I had to pick one, I’d say the MLE, he mumbled a lot but I understood most of it, just some words in the beginning were not clear. The easiest ones were the Geordie accent and the Cornish. The rest were also easy; I did not find the Scouse nor the Glaswegian nor the Brummie accents difficult to understand at all. I’m a native speaker from NYC. The only person I have a hard time understanding when she’s on Graham Norton is Jodie Whittaker.

[dukeon]

I’m American but I’ve been listening to British accents most of my life. None of these are difficult to understand at all. Not being a braggart, just the truth. I have a harder time maybe with a really thick South African accent, because I don’t hear those as often. Cool sounding, though.

In the British Isles maybe something like a Shetland accent, although that’s not particularly difficult either once you get your ear into it.