Received Pronunciation, aka the Queen’s English, is the most trustworthy accent, whilst those with an Essex accent are considered unintelligent.
According to a new study released today by Match, which explores the importance of voice when finding a potential partner, the Yorkshire accent was ranked number two for trustworthiness, followed by those with Welsh dialect. However, it’s hard to resist the Irish charm as the Southern Irish accent is deemed to be sexiest, with Northern Irish and Geordie accents close behind.
And when asked which celebrity has the sexiest voice, Idris Elba came on top for males as Brits swooned over his sexy East London accent. He was followed by Liam Neeson and Jamie Dornan. However, it was the dulcet tones of Holly Willoughby who took top spot for the females, with Nigella Lawson (and her pronunciation of microwave) a close second.
Like it or not, we’re judged on our voices in the early stages of dating. In fact, 17% say they can tell if they’re going to find someone attractive just from hearing their voice. A further one in five (21%) believe they can tell more about someone by the sound of their voice, than simply looking at a picture. Because of this, almost a quarter (24%) admit to having a ‘phone voice’ where they do their best to articulate more clearly. Having a nice voice is even considered a deal-breaker for more than one in seven (15%) single Brits.
For those looking to increase their dating success, ‘OMG’, ‘pacifically’ instead of specifically and ‘hun’ are the phrases to be avoided in a voice note, as 30% say that hearing these is the ultimate turn-off. Finishing every other sentence with ‘like’ also made 29% of Brits cringe.
Match understands the importance that voice plays in the dating journey, which is why it’s introduced an innovative audio feature – Match Voice. Singles can now update their Match profile with a voice note, vocally responding to a specific topic. This provides another way for members to express themselves and overall helps singles to see if they have a connection with each other before meeting in real life. Over one in five (22%) say they’re more likely to commit to a date with someone if they’ve heard their voice beforehand, while 30% say voice notes provide the opportunity to see if you’ll have a spark with someone, as they can get a better feel for that person’s tone and humour.
Match’s dating expert, Hayley Quinn, says “When it comes to attraction, your tone of voice can be your superpower in creating the spark. Yes, to succeed at online dating you need great pictures, and a well written profile, but incorporating your voice gives you the chance to stand out to potential dates and to create trust. You can short circuit first date awkwardness by communicating who you are using voice notes. Not to mention using the feature is a great opportunity to show off an attractive accent!
“If you’re ready to upload your first voice note, take a deep breath and head to somewhere quiet where there won’t be a lot of background noise. If you find the thought of leaving a voice note a little nerve wracking, then consider walking around your home as physical movement will help you to feel more relaxed. Don’t try to be perfect, just focus on clearly expressing who you are.”
The top five most trustworthy accents
- Received Pronunciation (aka The Queen’s English)
- Yorkshire
- Welsh
- Geordie
- Edinburgh
The five least trustworthy accents
- Brummie
- Scouse
- Cockney
- Essex
- Glaswegian
The top 10 male celebrities with the sexiest voices
- Idris Elba (East London)– 17%
- Liam Neeson (Northern Irish) – 16%
- Jamie Dornan (Northern Irish) – 15%
- Cillian Murphy (Southern Irish) – 15%
- Colin Farrell (Southern Irish) – 14%
- Ronan Keating (Southern Irish) – 13%
- Hugh Grant (Posh Southern) – 12%
- Tom Hiddleston (Posh Southern) – 12%
- Danny Dyer (Cockney) – 10%
- James McAvoy (Galwegian) – 9%
The top 10 female celebrities with the sexiest voices
- Holly Willoughby (Brighton) – 18%
- Nigella Lawson (Posh Southern) – 17%
- Katherine Jenkins (Welsh) – 13%
- Cheryl Cole (Geordie) – 13%
- Nadine Coyle (Northern Irish) – 12%
- Laura Whitmore (Northern Irish) – 12%
- Michelle Keegan (Mancunian) – 11%
- Jodie Comer (Scouse) – 8%
- Georgina Toffolo (Posh Southern) – 7%
- Lorraine Kelly (Glaswegian) – 6%
ENDS
Notes to editors
Based on a survey of 2,314 UK adult, undertaken by Perspectus Global in August 2022.
Media Contacts:
Jennie Williamson or Jess Monty, Brands2Life – 020 7592 1200 and matchconsumer@brands2life.com
About Hayley Quinn:
Hayley Quinn is an internationally recognised dating coach and founder of the UK’s largest dating coaching company. She has over 2 Million views on her TED talk and over 100,000 YouTube subscribers.
She is the spokesperson for Match, the biggest online dating platform in the world. She has been featured on BBC1, Sky and Channel 4 and is a regular columnist for Cosmopolitan.
Her first fiction book “The Last First Date” has been published by Harper Collins and her non-fiction book (Simon & Schuster) is due for publication in early 2023.
Her goal is to bridge the gap with modern dating and help inspire people to learn to love dating.