A poor Cockney flower girl with ambitions to improve her social standing. She seeks out Henry Higgins to pay for elocution lessons so she can secure a respectable job in a flower shop. Clever and quick-witted despite her lack of formal education, she possesses a natural ability to read people and adopt expected behaviors.

A brilliant but abrasive professor of phonetics who views language as the key to social mobility. He agrees to teach Eliza as part of a bet, treating her more as a subject to be studied than a human being. A confirmed bachelor with misogynistic views, he struggles with basic manners despite his upper-class status.

An expert in Indian dialects who travels from India specifically to meet Henry Higgins. He represents the ideal Victorian gentleman, maintaining courteous manners and treating people of all classes with basic dignity. He funds the bet regarding Eliza's transformation but remains attentive to her well-being.

Eliza's absentee father who occasionally works as a dustman. He proudly identifies as part of the "undeserving poor," using his unique rhetoric and moral philosophy to secure money from wealthy gentlemen without taking on any responsibilities. He possesses a strong natural intelligence and a highly persuasive way of speaking.

A young man from a family dealing with "genteel poverty." After encountering Eliza during her phonetic training, he becomes immediately lovesick and infatuated with her. He acts as a direct contrast to older, cynical men like Higgins through his uncritical, romantic adoration.

Henry Higgins's socially conscious mother. She is a proper Victorian lady who understands and adheres strictly to class expectations. She frequently acts as a voice of reason in her son's life, expressing immediate concern about the ethical implications of treating a human being as a phonetic experiment.

Higgins's practical and stern housekeeper. She oversees the domestic side of Eliza's transition, handling her hygiene and new wardrobe. She serves as a maternal protector, demanding that Higgins watch his language and consider the long-term consequences of taking in a young woman.

A mother attempting to maintain a genteel lifestyle despite her family's lack of money. She adheres carefully to Victorian social conventions and small talk, struggling to adapt to the changing social norms and language that her children embrace.

Freddy's sister, a young woman experiencing genteel poverty who attempts to adopt modern slang to appear fashionable. Her eagerness to use words she considers trendy reveals the performative nature of class and language.

A former pupil of Henry Higgins who has found great success as a linguist and translator throughout Europe. He speaks dozens of languages and prides himself on his ability to unmask frauds. He acts as the ultimate evaluator of Higgins's phonetic training.