The sexiest accent in the world has at last been decided by vote, and sadly it isn’t my very own Bury tongue.
A perhaps unexpected champion, New Zealand – or the ‘Kiwi’ accent – claimed the top spot on a list of 50, closely followed by South African, Irish (obvs), Italian and Australian.
I was personally surprised to see the French dialect narrowly missing out on the top five, with the accent so synonymous with romance, poetry and of course that flirty candlestick from Beauty and the Beast.
The Queen’s English came in at a respectable enough 12th, with the cheeky Manc accent coming in at 18th. Mancs will no doubt be thrilled to hear that the Scouse accent was voted in at 32nd place, sandwiched between Dutch and Greek.
glad the new zealand accent is finally being recognized for the sensual masterpiece that it is… 😍
— Ali Ikram (@AliIkram) April 29, 2019
This list was compiled by Big 7 Travel, who polled readers from all across the world to find the accent most likely to get globetrotters’ hearts fluttering.
According to Big 7, the ‘outrageously charming’ Kiwi accent has allowed it to soar above its Australian cousin:
To a novice ear, the New Zealand accent might sound just like the Australian accent, but Big 7 Travel readers disagree. The ‘Newzild’ dialect is outrageously charming. The sexiest accent in the world? It’s official.
The top twenty sexiest accents on the planet are as follows:
1. New Zealand
2. South African (‘unique tones and Saffa slang’)
3. Irish (Universally adored ‘whether it’s a Jamie Dornan-esque Northern Irish accent or a lilting Cork jibe’)
4. Italian (‘Completely beautiful’)
5. Australian (‘Long and slow’ pronunciations)
6. Scottish (‘Rich sounds and harsh vowels’)
7. French (‘Language of love’)
8. Spanish (‘Fast and fluid’)
9. US Southern (‘Who can resist a slow, Texan drawl?’)
10. Brazilian Portuguese (Italian influences bring ‘extra attractiveness’)
11. Czech (Their ‘direct accents’ have impressed readers)
12. Queen’s English (Clear, clipped and completely posh’)
13. Canadian (‘subtle vowels and lots of ‘eh’’)
14. Hungarian (‘Sounds beautiful when sung’)
15. Ukrainian (Sounds similar to Russian, but clearer)
16. Danish (Although sometimes seen as unattractive, the poll suggests otherwise)
17. Jamaican (‘Vibrant and super sexy’)
18. Mancunian (‘The sexy accent might be reason alone to stop by)
19. Argentine (‘Full of slang words’)
20. Zimbabwean (‘Many old-fashioned words and open vowels’)
If New Zealand accent is rated the sexiest in the world, what makes it sexy???
— coastalmaoriboy76 (@coastalmaoribo1) April 28, 2019
Right at the bottom of the list is Thai (48th), Romanian (49th) and Croatian (50th). But of course, don’t feel disheartened if these accents make you swoon; sexiness is of course subjective.
Personally, I’m a bit disappointed that the sexiness of the melodic Welsh accent – which has been ranked a so-so 45th – has not been lusted over a bit more.
It’s certainly a great day to be a New Zealander though, and a prime time for them to brush up on their chat up lines.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.