It’s the way you say it

Some might say that voice recognition technology has improved our lives; we don’t even need to touch a screen – we can just shout out a question or command to our virtual assistant of choice and the answer will be provided.

That is, of course, if they can actually understand what you’re saying in the first place. Alexa appears to speak the Queen’s English, while Siri’s accent is a broad transatlantic one. But what happens when you’re the one they can’t understand? SEO agency Spike Digital surveyed 2,000 Brits to find out how modern voice recognition technology copes with the variety of accents across the UK.

If the average Brit finds it complicated to pick up on different accents what chance do our poor virtual assistants have?

It is the Welsh accent that voice recognition tech struggles with the most, at 45.3%. And only 0.1% behind, is the Scottish accent, with 45.2% of Scots saying that they are frustrated when speaking to smart home devices.

“Hereabouts can be found numerous burial mounds called the ‘battle cairns’, although most are likely to pre-date any recorded history of the area. Along with the Battle Burn there is a ridge known as the ‘Battle Drum’, the ‘Battle Dykes’, a former avenue called the ‘Battle Ride’, all in an area around the Battle Drum Wood.

“These remnants of ancient woodlands within Montreathmont Moor, which was once a royal huntingground, have been engulfed by mass coniferous plantations over the last century.”