Have you ever felt confident in your knowledge of English and tried to test it but came back with crushed self-esteem because of confronting with slang?
What are slangs? Well, English slang words are informal English vocabulary that you can only use in informal conversations.
In this lesson, we are going to learn 15 American slangs that you can’t find in books but you frequently hear them in movies and TV series!
American slang words: First part
Let’s learn about some English slang words together! Look at this paragraph:
- Hey my friend, relax! You don’t have to study so hard! I’m sure you will do great tomorrow!
This is a very simple paragraph. However, if you go to the US and have a conversation with someone on the street or you see two friends having a conversation informally, this is not the way they say it You should know American informal English words and try to learn how to improve English speaking. Let’s learn about the slang words first!
Slang version of “friend”
👭
Instead of “friend” they will use “dude”. “dude” is used to refer to a man for example:
- Jason was a cool dude! (he was a cool and nice man.)
English slang words for “relax”
Instead of “relax” you may hear “chill” which means relaxing. For example:
- The bar has a pretty chill atmosphere! (the vibe of the bar is relaxed.)
Slang version of “studying hard”
🤓
Instead of “studying hard”, you may hear “cram”. If you cram for an exam, you study really hard for it in a very short period of time! For example:
- She is cramming for her history exam.
Slang version of “to do well”
🏅
Instead of “do well”, especially for an exam, you will hear “ace”. If you ace a test or an exam, you will do very well in it. for example:
- I aced my math exam! (I did very well in my math exam)
Now, let’s rewrite the paragraph with the new slang:
- Hey dude! Chill! You don’t have to cram! I’m sure you will ace the test tomorrow!
Let’s learn more English slang words in the next part.
Watch this short funny video
English slang words : Second part
Look at this paragraph to learn new American slang words:
- Last night’s party was amazing! We went crazy! Your friends were very cool!
This is a normal paragraph. However, let’s see what the slang version of it will look like.
American slang words for “amazing”
😀
When something is amazing or really good, you can say “lit”. So, if something is really good, it’s lit. for example:
- That car is lit! (that car is really good.)
Another thing that you can use instead of “amazing”, is “dope”. “dope” means cool and very good. for example:
- Wow! That music is dope! (that music is very good)
Slang version of “crazy”
🤪
Instead of “crazy” you may hear “nuts” in American slang.
- You are nuts if you think you can climb Mount Everest easily!
Now, let’s see the slang version of the paragraph:
Last night’s party was lit! we were nuts! Your friends were very dope!
Stay with us to learn about other American slang words in the next part.
Learn more: The most common formal and informal words in English
American slang words: Third part
In order to learn new English slang words in this part, look at another simple paragraph:
- I love my girlfriend! She is beautiful and she is very stylish! She is also very modest! She has a great sense of style and she helps me wear things which are very attractive!
This is a normal paragraph and let’s try to write its slang version.
English slang words for “stylish”
💅
If someone or something is very stylish, you might hear that people say they have the drip. If someone has the drip, it means that they are very stylish. For example:
- I like Susy because she has the drip!
Slang version of “quiet and not attracting attention”
🤫
If something or someone is quiet in a way that is not attracting any attention, you can use the word “low-key” for describing them. For example:
- The wedding ceremony was very low-key. (the wedding didn’t attract much attention and it was quiet.)
English slang words for “boyfriend / girlfriend”
👨🏼❤️👩🏽
In American slang, instead of girlfriend or boyfriend, you may hear “bae”. For example:
- It’s bad when bae does not reply to your texts!
Slang version of “attractive”
😎
If something or someone is very attractive, instead of “attractive” you may hear “on fleek”.
- That look is very on fleek! (that look is very attractive).
Now, let’s rewrite the paragraph with the new slang!
- I love my bae! She is beautiful and she has the drip! She is also very low-key! She has a great sense of style and she helps me wear things which are on fleek!
English slang words : Forth part
In this section, we will learn English slang words related to studying, being exited, wanting something really bad and quiet and empty place. Let’s move on to the last paragraph!
- I was studying last night. but I was really bored. So, my friend suggested going to a bar. I was so excited to dance and drink. I really wanted a bottle of beer, but when we got there the bar was quiet and empty!
This is a very normal and simple text. Let’s upgrade it.
Slang version of “to study”
📚
Another way to say “to study” is to say “to hit the books”. For example:
- This weekend I have to hit the books because I have an exam coming up!
American slang words for “excited”
🤩
In American slang, they don’t usually use “excited”, instead of that they use “hyped”. “hyped” means very excited about something. for example:
- I’m really hyped about the new Marvel movie!
Slang version of “want something really bad”
This one is very interesting slang! If you want to say that you want something really bad, you can say you are jonesing for it. For instance:
- I’m jonesing for a cup of coffee right now!
Slang version of “quiet and empty place”
If a place is quiet and empty, you can say it’s a dead place. If a place is dead, it means that it’s boring and it’s not lively. This slang is specially used for bars and restaurants.
- The bar was really dead last night! I didn’t like it!
And now, let’s rewrite the paragraph.
- I was hitting the books last night. but I was really bored. So, my friend suggested going to a bar. I was hyped to dance and drink. I was jonesing for a bottle of beer, but when we got there the bar was dead!
You don’t necessarily use slang in your speaking but you’d better know them so that you understand native speakers easily. However, if you use them in your speaking suitably you will definitely become a more professional speaker. So let’s learn some other American slangs:
To screw up:
Meaning: to make a mistake, or to spoil something
Example: I screwed the exam up. I will definitely fail it.
By the skin of one’s teeth:
Meaning: If you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just succeed in doing it
Example: He escaped from the secret police by the skin of his teeth.
Couch potato:
Meaning: a person who watches a lot of television and does not have an active life
Example: Jack has recently become a couch potato. He just slaps in front of the TV days and nights.
Down to Earth:
Meaning: practical, reasonable, and friendly
Example: She’s a down-to-earth woman with no pretensions.
A cold shoulder:
Meaning: An unfriendly attitude shown to someone or something
Example: He was angry and gave me the cold shoulder.
To get cold feet:
Meaning: To become suddenly nervous about sth you have planned to do.
Example: I was going to start my gym but I got cold feet.
To have a blast:
Meaning: To have a very fun or exciting time (doing something).
Example: The kids are having a blast running around the beach all day.
Isn’t the time to use these slang expressions in a conversation?
First scene
A: Why are you so upset dude?
B: You know. My girlfriend has been giving me the cold shoulder!
A: Did you screw anything up?
B: No. I have been so down to earth in my relationship.
A: What are you doing these days?
B: I am a complete couch potato right now. I do nothing special!
A: Come on dude! I think you can manage the situation by the skin of your teeth. You are going to have a blast together again.
B: I hope so. But whatever I plan to do I get cold feet immediately.
Now let’s learn some British slang:
To be knackered:
Meaning: To be exhausted, so tired
Example: After a long busy day I was completely knackered.
To be in skint:
Meaning: having no money, especially for a short time
Example: Last month I bought an expensive house. So I am in skint right now.
To be quids in:
Meaning: To be in a good financial situation
Example: You’re in quids. You won the lottery.
To be pants:
Meaning: To be rubbish
Example: The movie was pants so I left the cinema.
To swear down:
Meaning: To promise sth by your heart
Example: I swear down I will help you in this project.
To throw a spanner in the works:
Meaning: To do something that prevents a plan or activity from succeeding
Example: I panned carefully and tried so hard but I threw a spanner in the works by being late for the test.
To go/be out of the pull:
Meaning: To be trying to find someone to mess around with.
Example: I split up with my girlfriend so I should be out of the pull.
Now we can put these slang idioms into practice to learn them very well.
Second scene
A: Come on! Why are you so knackered?
B: You know. I planned everything to get out of the pull! But I threw a spanner in the works by not paying attention to that girl’s personality.
A: what else?
B: I have spent a lot of money on food and drinks whenever we hang out. I am in skint right now. But I swear down I will not do such things again.
A: Yeah! This is so pants!
B: (Suddenly receiving a notification) Hey look! I won the lottery.
A: You’re in quids. You’re damn lucky!
Watch this video
In this lesson, we learned about some common slang in the English language. As you know, communicating with native speakers requires a wide range of vocabulary. The POC English website has a great online English course that covers speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills. Take this course and learn English grammar with the best methods, improve English vocabulary, and take your English to the next level.
ُThe most common English slang words summery
Let’s review the slangs that we learned in this lesson
✅ friend → dude
✅ to relax → chill
✅ to study hard → to cram
✅ to do well → to ace
✅ amazing → lit / dope
✅ crazy → nuts
✅ very stylish → has the drip
✅ quiet in a way that is not attracting any attention → low-key
✅ girlfriend / boyfriend → bae
✅ attractive → on fleek
✅ to study → to hit the books
✅ excited → hyped
✅ wanting something really bad → jonesing for something
✅ quiet and empty place → dead place
I’m really fond of you.
I love the