Best 60 English slang words (2023 Updated)

How many English slang words do you know?

Do you find English so hard to learn? You have been learning English for at least a couple of years, even a decade but still cannot speak naturally to or hard to catch native speaker’s phrases precisely? There should be a language gap between what you learn in school and real life.

It is a fact that native speakers use English slang words in their conversations so often. A high possibility is that you might focus too much on learning academic vocabulary and miss out on learning famous English slang words. 

In this article, we suggest a new learning aspect with Word Cloud to improve your English competency, in particular, English slang words. You will have a chance to access the ultimate list of 60 most famous English slang words, phrases, their meaning and examples that are used in both America, and  England, and some old English slang words, too. 

Table of Contents

• The Reasons to Learn English Slang Words
• British Slang – English Slang Words
• American Slang – English Slang Words
• The Bottom Line

More Tips with AhaSlides

• Live Word Cloud Generator
• Idea generation
• Collaborative word cloud

The Reasons to Learn English Slang Words

If you still wonder why learning English Slang words is beneficial, here are the five reasons:

• Fit the new environment and expand relationship networking quickly
• Increasing the rate of accuracy in expression and preventing faux pas and misunderstanding
• Promoting a sense of belonging and having deep ties to culture and traditions
• Learning deep insight into local history and past events
• Presenting personal opinions and evoking emotions a more fresh and meaningful way to deal with any kind of conversation and speech

British Slang – English Slang Words

1. Ace – is used to describe something that is awesome. A word that is popular in the north and amongst youngsters.
2. A load of tosh – is used to describe something that is not very good. For example, your lecturer might describe your essay “as a load of tosh” …. harsh!
3. Bees knees – the phrase does not relate to bees or knees but is an idiom for excellent. It became popular in the 1920s along with “cat’s whiskers.”
4. Bird: This is British slang for a girl or a woman.
5. Bevvy – The short for the word “beverages,” usually alcoholic, most often beer.
6. Bloody: As British slang, “bloody” places emphasis on a comment or another word. “That’s bloody brilliant!” for example. It is regarded as a mild expletive (swear word) but due to its common usage, it is generally acceptable. For example, “Oh bloody hell!”
7. Bonkers: Can mean either “crazy” or “angry” depending on the context. Someone can be “completely bonkers” or can “go bonkers” (the latter can also mean losing your temper).
8. Bollocking – You get a bollocking when you’ve done something you shouldn’t have. “I didn’t do my homework and the teacher gave me a right bollocking”.
9. Butcher’s hook –originates from the East End of London and is a rhyming slang for taking a look.
10. Can’t be arsed: A commonly used British slang sentence is “Can’t be arsed.” This is a less polite version of saying that you can’t be bothered doing something. You might also see this abbreviated to “CBA” in textspeak.
11. Cheers: A multi-purpose word that can be used as a toast, to thank someone or even say goodbye.
12. Cheesed off – is a quirky euphemism for being unhappy. Obviously, you would be unhappy if your cheese went off! It can be used in casual and formal situations for example someone could say “I’m cheesed off that you ate the last piece of cake.”
13. Chuffed: If someone is “chuffed,” they are very happy or delighted
14. Dead: A common English slang word for “very”, particularly in the north of England. “Did you see that bloke? He’s dead gorgeous”.
15. Donkey’s years – Apparently donkey’s live for a long time so when someone says “I haven’t seen you for donkey” they are saying they haven’t seen you in a long time.
16. Dodgy: Untrustworthy. A person can be dodgy but so can an object: “I think I ate a dodgy curry”.
17. Easy peasy – A fun and childish way of expressing something is easy to do or understand. We dare you to use it next time your lecturer is explaining something.
18. Earful – is an expression used to describe someone who is being told off. For example, you may hear someone say “They got an earful for being so loud last night.”
19. Ends: London slang for the area you’re from. It’s important to represent your ends.
20. Fancy: Used as a verb to show a desire for something or someone. “I really fancy her” is a profession of a love interest, but you could also ask someone: “Do you fancy some lunch?”.
21. Flogging a dead horse – to try and find a solution to a problem that is unsolvable. For example: “You’re flogging a dead horse by asking Martha to move to the UK – she hates rain”
22. Jokes: Used as an adjective, to mean “funny” or just “fun”. “Let’s go into town tonight mate, it’ll be jokes”.
23. I’m easy – next time you are in a restaurant and your friends are debating what to order just say “order whatever. I’m easy”. That’s a signal that you’re happy with whatever they order.
24. Jim jams – is slang for pyjamas and as a student, you’ll hear “I think it’s time to put on my Jim jams and get into bed – I’m exhausted!” – a lot!
25. Lemon: If you think that someone looks foolish because they are shy or slow to take action, you can say that they are like a lemon. Eg: I just stood there like a lemon.
26. Lush: Heard a lot in Wales but also in parts of northern England to mean “great” or “very nice”.
27. Leave it out – means you want someone to stop doing or saying something that you find upsetting or annoying.
28. Plonker: Someone who is a bit stupid or annoying. A little bit more affectionate than calling someone a pillock. “Don’t be such a plonker”.
29. Shook: London street slang for “scared”.
30. Rosie lee – is cockney rhyming slang for a cup of tea.

Rf: Oxford international English school, Wix

American Slang – English Slang Words

1. Bummer: A disappointment. Eg. “That’s such a bummer. I’m sorry that happened.”
2. Chick: a word to indicate a girl or young woman. Eg. “That chick is hilarious.”
3. Chill: means relax. Eg: I will go to Pari to chill for my upcoming holiday
4. Cool: same as awesome means “great” or “fantastic.” It also shows that you’re okay with an idea that is given by others.
5. Couch potato: a person who takes little or no exercise and watches a lot of television. Eg: ‘It is no good you being a couch potato and having a Dobermann”
6. Cram: Study like crazy. Eg: I am gonna take a history test and now I have to cram as much knowledge as possible. 
7. Flakey: is used to describe someone indecisive. Eg: “Garry is so flakey. He never shows up when he says he will.
8. Flick: the movie. Eg: The flick Avatar is worth watching.
9. Hypebeast: Someone who only wants to be popular
10. I can’t even!: used without the following phrase to indicate that the speaker is overwhelmed with emotion. Eg: “This is just so ridiculously cute. I can’t even.”
11. I don’t buy that: I don’t believe it
12. I’m down: I’m able to join. Eg. “I’m down for ping pong.”
13. I’m game: I’m up for that. Eg: that you are willing to do it/want to do it. Eg: does anyone want to go to a nightclub tonight? I’m game.
14. In no time: Very soon. Eg. “We’ll have our homework done in no time.”
15. In the bag: North American word for drunk. Eg: After a long night in the pubs, he was in the bag”
16. It sucked: It was bad/poor quality. Eg. “That movie sucked.”
17. Lame: The opposite of cool or fantastic. Eg. “That’s so lame that you can’t go out tonight.”
18. Lighten up: mean relax. Eg. “Lighten up! It was an accident.”
19. My bad: means My mistake. Eg. “My bad! I didn’t mean to do that.”
20. No biggie – It’s not a problem. Eg: “Thanks for tutoring me, David!”  – “No biggie, Lala.”
21. Once in a blue moon: means very rarely. Eg: “he comes round once in a blue moon”
22. Party animal: someone who enjoys parties and party activities very much and goes to as many as possible. Eg: Sarah’s a real party animal – she likes to dance all night.
23. Rip-off: A purchase that was very overpriced. Eg. “That phone case was a rip-off.”
24. Same here: mean “I agree”. Eg: “I’m having a hard time studying for this exam.” – “Same here.”
25. Score: Get what you want, or have sex with someone that you have usually just met: Did you score last night, then?
26. Screw up: To make a mistake. Eg. “Sorry I screwed up and forgot our plans.”
27. That’s the stuff: That’s really great or satisfying. Eg: Ah, that’s the stuff. Nothing like a cold beer after a long day’s work.
28. That’s rad: That’s exceptionally good, excellent, cool, or exciting. Eg: You’re going to the BlackPink concert too? That’s rad!
29. Tying the knot: If you say two people tie the knot, you mean they get married. Eg: Len tied the knot with Kate five years ago. 
30. Wasted – Intoxicated. Eg. “She was wasted last night.”

Rf: Berlitz, takelessons, Oxford languages

The Bottom Line

Basically, there is no way to speak like a native if you don’t add some English slang words in your vocabulary list. Learning new words is more challenging if you don’t practice them so often. If you are thinking of a game idea to learn new words effectively while having fun, why don’t you try AhaSlides Word Cloud. For learners, educators, and trainers, you can leverage the Word Cloud game to help you build cool and fancy language learning and teaching programs.