Visiting Australia? 100+ Australian slangs & pronunciations for you MATE!

18 May 2024

10 mins read

Written by Team Instarem

This article covers:

Home to beaches and kangaroos, the starkly beautiful Outback and the iconic Sydney Opera House; Australia offers its residents a charming mix of natural beauty and cosmopolitan living environment. Its economy has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few decades and its world-class cities have low pollution levels and more advanced infrastructure systems than many other global cities. In short, the land Down Under is one of the world’s most urbanised and multicultural countries that offers current and potential expats a very good quality of life.

If you’re moving to Australia or even planning to, good on ya, mate! By now you probably have all the information you need about things like visas, housing, food, the standard of living, etc. But what about the language? It’s English, alright, but with an Australian flavour to it.

Every country in the world has its own unique take on a language, and Australia is no different. Australian English has so many interesting phrases and ‘colloquialisms’ (slang) that it can sometimes sound like a totally different language, especially to someone unfamiliar with its many quirks.

So if you want to interact more comfortably with your colleagues or ‘mates’ and avoid making an embarrassing faux pas in a social setting or simply learn how to speak like local blokes or sheilas, buckle up and read on…

You might also like to read: Moving to Canada? Here Are 75 Canadian English slangs & phrases you must know

Why Australian English is truly unique?

Like other multicultural societies such as Britain, the USA, New Zealand and Canada; English is one of the most commonly spoken languages in Australia.

However, Australian English is more informal and humorous and owes much of its character to its history as a British penal colony. Due to the convict influence and a desire to develop a different linguistic tradition from the ‘mother country’, it shows a bias towards the:

The invention of new terms: For example, the Aussie phrase “Do the Harry” means to disappear
Application of visual imagery: The simile “mad as a cut snake” means to be very angry or upset
Deception to conceal the true meaning of a term: For example, the term “ratbag” can be an endearment or an insult, depending upon the speaker’s tone and context of the conversation

Australian English also tends to be humorous and uses it to indicate affection or invoke laughter even in formal settings such as government meetings or TV appearances!

Australians also tend to shorten some words and sentences. Often, these ‘diminutives’ are formed by taking the first part of a word and substituting an a, o, ie or y sound for the rest of the word. For example, instead of saying “let’s have a barbeque this afternoon after the football game”, an Australian native may say “let’s have a barbie this arvo after footy”. And rather than saying “Carry an umbrella” an Australian would probably say “Carry a brolly mate!”

People

Australian English Term	Meaning
Ankle Biter	Child
Bloke	Man
Bludger	Lazy person, someone who doesn’t work
Brickie	Bricklayer
Chalkie	Teacher
Chippy	Carpenter
Cobber	Friend, companion
Dag	Unfashionable person
Garbo	Garbage (rubbish) collector
Goose	Foolish person, clown (light-hearted or affectionate insult)
Jackaroo (feminine equivalent jillaroo)	Male trainee manager at a cattle station; Female trainee manager at a cattle station
(A) loose cannon	Someone with little or no self-control
Ocker	A person who is uncouth or boorish
Pelican	Foolish or idiotic person (often a light-hearted or affectionate insult similar to Goose)
Postie	Postman
Rello	Relative
Sheila	Woman
Sparky	Electrician
Spunk	Good-looking person
Top bloke	Good person
Tosser	A useless person
Tradie	Trader
Truckie	Truck driver

Greetings & Exclamations

Australian English Term	Meaning
Ace!	Very good! Excellent!
Blimey	Expressions of amazement or surprise
Fair dinkum	An exclamation that something is genuine or true. Eg: Of course I’m telling the truth!, Yeah, honestly!
G’day G’day, mate	Hello
Give it a burl	Give something a try
Go on!	I’m not convinced you know what you’re talking about
Have a go, ya mug!	Term to encourage someone to attempt something, especially if they’re unsure or not putting in a full effort
Hooroo	Goodbye
How ya goin’ luv?	I hope you’re well
Nah, yeah	Unsure Yes
No worries (No drama )	Don’t worry about it, everything will turn out alright
Onya bike	Get lost, leave
Keep your pants on	Be patient!
Put a sock in it!	Shut up!
Rack off!	Get lost!
Shut ya gob!	Shut up! (Tell it to someone who cares)
Ta	Thank you
That’s really sick, mate!	That’s awesome!
Wanna cuppa?	Do you want a cup of tea or coffee?
Yeah, nah	Unsure No
You little ripper!	Delighted exclamation in reaction to good news

Food & drink

Australian English Term	Meaning
Bevy	Beer
Avo	Avocado
Barbie	Barbecue
Boozer xxx	Alcoholic
Bottle-O/ Bottlo	Liquor shop
Brekkie/ Brekky	Breakfast
Chewiev	Chewing gum
Chokkie	Chocolate
Chook	Chicken
Tomato sauce	Tomato ketchup
Durry	Tobacco, cigarette
Esky	Large insulated food and drink container for outdoor picnics or barbecues
Goon	Cheap Wine
Grog	Liquor
Hungers	Hungover
Lollies	Candy/sweets
Maccas	McDonald’s
Milk bar	Corner shop that sells takeaway food
Roadie	A ‘takeaway’ beer
Sanger / Sanga	Sandwich
Sausage sizzle	A sausage served with white bread and tomato ketchup
Slab	A carton of 24 cans (or bottles) of beer
Smoko	Quick smoke/food/coffee break at work
Stubby	A small bottle of beer
The lot	Australian burger with ‘everything’ in it such as meat, lettuce, egg, bacon, pineapple, onion, cheese, beetroot and tomato (or tomato sauce)
Tinnie	Can of beer
Tucker	Food
Turps	Alcohol
Vegies	Vegetables

Activities, Leisure & Day-To-Day Life

Australian English Term	Meaning
Ambo	Ambulance or staff of ambulance
Arvo	Afternoon
Swimmers	Swimming costume
Brolly	Umbrella
Budgie smugglers	Men’s bathing costume (speedos)
Bush telly	Campfire
Bush	The Outback or anywhere that isn’t in town
Chemist (also known as Pharmacy)	Drugstore
Daks	Trousers
Dunny	Outside toilet
Flanno	A flannelette shirt
Footie/ Footy	Australian Rules Football
Grundies	Women’s underwear
Mates rates	Discounts for friends
Moolah	Money
Servo	Service/petrol station
Sunnies	Sunglasses
Thongs	Casual backless sandals
Togs	Swimsuit
Tracky dacks	Sweat pants/tracksuit pants
Ute	Pickup truck (utility vehicle)

You might also like to read: Visiting Ireland? Over 80 Slangs & Phrases You Might Want to Know

Descriptive Words & Similes

Australian English Term	Meaning
Big Smoke	A big city such as Melbourne or Sydney
Bloody ripper	Really great, awesome
Blind	Drunk
Blotto	Drunk beyond the capacity to stand
Bonzer	Good
Buggered	Tired
Chockers / Choc A bloc	Completely full, full to the brim
Corker	Excellent
Crook	Sick
Cut	Angry or upset
Deadset	Definite, absolute
Defo	Definitely, for sure
Devvo	Devastated
Dogged it	Didn’t show up as expected
Etch	Suspicious
Exy	Expensive
Festy	Dirty or disgusting
Flat chat	Very busy
Frothing	Very keen
Full	Drunk
Heaps	Loads, lots, many
It’s London to a brick	It’s a certainty; There’s no doubt at all
Knackered	Tired
Mad as a cut snake	Crazy/eccentric or angry
Mad as a gum tree full of galahs	Completely crazy
More than you can shake a stick at	More than you can handle; More than you expected
Ridgey-didge	Legitimate
Stoked	Happy, pleased
Sweet as	Awesome
True blue	Authentically Australian

Action Words

Australian English Term	Meaning
Aussie salute	Brushing flies away with the hand
Blowing the froth off a few	Drinking alcohol
Carrying on like a pork chop	Someone acting silly or crazy; Someone complaining or ranting
Chuck a sickie	Take a day off work or school feigning ill health
Do a U-ey	To make a U-turn in a vehicle
Drink with the flies	Drink alone
Fair shake of the sauce bottle / Fair crack of the whip	To give someone a fair chance at something
Fix you up	To pay back money owed
(Give someone the) Flick	To get rid of someone
Go Walkabout	To go missing; Go somewhere without warning
Hit the frog and toad	Hit the road
(To be) On the cans	Drinking alcohol
She’ll be right	Everything will work out; Everything will be fine, don’t worry
(My) Shout	To buy the next round of drinks
Spit the dummy	To throw a tantrum
Suss it out	To figure out a tricky situation
Taking the piss	To make fun of someone but not necessarily in a malicious way
Yabber	To talk a lot

Distinctive Australian Pronunciations

The Australian accent is unique and has diverged greatly from the original British (or English) accent. For people unfamiliar with the lingo and the accent, it can be a little difficult to understand, at least in the beginning.

In general, Australian pronunciations are more similar to British English pronunciations than to American pronunciations. While American English puts the stress on the final syllable, Australian English and British English stress an earlier syllable. However, there are some cases where the Australian accent sounds closer to the American accent than to the British accent.

And in some cases, even for words that are common to British, American and Australian English in usage and meaning (even if spellings are different), the pronunciations are often uniquely Australian. The table below gives some examples of all 3 types of words and accents:

Similar pronunciation in Australian English and American English
Similar pronunciation in Australian English and British English
Completely different pronunciation in Australian English from both American and British English

Word	Pronunciation	Pronunciation	Pronunciation
	American English	British English	Australian English
Aunt	Ant	Aa-nt	Aa-nt
Butter	Bu-dder	Bu-tter	Bu-dder
Car	Carrr	Caa	Caa: The end r is ‘non-rhotic’, i.e. not pronounced
Caramel	Caar-mel	Ca-ra-mel	Ca-ra-mel
Cliché	Cli-shay	Clee-shay	Clee-shay
Data	Day-ta	Day-ta	Daa-ta
Daughter	Dau-der	Daugh-ter	Daugh-ter: The hard t is pronounced and the end r is not pronounced
Detail	Di-tail	Dee-tail	Dee-tail
Entrepreneur	Ont-re-pre-nure	Ont-re-pre-ner	Ont-re-pre-ner
Garage	Ga-raage	Gaa-rage	Gaa-rage: Emphasis on the 1st syllable rather than the 2nd
Good day	Good day	Good day	G’day
Hot	Ha-at	Hawt	Hawt
Leisure	Lee-jher	Ley-jher	Ley-jher
Letter	Le-dderrr	Le-tt–er	Le-dder: The end r is not pronounced
Mobile	Mo-bil	Mo-byle	Mo-byle
Niche	Ni-tch	Neesh	Neesh
Privacy	Pry-vacy	Pree-vacy	Pry-vacy
Salon	Sa-lawn	Saa-lon	Saa-lon
Today	Today	Today	To-dieee
Tomato	To-may-to	To-mah-to	To-mah-to
Vase	Vay-se	Vaa-se	Vaa-se
Vitamin	Vy-tamin	Vi-tamin	Vy-tamin
Water	Wa-derrr	Wa-ter	Wa-der: The end r is not pronounced
Yoghurt	Yoh-gurt	Yog-urt	Yoh-gurt: Silent h

Interesting stuff, huh?

Australia is not only one of the most livable countries in the world, in terms of its healthcare, education, infrastructure, environment and culture, but the people of the world’s smallest continent are as big-hearted and vibrant as the nation they call home.

However, getting used to the quirkiness of Australian English can be a challenge for new expats, especially if they don’t come from an English-speaking background. We hope that this guide helps you understand the Aussies better.

Before you go

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