How to Talk Posh

Co-authored by Dan Klein

Last Updated: September 8, 2024

The posh accent is used to describe how the upper class in England speak. But while it is associated with the upper class, the posh dialect has been embraced by members of the middle class in England and elsewhere, including the United States. However, speaking posh is not as simple as repeating words the English aristocracy use. To speak posh, you need to practice speaking posh, incorporate posh vocabulary into your speech, and pronounce words in a certain way.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Incorporating Posh Words Into Your Vocabulary

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1
Use posh slang. Posh is characterized by certain slang words. To talk posh, you need to incorporate posh slang into your vocabulary. Some examples of posh slang include:
- "Golly gosh."
- "Old bean." Much like “old sport” or “old fellow,” this is a term of endearment used to describe a person beyond middle age.
- "Poppycock." This means something is nonsensical or stupid.
- "Capital" – spoken “kepitol.” This means “fantastic.”
- "Skive." This means lazy.
2
Embrace posh phrases and sayings. One of the hallmarks of the posh dialect are the colorful phrases and sayings associated with it. These phrases are used to convey people's thoughts in a colloquial way. Some popular posh phrases and sayings include:
- "Don't get your knickers in a twist." This means you should not get upset or excited over something.
- "Jolly good show." This means something was performed well or was entertaining.
- "Throw a spanner in the works." This means someone has messed something up.^{[1]
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3
Use some words that might seem formal or out of date. Another characteristic of the posh dialect is the use of words that seem excessively formal or even dated. Many of these words have faded out of use in average British or American English. However, the use of these words will help you sound posh. Some words include:
- "Seedy" (suspicious).
- "Rubbish" (garbage).
- "Fortnight" (two weeks).^{[2]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Pronouncing Words

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1
Say an “an” sound like an “eh” sound. Posh speakers will substitute “ah” sounds for “eh.” They'll do this in a variety of words. For example:
- Pronounce “thank” as “thenk.
- Pronounce “man” as “men.”
- Pronounce “angry” as “ehngry.”
2
Pronounce the “ee” at the end of some words as an “eh.” When pronouncing the final “ee” sound in a word (such as (the “y” in “picky”), articulate the sound like an “eh.” For example:
- ”Quickly” should sound more like “quickleh”
- “Sorry” should sound more like “sorreh.”
- ”Barley” should sound more like “barleh.”
3
Lengthen the “oo” sound in some words. When pronouncing words with an “oo” sound, you need to lengthen the “oo.” This is because people who talk posh make the “oo” sound with their tongue further back. For example:
- ”New” should have a longer “oo.” Extend the sound by a second.
- ”Glue” should have a longer “oo.” Try saying it like “gl-ooo.”
4
Do not enunciate the “w” in words that end in “wer.” People who speak posh tend to gloss over the “w” sound in certain words. To the average listener, it sounds as if a posh talker is not even pronouncing the w. For example:
- ”Shower” may be pronounced “Sha-er.”
- ”Power” may be pronounced “Pa-er.”
- ”Flower” may be pronounced “fla-er.”
5
Lengthen vowels at the end of a sentence. Many posh talkers tend to stretch out vowels as they come to the end of a sentence. This may have the effect of making their voice more “creaky.” To talk posh, then, stretch vowels in words at the end of a sentence. For example:
- "Oh, really?" would be, "Oh, reel-eeeh?"
- "I am doing absolutely fabulous," would be, "I am doing absolutely fab-u-le-eh-ss."
6
Replace the “uh” sound in some words with an “ah” sound. One of the most common things posh talkers do is to replace the “uh” sound in a lot of words. This is something you will commonly hear when you listen to posh talkers. For example:
- ”Bus” is pronounced “Bah-se”
- ”Duck” is pronounced Dah-k.”
- ”Money” is pronounced “Mah-ney.”

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Listening and Repeating

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1
Watch movies and television shows. One of the easiest ways to pick up the posh dialect is to listen to how it is spoken in movies and in TV. There are a wide variety of media, from the 1930s to today, that feature people talking posh. Some of these movies include:
- 'Casablanca'
- 'Bridget Jones' Diary'
- The television show “Made in Chelsea”^{[3]
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2
Hang around others who talk posh. Anyone who tries to learn a foreign language knows that the best way to learn is to surround oneself with people who speak that language. The same thing goes with talking posh. Try to spend as much time as possible with people who talk posh. You'll wind up picking it up fairly quick.
- If there is a bar, club, or other social setting where people talk posh in your community, hang out there.
- If you have a friend who talks posh or grew up around people who spoke posh, talk to them.
3
Practice a lot. Without practicing you won't be able to master the posh dialect. As a result, you should talk posh whenever you can. Do this by integrating posh words, sayings, and pronunciations into the way you talk daily. The more you practice, the better you'll be able to talk posh.
- Talk posh to your friends and family.
- Start talking posh in public.
- Repeat posh phrases to yourself.