What is slang in English?

Surely, while watching an exciting Hollywood movie, an episode of your favorite foreign TV series, or a popular TV show in the original or with subtitles, you have often noticed that the characters often use expressions and language structures that are difficult for you to understand. And when you start translating them, everything becomes even more confusing, because a standard dictionary does not provide answers, but only raises more questions. Often, such discrepancies arise due to idiomatic expressions, which have ambiguous meanings and require a special dictionary for translation.

But sometimes it's just plain slang. In English, it can be very different and depends on a number of factors: the national variant of English (British, Australian, etc.), dialect, professional field or social group to which the speaker belongs, and so on. That is why, in order to understand colloquial speech well, it is extremely important today to know the peculiarities of English slang and basic slang expressions.

What is slang in English?

Informal constructions are not just words we exchange with friends. They reflect the social and cultural realities of a particular era. We use them in conversations with loved ones, acquaintances, and classmates when there is no need to adhere to strict language rules. They change along with the world: some disappear, new ones appear, enriching the language.

Slang can be divided into three main groups:

1. Professional. It arises among representatives of certain professions. Each field develops its own “working” vocabulary.
2. Regional. It is characteristic of a particular country or region. For example, English-speaking residents of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, or South Africa may have completely different words for the same things.
3. Social. Common among certain social groups, such as teenagers, football fans, etc.

And these are just the main groups, each of which has its own specific categories. We will discuss them below.

Abbreviations

These slang words have long been part of the English language. These forms are easy to recognize in songs, movies, or informal correspondence:

• lemme — let me;
• dunno — don’t know;
• wanna — want to;
• outta — out of;
• gimme — give me;
• yep — yes;
• tryna — trying to.

In general, abbreviations are universal and are used in informal communication among native speakers around the world.

Youth slang

These words are used in casual communication by all generations, although they originate mainly among young people. They should be avoided in formal settings such as work, academic conferences, or job interviews. Here are some typical examples:

• dope — very cool, awesome;
• cringe — something embarrassing or shameful;
• salty — offended, annoyed;
• vibe — mood, atmosphere; as a verb — “to get along”;
• slay — to look or act very cool, to do something brilliantly;
• flex — to show off, to brag;
• banger — a song or something very cool.

Be sure to check the context before using new vocabulary.

Swear words

English profanity is as rich as Ukrainian. Whether to use it is a personal choice. But knowing words and expressions will help you better understand foreigners and their culture. We will not give examples of such slang words in English — if you wish, you can easily find them yourself.

Abbreviations

This type of slang is more common in writing than in spoken language. They were first used to save characters in text messages, and later in social media and instant messengers:

• BRB — be right back (I'll be right back).
• TTYL — talk to you later (talk to you later).
• GF / BF — girlfriend / boyfriend.
• IMO / IMHO — in my opinion / in my humble opinion.
• IDC — I don’t care.
• LOL — laugh out loud.
• ROFL — rolling on the floor laughing (rolling on the floor laughing).
• YOLO — you only live once (you only live once).
• Less than three (<3) — I love you (heart symbol — “I love you”).
• NSFW — not safe for work (not for viewing at work).

Every professional field has its own abbreviations that can be used in writing and conversation. There are a ton of them for every field, and we'll talk a bit more about them later.

What is English slang in correspondence?

Correspondence and active commenting on posts on social networks, SMS, and messaging in messengers are difficult to imagine without the use of colloquial vocabulary. Interestingly, written slang differs from the literary norm not so much in its emotionality as in its conciseness.

It contains little emotion, as its main purpose is to save the author time and effort. Below are some of the most popular expressions that you have probably already seen on Facebook or Twitter:

• b — to be;
• 8 — ate;
• c — to see;
• 4 — for;
• r — are;
• u — you;
• ur — your or you are;
• y — why;
• activ8 — activate;
• gr8 — great;
• m8 — mate;
• l8r — later;
• b4 — before;
• there4 — therefore;
• 2day — today;
• w8 — wait;
• 3SUM — threesome;
• H8 — hate;
• NO1 — no one (no one);
• NE1 — anyone;
• 4eva — forever;
• soz — sorry;
• 2moz / tomoz / 2moro — tomorrow;
• 2NITE — tonight;
• TX — thanks;
• 2dA — today;
• addy — address;
• sez — says;
• cuz / bcuz / bcz / bcos / bc / coz / bcoz — because;
• plez — please;
• probz — probably;
• w/t — with;
• s/t — something;
• b/r — bedroom
• h/w — homework;
• c/w — classwork;
• pce — peace;
• SPK — speak;
• PPL — people;
• BTW — by the way.

In written language, as in spoken language, the use of slang and jargon in English depends heavily on the situation: such expressions are typical for teenagers and young people who communicate on informal topics. In business correspondence, such abbreviations are rarely used.

Examples of slang in business

There is a general business slang, the meaning of which is usually clear even without in-depth knowledge. It is not used in official documents, but it is quite common in correspondence and partner communication.

Business slang is conventionally divided into two types: abbreviations and idioms. Let's look at both.

Common business abbreviations

Some abbreviations have become international, and the meaning of a particular word is known in the business environment of any country:

• B2B — business to business.
• CEO — chief executive officer.
• KPI — key performance indicators.

The following are also common:

• CAO — chief accounting officer.
• CFO — chief financial officer.
• CMO — chief marketing officer.
• HRD — head of the HR department.

Specialized industries have narrow-profile terms. For example, in logistics:

• FIFO (First In, First Out) — the first goods to arrive are the first to leave.
• LIFO (Last In, First Out) — the freshest goods are sold first.

Abbreviations such as NOPAT, COGS, and IPO are actively used in financial reporting. For starters, it is enough to know that they exist — it is not necessary to learn everything if you are not an accountant or financier.

Here are some more examples of abbreviations used in correspondence:

• HQ — head office.
• j.i.t. — just in time.
• K — thousand (300K = 300,000).
• yr / wk — year / week.
• c.c. — copy (in email).
• enc. — attachment.

This is convenient in correspondence — you can always Google it. But it won't work in conversation. That's why it's important to know idioms as well.

Business idioms you should know

Idioms convey meaning concisely and are often used in business communication:

• Win-win — mutually beneficial cooperation.
• All hands meeting — general team meeting.
• You did a good job, but... — “Good, but...”.

Useful phrases:

• Boil the ocean — to attempt the impossible.
• Doable — realistic, feasible.
• Carved in stone — an unchangeable decision.
• Finalize — to complete.
• Freeze — to pause.
• Impact — influence, result.
• In the loop — to be in the know.
• Oversight — oversight.
• Paper trail — documentary evidence.
• Quick fix — temporary solution.
• Reskilling — retraining.
• Time frame — time frame.
• Underutilized — underestimated.
• Window of opportunity — a good opportunity

To learn business slang better, study purposefully. Start a dictionary, write down the meanings and phonetics of words for their correct use and pronunciation, and install an app for learning words. Start with the most common phrases and use them in the right situations.

New slang words

Since English is the language of cinema, music, literature, politics, and communication in every corner of the world, it changes very dynamically. Although we have mentioned some basic slang abbreviations, it is impossible to list them all. However, we can mention the newest and most relevant ones — those that are commonly heard today.

• Amped — to be in a pleasant state of anticipation, excited.
• Basic — banal, boring, as an insult.
• Bet — agreement, confirmation (like “okay”).
• Boujee — luxurious, expensive.
• Bussin – very tasty or cool.
• Cancel – boycott due to unacceptable behavior.
• Cheugy – old-fashioned, trying to be fashionable.
• Clout – popularity, recognition.
• Delulu – detached from reality.
• Drip – stylish clothing, image.
• Era – phase of life, period.
• Extra – overly dramatic.
• Fam – friends, close circle.
• Finna – getting ready to do something.
• Fit – image, look, clothes.
• Ghosting – ignoring someone without explanation.
• Gucci – everything is fine, everything is okay.
• Legit – real, not fake.
• Lit – cool, fun, unforgettable.
• Low-key – modest, not ostentatious.
• Mid – mediocre, nothing special.
• Mother – female icon, idol.
• Rent-free – intrusive thoughts.
• Rizz – charisma, attractiveness.
• Salty – offensive, negative.
• Savage – brutally honest, surprisingly beautiful.
• Sick – cool, awesome.
• Simp – someone who tries too hard to be liked.
• Slaps / smacks – very tasty or cool.
• Snack – attractive guy.
• Stan – fanatical supporter.
• Sus – suspicious.
• Thirsty – desperate, seeking the slightest attention.
• Totes – completely agree.
• Vanilla – boring, ordinary.
• Vibing – being on the same wavelength.
• Woke – socially conscious, progressive.

Take a close look at these words — you may have used some of them in an outdated slang form, such as “flashy” instead of “boujee,” “bomb” instead of “bussin,” “rep” instead of “clout,” ‘groovy’ instead of “lit,” and so on. This is not a mistake, but it does indicate your overall level of English proficiency. Just as there are slang words in Ukrainian that everyone understands, but new ones have replaced them: “угар” — “рофл”, “забійна річ” — “імба”, “лажа” — “зашквар”, “травити” — “хейтити”, ‘справа’ — “тема”, etc.

Without knowledge of modern slang, it is impossible to achieve native English proficiency. Learning English from outdated school textbooks is ineffective and incorrect: semantics is no less important than phonetics and grammar. So, expand your vocabulary with modern words and phrases using all available methods.