84 Australian Slang Words To Help You Finally Get What Your Aussie Friends Are Talking About

Ah, Australia — the land of marine reserves and vegemite, where people use “barbie” to refer to “barbecue,” and everyone tries their hardest to make words as short and fun as possible. But Australian slang doesn’t stop here. If you’ve been lucky enough to visit the country (or have one of your friends from Down Under visit you), you’ve probably noticed that Australians have their own way of speaking.

Understanding Australian slang can be difficult at first, especially if you’re not a native English speaker. After all, Aussie slang reflects the country’s unique culture, history, and personality — a mix of British, Irish, and First Nations influences with a dash of the Australian humor and sarcasm that we absolutely love. The country gave birth to unique words that make it sound like everyone is talking in code, and while some of these terms are so common they’ve made their way into mainstream English (“selfie,” “no worries”), others remain exclusively Aussie-isms. 

Learning Australian idioms can be tough for anyone who isn’t actually from Down Under, but have no fear — we’ve got your back! We’ve done some research and come up with an authentic Aussie slang word list so that next time someone drops “she’ll be right” or “g’day” into a conversation, you’ll know exactly what they’re talking about. And if you happen to be in Oz yourself, we promise this list will come in handy when chatting with locals. Ready to learn how to speak like an Aussie?