Online Slang Dictionaries and Language Links (2024)

Resource Categories:

• British slang and dialect
• General English slang and comparative English/American language
• U.S. slang
• Australian slang
• New Zealand slang
• South African slang
• Foreign slang and languages
• Drug related slang
• 'Black' slang and rap
• Gay/lesbian slang
• Crime and prison slang
• Other specialist slang sites
• Miscellaneous dictionaries and other language related resources
• Link partners

British slang and language related sites:

• Complete Dictionary of co*ckney Rhyming Slang - a full list of co*ckney rhyming slang, provided by Manny, a 'London man with a van'.
• co*ckney Rhyming Slang - an interesting selection of the often enigmatic vernacular of London's East End.
• Glaswegian Dictionary - Glasgow terms and phrases.
• Wir Ain Leid - Our Own Language - a dictionary, articles on Scottish and the continuing debate on whether Scottish is a dialect or a language in its own right.
• The Main Dialects of Scots - a part of the wider Scots Language Centre website.
• The Geordie Dictionary - a moderate collection of dialect and slang from Tyneside, in the North East of England.
• Durham & Tyneside Dialect Group - words, literature, publications and a newsletter.
• The Updated GonMad Cumbrian Dictionary - currently small but is sure to grow rapidly with the many rich dialectisms of Cumbria
• The Lakeland Dialect Society - A glossary with accompanying news, publications and more.
• Ye Olde English Sayings - offers a revealing insight into the origins of some well-known British phrases, with a selection of alternative suggestions submitted by visitors.
• Estuary English - written articles and links related to English spoken around London and the South-East. Authored by the University College London.
• Whoohoo - takes a light-hearted approach to the English language and allows the translation of phrases and emails into your choice of the British dialects, including amongst others co*ckney, Scouse, Geordie, Scottish and Brummie.
• The Routes of English - provides a selection of radio articles on dialect, the future of English and other relevant topics. Presenting audio clips from the BBC Radio 4 series on the English language.
• Yorkshire Dialect Dictionary - good collection of dialect local to Yorkshire.
• North Yorkshire Glossary - a BBC page & dictionary, with additional submissions from readers.
• Language of the Potteries - a humorous look at the North Staffordshire tongue, illustrated with a few complimentary cartoons.
• F.O.N.D. - Friends of Norfolk Dialect - dedicated to conserving, recording and promoting the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Norfolk dialect.
• British Slang Dictionary - dictionary of English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Cornish, Yorkshire slang.
• Slang on Twitter - get regular slang tweets on twitter from a Dictionary of Slang.
• The Yorkshire Dialect Society - hear and read about the Yorkshire dialect, from the world's oldest dialect society.

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General English slang and comparative English-American language dictionaries and resources:

• The English/American dictionary - brought to you by Brit Mike Etherington who has himself lived in Texas for two years; the site has pages on people, motoring, around the house, food and drink and a general slang section. Also, now available for purchase, the book "The Best of British (The American's guide to speaking British)" by Mike Etherington.
• The Septic's Companion formerly The English to American Dictionary - written by a Scot having spent time on the States, it presents the different use of English on both sides of the Atlantic; handy for the American visitor to Britain.
• Green’s Dictionary of Slang - historical slang from the last 500 years by the UK's leading slang lexocographer, Jonathon Green.
• Roger's Profannisaurus - a humourous and very colourful collection of sexual slang and vulgarisms, collated and published by the Viz comic.
• Urban Dictionary - "a slang dictionary with your definitions". A more entertaining than serious reference resource.
• The Online Slang Dictionary - user submitted slang expressions and definitions.
• Britishisms: What Are They? How To Use Them - interesting viewpoint on the British language from an American's perspective.
• Glossary of English and British Words - a part of larger website and resource on British Life and Culture.

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US slang and language related sites:

• Amerispeak - contains a selection of expressions associated with the US.
• American Dialect Society - founded over a century ago and the only scholarly association dedicated to the study of the English language in North America.
• Slang City - guide to American slang, including explanations of popular songs and movies, bad words, body parts and more.
• A Historical Dictionary of American Slang - presents a unique way for studying slang. It contains over 2200 slang words with the centuries in which they were first printed.

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Australian slang:

• The Aussie Pages - a light hearted dictionary of Australian slang and phrases, brought to you by Koala Net.
• Australian Slang Vocabulary - learn everyday Australian words, phrases, sayings, and meanings with this Aussie slang guide.
  
• World’s Largest Australian Slang Dictionary - the largest collection of Australian slang currently on the WWW.

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New Zealand sites:

• N.Z. English to US English Dictionary - providing equivalent American definitions to a variety of expressions, including slang from New Zealand.
• New Zealand Slang - the ultimate guide to Kiwi slang.

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South African sites:

• Surfrikan Slang - provides a glossary to South African slang from the surfer's perspective.
• The Ultimate South African Slang Guide - a traveller’s guide to South African slang.

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Foreign language sites:

• 30 Funny French Idioms to Sound Like a Native - idioms and expressions that can make you sound like a native of France.

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Drug related slang:

• Drug Related Slang - a straightforward listing, and a part of a large site on drugs, including history, many related documents, and use of drugs. Originally compiled in the U.S. by the 'Drugs & Crime Data Center & Clearinghouse.'

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'Black' slang and rap:

• Rasta Glossary - a great selection of Rastafarian language, presented by the Rasta Gear Shop.

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Gay/Lesbian slang sites:

• Polari - British Gay Slang - includes a brief introduction, word listings and some interesting links.
• Queer Language - 'A Critique of Social Constructionism and Postmodern Queer Theory ' - by Rictor Norton.

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Crime and Prison Slang:

• Twists, slugs and roscoes: A glossary of hardboiled slang - lists the unusual slang of the literary underworld of crime.

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Other specialist slang sites:

• A Dictionary of Roadie Slang - the language of road racing cyclists.
• Special Forces Jargon and Terminology - a selection of U.S. soldier's terms and just a little slang, from Vietnam.
• English, as She is Spoke at McMurdo - a guide to slang and jargon of the Antarctic.
• ARRSEpedia - this dictionary is a "one stop shop for Soldier speak", offering British army slang and jargon.
• Glossary of 1950s Slang - some of the slang words used by the very coolest kids in the 1950s.
• Glossary of Military Terms & Slang - from a U.S. military perspective.
• Drunktionary - a collection of politically incorrect slang terms for being drunk.
• SlangLang - unusual slang "mainly used on the Internet", however unfortunately not alphabetical, but includes definitions and information about origins and usage.

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Miscellaneous dictionaries and other language related resources:

• A Drill Dictionary | Tony Thorne - By their keywords shall thee know them? The latest in a long series of moral panics (the term used by sociologists since the 1970s) exploited by the UK press and now subject of rancorous political debate, the issue of knife-crime and killings by street gangs, mainly in London, is genuinely concerning and is only now receiving the attention and analysis it demands.
• Tony Thorne Slang Research | King’s College London - Tony Thorne conducts slang and new language research and is a visiting consultant at King's College.
• Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction - a comprehensive quotation-based dictionary of the language of science fiction, edited by Jesse Scheidlower.
• A Slang Thesaurus - slang, topic by topic.
• World Wide Words - excellent articles on linguistics, topical words, weird words, turns of phrase, phonetics and much more. Maintained by Michael Quinion, World Wide Words offers a weekly newsletter via e-mail, including a question and answer section for subscribers.
• The Word Wizard - a varied offering including quote of the day, insult of the day, word competitions, help with slang, questions and answers and all sorts of goodies.
• c*nt: taboo, patriarchy and liberation - an indepth social history of the word 'c*nt', including its development and many uses.
• The Word Detective - an online version of the popular newspaper column presented by Evan Morris, for questions about words and language.
• Phrases.com - a large collection of common phrases, casual expressions and idioms, assembled by a community of contributing editors.
• Onelook Dictionaries - search this excellent online database, composed of over 19 million words indexed from 1062 dictionaries, and slang being just a small part of this.

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• A Way With Words - A Way with Words is an upbeat and lively hour-long public radio show about language examined through history, culture, and family.
• YourDictionary.com - links to 1500 dictionaries in over 230 languages. Also offers a quick word lookup based on the Merriam Webster Collegiate(R) Dictionary.
• Roget's Thesaurus - looking for synonyms?
• Power Thesaurus - is an easy-to-follow, crowdsourced online thesaurus.
• Common Errors in English - The website of Professor Paul Brians at Washington State University
• Affixes: the building blocks of English - listing 1,250 language elements with examples of all four types of affixes in English: the prefix, suffix, combining form, and infix.
• The Basics of English Grammar - learn some basic rules of the English language.
• Origins of financial terms - the origins and meanings of financial sayings and idioms.
• 100 Best Online Dictionaries: Stock up on New Words Today! - a lengthy list of many of the best online dictionary resources currently available.
• Why Americans Drop the British “U” - an enlightening article on why American word spellings differ from that of the British.

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Other links (partner sites):

• View the huge array of websites that link to a Dictionary of Slang via a reciprocal agreement. These websites are not all dedicated to slang, dictionaries or the use of language, and their inclusion is purely to express gratitude for their support and traffic they may bring. Reciprocal links and link exchanges with websites are no longer accepted, unless under exceptional circ*mstances.

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Slang Bibliography

Recommended reading - books on slang and dictionaries. Read more...

Slang Articles

A few essays on various slang and word topics, incl. rhyming slang, the full monty, Gordon Bennett and nadsat. Read more...