120+ British Phrases Straight from the United Kingdom

Bob's your uncle! Pip pip, cheerio! If you want to sound like you're from the United Kingdom, it's not enough to adopt a British accent—you'll need to add the most common and quintessentially British slang terms and phrases to your wordbank. And we can help! We sat down with accent celebrity dialect coach Jack Wallace for some of his go-to British slang words, and accent coach Luke Nicholson for a brief lesson in speaking with an authentic British accent. Keep scrolling for some of the most iconically UK things to say to help you master your impression of a Brit!

Unmistakably British Terms & Phrases

Celebrity dialect coach Jack Wallace lists "wanker," "muppet," "trousers," and "holiday" as quintessentially British terms. Here are some of our other favorites:

Alright?: (excl.) a greeting similar to Hello (typically answered with Alright)
Blimey: (excl.) used when something takes you by surprise, similar to Whoa!
Knackered: (adj.) tired
Rubbish: (n.) garbage, nonsense
Sticky wicket: (n.) a difficult situation

Section 1 of 7:

Common British Phrases

Make your mates think you're really a Brit with these common phrases. Let's have a chinwag, shall we? You'll never be taken seriously as a Brit if you go around saying "Hello" to everyone instead of "Alright?" Keep reading for more essential British sayings to add to your everyday vocab:
- "Alright?": (excl.) a greeting, similar to Hello (Alright? is generally responded to with an Alright back)
- "Blimey": (excl.) an exclamation that indicates surprise, similar to Wow!
- "Brilliant!": "Great!"
- "Bollocks": (excl.) an exclamation used to indicate disbelief or skepticism.
  - also (n.) used to refer to a man's private parts
- "Bugger off!": "Go away!"
- "Cheers": (excl.) an exclamation used to express well-wishes or, sometimes, to say goodbye
- Fly in the ointment: (n.) a thing or person that spoils an otherwise great situation^{[1]
  X
  Research source}
- "I'll give you a ring": "I'll call you."
- "I'm gonna have a fag": "I'm gonna have a cigarette." (While this phrase is totally normal in the UK, it's not one you want to practice in the US!)
- "It's chucking down": "It's raining very hard."
- "It went all to pot": "It failed miserably."
- "Jolly good!": (excl.) used to express satisfaction or approval
- "Keep calm and carry on": (excl.) a British slogan intended to boost morale in times of distress, originating with a motivational poster produced by the government in 1939 in preparation for World War II^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
- "Let's have a chinwag": "Let's chitchat."
- "Mind the gap!": (excl.) a warning heard on London Underground trains to remind passengers to take care when crossing over the space between the platform and the train
- "Smashing!": "Great!"
- "Sod off!": "F*ck off!"
- "Spot on!": "Exactly right!"
- "Ta ta!": "Goodbye!"
- Throw a spanner in the works: (v.) to do something to keep a plan from succeeding (equivalent to throw a wrench in the works)
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Jack Wallace is a Dialect Coach from the UK now based in Hollywood, California. Jack specializes in on-set coaching, production prep, and helping professional actors to develop idiolects (specific people's voices) for their characters.

Luke Nicholson is a British accent coach with over a decade of experience helping English learners communicate more clearly. He is a lecturer at University College London and a member of the International Phonetic Association.

Section 2 of 7:

Common British Terms

These everyday Britishisms need a permanent spot in your wordbank. You can't sound British without the occasional "bloke" or "gobsmacked," as everybody knows. Memorize these terms so you'll be ready to pull them out next time you want to pass as a legit Brit:
- Bits and bobs: (n.) miscellaneous things and objects
- Bloke: (n.) a guy
- Bloody: (adv.) very
- Cheeky: (adj.) mischievous, playful
- Chuffed: (adj.) ecstatic, very pleased
- Cockney: (n.) someone native to East London
- Cock-up: (n.) a mistake
- Do: (n.) an event, a to-do (as in a "birthday do")
- Dodgy: (adj.) shifty or suspicious
- Elevenses: (n.) a brief break for light snacks and refreshments taken at about 11:00 in the morning
- Gobby: (adj.) mouthy, rude
- Gutted: (adj.) utterly disappointed
- Hunky-dory: (adj.) A-OK
- Jammy: (adj.) lucky
- Mate: (n.) a friend
- Miffed: (adj.) annoyed, irritated
- Nick: (v.) to steal
- Peckish: (adj.) hungry
- Posh nosh: (n.) very fancy food
- Proper: (adv.) very
- Quid: (n.) slang for the British pound (similar to how Americans use "bucks" to refer to "dollars")
- Rubbish: (n.) nonsense, trash
- Skint: (adj.) broke
- Sod's law: (n.) Murphy's law (i.e., "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong")
- Whinging: (v.) whining, moaning, complaining

Section 3 of 7:

Funny British Phrases & Terms

Keep calm and don't get your jolly good knickers in a twist! OK, we may have mixed up some of our British sayings there, but you get the idea. British English involves many stereotypical and even silly sayings and cliches, like "Bob's your uncle" and "Fancy a cuppa?" Keep reading for all the must-know funny British phrases:
- "Bloody hell!": (excl.) an exclamation of frustration or surprise
- "Bob's your uncle": (excl.) used to conclude a set of basic instructions (e.g., "You just turn left at the corner, make a right onto Whey Street, and Bob's your uncle!")
- Bugger all: (n.) nothing at all
- Curtain twitcher: (n.) a nosy person
- "Don't get your knickers in a twist!": "Don't get all worked up!"
- "Fancy a cuppa?": "Do you want a cup of tea?"
- Gobsmacked: (adj.) shocked, stunned
- "Innit?": a contracted form of "Isn't it?"
- "It's all gone pear-shaped": "It's all gone wrong."
- Knackered: (adj.) tired
- Poppycock: (n.) nonsense, rubbish
- "She's a sandwich short of a picnic": "She's not very clever."
- Sticky wicket: (n.) a difficult situation
- Take the Mickey (out of someone): (v.) to make fun of or tease somebody
- Take the piss (out of someone): (v.) to mock or make fun of someone

Section 4 of 7:

Common British Slang Compliments

Sweep your mates off their feet with these British compliments. Fancy someone? Woo them Britishly with a few choice compliments straight from the UK:
- Bright as a button: (adj.) clever
- Buff: (adj.) sexy, attractive
- Cracking: (adj.) excellent, fantastic
- Fancy: (v.) to have a crush on
- Fit: (adj.) super hot
- Lush: (adj.) attractive
- Minted: (adj.) very cool, excellent (also slang for "rich")
- Posh: (adj.) fancy
- Smart: (adj.) well-dressed, sharp
- Smashing: (adj.) fantastic
- Tidy: (adj.) good-looking

Section 5 of 7:

Common British Slang Insults

The most fun thing about a new dialect is the creative insults. "The obvious one people love is 'wanker,' which is somewhat equivalent to 'jerk,'" says Wallace."If you want more playful put-downs, we might say someone is a 'muppet' (a foolish person) or a 'numpty' (a silly person)."^{[3]
X
Expert Source

Jack Wallace
Celebrity Dialect Coach

Expert Interview} Add these iconic British insults to your vocab:
- Bellend: (n.) a stupid or annoying person
- Chav: (n.) a "low-class" person
- Cockwomble: (n.) an idiot, an obnoxious person^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
- Crackers: (adj.) crazy
- Daft: (adj.) silly, stupid
- Daft cow: (n.) a silly, stupid woman
- Dim: (adj.) unintelligent
- Gormless: (adj.) slow-witted, dull
- Knob: (n.) an idiot
- Lummox: (n.) a clumsy or stupid person
- Mad: (adj.) crazy
- Minger: (n.) an unpleasant or unattractive person
- Muppet: (n.) a fool
- Naff: (adj.) uncool or tacky
- Nitwit: (n.) a fool
- Numpty: (n.) a silly person
- Nutter: (n.) a crazy person
- Pillock: (n.) a stupid person
- Plonker: (n.) an idiot
- Tosser: (n.) a crazy person
- Tosspot: (n.) a stupid or obnoxious person
- Wanker: (n.) a jerk
- Yob: (n.) an uncouth person
EXPERT TIP

Jack Wallace
Celebrity Dialect Coach
Jack Wallace is a Dialect Coach from the UK now based in Hollywood, California. Jack specializes in on-set coaching, production prep, and helping professional actors to develop idiolects (specific people's voices) for their characters. Jack’s clients include Sony, Netflix, Lifetime, Universal and VHR. He has also been featured as an industry expert in ET, Buzzfeed, Insider, CNN, and more. Jack has a Master’s in Professional Voice Practice from The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and is a certified One-Voice Practitioner.

Jack Wallace
Celebrity Dialect Coach

My favorite Victorian-era slang is "muffin walloper," which refers to someone who just sits at home eating cakes instead of cooking. Another great one is "having the morbs," which means feeling slightly depressed.

Section 6 of 7:

British Terms That Confuse Americans

Nobody will think you're British if you still refer to trousers as "pants." There are lots of uniquely British slang terms and phrases—and then there are the (sometimes unexplainable or nonsensical) British translations for everyday American things, like cookies ("biscuits") or pissed ("drunk"). "One big difference is that [the British] don’t use 'vacation,'" notes Wallace. "Instead, we say 'holiday.'"^{[5]
X
Expert Source

Jack Wallace
Celebrity Dialect Coach

Expert Interview} Here are some other American-to-British translations:
- General:
  - Arcade: (n.) a mini mall (not a place where you play games)
  - Boot: (n.) the trunk of a car
  - Brolly: (n.) an umbrella
  - Chemist: (n.) pharmacist (not someone who works in a chem lab)
  - Fortnight: (n.) two weeks
  - Holiday: (n.) vacation
  - Jiffy bag: (n.) a padded envelope
  - Lift: (n.) an elevator
  - Loo: (n.) a toilet
  - Motorway: (n.) the freeway
  - Pissed: (adj.) drunk
  - Public school: (n.) private school (this one doesn't make sense to us, either)^{[6]
    X
    Research source}
  - Rubber: (n.) an eraser (not a condom!)
  - Trolleyed: (adj.) drunk
- Food:
  - Aubergine: (n.) an eggplant
  - Biscuits: (n.) cookies (what Americans think of as biscuits, Brits probably would call "scones")
  - Chips: (n.) thick-cut French fries (not potato chips)
  - Coriander: (n.) cilantro
  - Crisps: (n.) potato chips
  - Flapjacks: (n.) pancakes
  - Pudding: (n.) dessert (any type of dessert, not just the smooth, wiggly gelatin)
  - Rasher: (n.) a thin slice of bacon (or a portion of bacon)
  - Salad cream: (n.) salad dressing
  - Take-away: (n.) takeout, to-go food
- Clothing: "Clothing terminology is another area where American and British English differ significantly," Wallace says.^{[7]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Jack Wallace
  Celebrity Dialect Coach
  
  Expert Interview}
  - Dungarees: (n.) overalls ("'Overalls' in the UK refer to a full-body mechanic suit," Wallace notes.^{[8]
    X
    Expert Source
    
    Jack Wallace
    Celebrity Dialect Coach
    
    Expert Interview})
  - Kit: (n.) a uniform
  - Jumper: (n.) a sweater
  - Pants: (n.) underpants
  - Rollneck or poloneck: (n.) a turtleneck
  - Trousers: (n.) pants
  - Vest: (n.) a tank top or undershirt
  - Waistcoat: (n.) a vest
  - Wellies: (n.) rainboots

Section 7 of 7:

Perfecting a British Accent

1
"Only pronounce the 'R' sound if there's a vowel sound after it," says Nicholson. "For example, in 'red,' we pronounce the 'R' because of the vowel sound that follows. However, in 'start,' we don't pronounce the 'R' because no vowel follows. This differs from General American English, where the 'R' is pronounced in all positions."^{[9]
X
Expert Source

Luke Nicholson
British Accent Coach

Expert Interview}
2
"In British English, 'T' is pronounced as a clear 'T' sound," Nicholson adds. "For example, 'later' is pronounced with a crisp 'T.' In American English, the 'T' is often pronounced as a soft 'D' sound."^{[10]
X
Expert Source

Luke Nicholson
British Accent Coach

Expert Interview}
- He adds this caveat: "Some British speakers use a glottal stop for 'T' in words like 'water,' making it sound like 'warar.' The glottal stop involves closing the vocal folds to block airflow briefly."^{[11]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Luke Nicholson
  British Accent Coach
  
  Expert Interview}
3
The "or" sound in "north" should sound similar to the "augh" sound in "taught." If you want to speak in a British accent, "[the same vowel sound should] appear in [the] words 'north' and 'taught,'" explains Nicholson.^{[12]
X
Expert Source

Luke Nicholson
British Accent Coach

Expert Interview}
- Want an example of all three steps? You can hear it in the way a British person says "water." "In 'water,' you can hear the 'or' vowel, the pronounced 'T,' and the absence of the final 'R,'" Nicholson clarifies.^{[13]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Luke Nicholson
  British Accent Coach
  
  Expert Interview}