TonePerfect for Russian
Free Russian accent test
How strong is your accent in Russian? Record five words and get a per-sound score in under a minute. The test is the same engine the app uses; it ranks your sounds against each other so you know what to fix first.
What an accent test measures
An accent is the sum of the sounds you substitute from your first language. The test listens to each sound in the five words, scores how close it is to a native model, and lists the ones that drift furthest. It is not a certificate and it does not grade grammar or vocabulary, only the sounds.
How it works
- 1
Record 5 Russian words in your browser — no download, no signup.
- 2
The AI breaks each word into its individual sounds and scores every one.
- 3
See which sounds rank lowest, then drill exactly those in the app.
Scoring runs on a commercial-grade speech-assessment engine that evaluates every sound in every word. Russian scores are relative: they rank your sounds against each other to locate your weak spots — no pass/fail bars and no invented accuracy percentages.
The sounds that decide your accent
the 'ы' sound (быть)
Say 'ee' but pull the whole tongue back and down slightly, lips relaxed (not smiling). It feels like 'ee' said in the throat. Try б-ы: быть, сыр, мы.
soft (palatalized) consonants — брат vs брать
Almost every Russian consonant comes in a hard and a soft version. For soft ть, the tongue tip stays at the teeth while the tongue body presses up to the palate; it can sound almost like a very light 'ts'. This is the difference between брат and брать.
the rolled 'р' sound (раз)
Tap or roll the tongue tip against the ridge behind the teeth — like Spanish 'r'. Start by saying 'd-d-d' quickly and let the tip flutter. Never the English 'r'.
the soft 'рь' sound (теперь)
Roll the r while the tongue body squeezes up toward the palate — 'ry' in one sound. One of the hardest Russian sounds; start slow: ря, ри, рё.
the 'щ' sound (женщина)
A LONG soft 'sh' with the tongue far forward — like 'fresh sheets' said quickly as one hiss. Never the hard, dark ш; hold it a beat longer.
the 'ш' sound (школа)
'sh' with the tongue pulled BACK and the lips slightly rounded — deeper and darker than English 'sh'. Always hard: ши sounds like 'shy', never 'shee'.
Scores rank your own sounds against each other so you know what to drill first. They are not an accuracy certificate and not an exam grade.
Questions
What does the test measure?+
Each word you record is broken into its individual sounds by a speech-assessment engine, and every sound gets a score. The test then highlights which sounds scored lowest across your 5 words — your best starting point for practice. Scores rank your sounds against each other; they are not pass/fail grades or accuracy percentages.
Why only 5 words?+
The 5 words are chosen to pack in Russian's hardest sounds: ы and a soft ть in быть, the rolled р in рука, soft дь and нь in день, х and ш and vowel reduction in хорошо, and the long soft щ in ещё. Five words is enough for a first read on where you stand; the app then tests you on much more.
Do I need to read Cyrillic to take the test?+
It helps, but no — every word comes with an English respelling (рука is 'roo-KAH') and audio you can listen to before you record. If you're just starting out, mimic the audio.
What happens after the test?+
You see your 5 words scored sound by sound, with your lowest-scoring sounds called out. From there you can get the app to drill exactly those sounds in common words, track them over time, and practice full sentences. The app is free to try.
Practice Russian every day
The app drills the sounds this test flags, with thousands of words and instant feedback on every take.