Test Your Comprehension

Whether you’re an ESL (English as Second Language) speaker or just want to test your understanding of various dialects and accents, you’ll find this page a fun exercise in English comprehension. We invite you to listen to the following samples from around the world, transcribe (write down or type in English in a document of your own) the speech you hear, and then compare that to the full transcription by clicking the link underneath each audio clip. By clicking the link under the clip, you’ll be taken to the sample, where you can see the transcription, listen to the full audio clip of that subject, and find out more about the person. (To find the transcription, simply scroll about a third of the way down each page to the “orthographic transcription of unscripted speech.” And for a similar, fun exercise, see our Test Your Ear page. If you plan to peruse both pages, we suggest you try out the Test Your Ear page first, as this page uses the same audio clips, just in a different order. And unlike the Test Your Ear page, which challenges you to identify the accent/dialect, this page clearly labels each sample by the subject’s country and/or state.)

1. France: Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

2. Kentucky, United States:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

3. Maine, United States:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

4. South Africa:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

5. Hunan, China:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

6. Italy:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

7. Australia:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

8. Newfoundland, Canada:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

9. Argentina:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

10. Liverpool, England:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

11. Vietnam:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

12. India:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

13. Austria:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

14. Northern Ireland:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

15. Germany:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

16. New York, United States:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

17. London, England:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

18. South Carolina, United States:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

19. Barbados:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.

20. Scotland:Click here for the transcription and information on the subject.