A new poll has ranked the Southern American English accent as the most attractive in the United States, while the Appalachian accent was deemed the least appealing. The survey of 2,000 US adults, conducted by OnePoll for language learning platform Babbel, placed Louisiana/Cajun English second and New York City English third.
Miami English, influenced by Latino speech, came fourth, followed by “General American” spoken in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and parts of the West Coast. The least attractive accents were those from Philadelphia (ninth) and the Appalachian region stretching from Pennsylvania to northern Alabama (tenth).
When asked about European accents, Americans ranked Italian first, followed by French, Spanish, and British English in fourth place. German and Polish were considered the least attractive European accents.
Over a quarter of respondents said a “bad accent” is an instant dating dealbreaker, and 60% stated an accent would influence their decision on dating apps. Nearly one in four admitted to feeling embarrassed or judged because of their accent, and 24% said they consciously soften or change their accent on dates to improve their chances.
Esteban Touma, a cultural and linguistic expert at Babbel, said: “These findings show just how powerful the human voice has become in modern dating. Accents don’t just shape first impressions — they influence who we swipe on, who we meet again, and even how confident we feel showing up as ourselves.”
