Slang is a defining part of the English language; as deeply ingrained in our every day conversations as the weather and which supermarket does the best meal deal (Tesco, in my opinion, in case you were wondering).
With what feels like a new slang term popping up every other day and spreading like wildfire, you may have found yourself thinking: but what are the most-used slang words in the UK? Well, it’s your lucky day because you’re about to find out and (spoiler alert) they’re depressingly accurate.
According to a survey conducted by language learning platform, Preply, leading the race as the most popular slang word in the country is ‘knackered‘, with 61% of Brits confidently knowing how to use it correctly in a sentence. I mean, I’d love to know what sort of charmed life that other 39% of people are living but the idea of nearly two thirds of the British population wandering around in a tired daze, telling each other how knackered they are and trying not to bump into things isn’t a particularly shocking image, is it?
Not trailing too far behind on the leaderboard is the word ‘skint‘ and I guess there’s only one thing to blame for this one: that darn cost of living crisis (or the ‘Cozzy Livs‘, if you will). Whether it’s the £7.50 pints, the extortionate rental price of a glorified shoebox, or the sky-rocketing leccy bills, it’s no great surprise that 59% of the population have adopted the word ‘skint’ as part of their every day language, hey?
Conforming to the most accurate of British stereotypes, the word ‘cuppa‘ is also flying high on the list of the most-used slang words, confirming that no matter how knackered and skint we’re feeling; there’s not much that a good old cup of tea can’t solve.
The survey also revealed the lesser-embraced slang words in the country and named the words ‘innit‘ and ‘bevvy‘ as two of the most annoying slang words in the UK (which I’m taking as a bit of a personal attack on me tbh).
The most popular slang words in the UK right now:
- Knackered (extremely tired)
- Tenner (a ten-pound note)
- Cuppa (a cup of tea)
- Skint (having no money)
- Fiver (a five-pound note)
- Dodgy (a bit suspicious or questionable)
- Cheeky (Behaviour that is slightly rude but in a charming or amusing way)
- Gutted (bitterly disappointed)
- Quid (British pound)
- Bloody (emphasis on a comment or another word)
Read the full survey here.