100+ Most Common American Slang Words

The English language is constantly evolving, and new words and phrases emerge all the time. American slang words are particularly interesting because it offers a unique insight into the culture of the United States.

What is American slang?

American slang is a diverse and constantly evolving part of the English language that is often influenced by regional and cultural differences.

Top 10 Common American Slang Words:

Let – cool, exciting or fun.
Sick – cool or impressive.
Chill – relaxed or calm.
Bae – a term of endearment for someone you love or care about.
Gonna – going to.
Woke – aware and informed about social and political issues.
Fam – family or close friends.
Savage – ruthless or unapologetic.
Hella – very or a lot.
Ghost – to suddenly stop responding or disappear without explanation.

American Slang Words

Yas – An enthusiastic affirmation or agreement.
Y’all – A contraction of “you all”
Woke – Being aware of social issues and injustices.
Wassup – A slang greeting, meaning “what’s up?”
Turnt – Used to describe someone who is highly excited or intoxicated
Throw shade – To make negative or insulting remarks towards someone
Swag – Stylish confidence
Squad – A group of friends or associates
Slide into DMs – To initiate a private conversation on social media with romantic intentions.
Slay – To do something exceptionally well
Sip tea – To mind your own business or avoid drama
Shook – Feeling surprised or shocked
Ship – To endorse or support a romantic pairing between two people
Scoop – To obtain or acquire something
Savage – Used to describe someone who is tough or ruthless
Salty – Resentful or bitter
On fleek – Used to describe something that is perfect or flawless
No cap – A phrase meaning “I’m not lying” or “I’m being serious”
Lituation – A situation that is exciting or enjoyable
Litty – A variation of “lit” used to describe something that is highly enjoyable or exciting
Lit – Used to describe something that is exciting or amazing
Lame – Something that is uncool or boring
JOMO – An acronym for “Joy Of Missing Out” (the opposite of FOMO)
I’m dead – Used to express disbelief or amusement
Hundo P – An abbreviation for “100 percent” or “absolutely”
Hella – Very or extremely
Hater – Someone who expresses negativity towards someone or something
Gucci – Good or great
Gonna – A contraction of “going to”
GOAT – An acronym for “Greatest Of All Time”
Glow up – A positive transformation in appearance or lifestyle
Gangsta – A term for someone who is tough or fearless
FOMO – An acronym for “Fear Of Missing Out”
Flex – To show off or boast
Fam – A term for close friends or family members
Dope – Cool or awesome
Crash – To fall asleep suddenly
Chill – To relax or take it easy
Bounce – To leave or depart
Boo – A term of affection for a significant other
Bet – Ashortened version of “you bet”, meaning “okay” or “agreed”
Basic – Used to describe someone or something that is unoriginal or mainstream
Bae – A term of endearment for a significant other

Also Read: British Slang words

Slang Words In English With Meaning and Sentences

Lit – exciting or enjoyable
Sentence: “That party was so lit!”
Dope – cool or excellent
Sentence: “Your new shoes are so dope!”
Squad – a group of friends or associates
Sentence: “I’m hanging out with my squad tonight.”
Chill – to relax or take it easy
Sentence: “I just want to chill and watch a movie tonight.”
Sick – impressive or awesome
Sentence: “That trick on the skateboard was sick!”
Gnarly – extreme or cool in a rough way
Sentence:“The waves today were gnarly.”
Hella – a lot or very
Sentence: “I’m hella tired from staying up late last night.”
Cray – crazy or insane
Sentence: “That rollercoaster was so cray!”
Wack – uncool or lame
Sentence: “That movie was wack, let’s watch something else.”
Bummer – a disappointment or setback
Sentence:“It’s a bummer that the concert got canceled.”
Ace – excellent or very good
Sentence: “You did an ace job on that project!”
Rad – cool or awesome
Sentence: “Those sunglasses are so rad!”
Lame – uncool or boring
Sentence: “I’m not going to that party, it’s lame.”
Bae – a term of endearment for a significant other
Sentence: “I’m going out with my bae tonight.”
Crush – a strong attraction or infatuation
Sentence: “I have a crush on my co-worker.”
Slay – to do something very well
Sentence: “She totally slayed that performance!”
Gucci – good or all good
Sentence: “Everything’s Gucci, no worries.”
Fam – short for family or close friends
Sentence: “I’m spending time with my fam this weekend.”
Woke – aware and knowledgeable about social and political issues
Sentence: “She’s so woke, she’s always fighting for justice.”
Savage – fierce or unapologetic
Sentence: “She’s a savage when it comes to competition.”
FOMO – fear of missing out
Sentence: “I don’t want to skip the party, I have FOMO.”
Dank – cool or impressive
Sentence: “That artwork is so dank!”
Suss – to investigate or figure something out
Sentence: “I need to suss out what happened.”
Yolo – you only live once
Sentence: “Let’s go skydiving, YOLO!”
Sesh – short for session, a gathering of friends to do something
Sentence: “We’re having a movie sesh tonight.”
Swag – style or confidence
Sentence: “She’s got so much swag.”
Hundo P – short for “100 percent”
Sentence: “I’m hundo P sure I left my keys at the office.”
Lowkey – secretly or discreetly
Sentence: “I’m lowkey excited for the new season of my favorite show.”
Fleek – perfect or flawless
Sentence:“Your makeup is on fleek!”
GOAT – greatest of all time
Sentence: “LeBron James is the GOAT of basketball.”

American Slang Phrases

Amped – excited or hyped up
Bummed out – disappointed or sad
Cool beans – “okay” or “great”
Epic fail – a major failure or mistake
Hangry – irritable or angry due to hunger
Killing it – doing extremely well
On point – accurate or precise
Piece of cake – something that is easy to do
Take a chill pill – a phrase telling someone to calm down or relax
Winning – doing very well or succeeding.
Ain’t nobody got time for that – “I’m not interested” or “I don’t have time for that”
Cheddar – money or cash
Deadass – “seriously” or “I’m not joking”
Fam bam – a term for a close-knit group of friends or family members
Gimme five – a phrase used for a high-five
I’m outta here – “I’m leaving”
Keep it 100 – to be honest or truthful
Lit AF – a variation of “lit” meaning extremely exciting or awesome
Netflix and chill – a euphemism for a casual sexual encounter
No worries – “don’t worry about it”
Off the chain – something that is really exciting or impressive
Peace out – “goodbye”
Pop a squat – to sit down
Real talk – “honest conversation”
Slay queen/king – a term of praise for someone who is killing it or doing something exceptionally well
Throwback – something from the past, often nostalgic
Totally – a word meaning “absolutely” or “completely”
Turn up – to party or have a good time
What’s good? – “what’s up?” or “how are you?”

American Sayings

All bark and no bite – someone who talks tough but doesn’t follow through
Bite the bullet – to face a difficult situation head-on
Break a leg – a phrase used to wish someone good luck
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – don’t assume something will happen before it actually does
Drive someone up the wall – to annoy someone
Get a taste of your own medicine – to experience something you have done to someone else
Hang in there – a phrase used to encourage someone to persevere through a difficult situation
Hit the hay – to go to bed
In the same boat – in a similar situation as someone else
On the ball – someone who is sharp or quick to understand things
Piece of cake – something that is easy to do
Rain check – a postponement of plans to a later date
The ball is in your court – it’s up to you to make a decision or take action
The early bird gets the worm – those who act early in life or work will succeed
When pigs fly – a humorous way to say that something will never happen.

Italian American Slang

Fuggetaboutit – an expression meaning “forget about it”
Mamaluke – a term for a foolish or incompetent person
Capisce? – a question meaning “do you understand?”
Gavone – a term for someone who is gluttonous or lazy
Goomba – a term for a close friend or companion
Madone – an expression of surprise or disbelief
Muzzarella – a way of pronouncing “mozzarella” with an Italian accent
Paisan – a term for a fellow Italian or Italian-American
Pizzafication – a term for the process of Americanizing pizza with non-traditional toppings
Rigatoni – a slang term for a revolver or gun.

American Slang Expressions

Bite me – a rude way of telling someone to leave you alone or expressing anger
Cool beans – an expression of approval or agreement
Don’t sweat it – a way of saying “don’t worry about it”
Eyes peeled – to be watchful and alert
Far out – an expression of excitement or enthusiasm
Freak out – to become extremely upset or excited
Hang loose – to relax or take it easy
Nailed it – to successfully complete a task or perform well
No worries – a way of saying “it’s okay” or “don’t worry about it”
Take a chill pill – to calm down or relax.

American Slang Words 2022

Vaxxed – vaccinated against COVID-19
Boosted – received a COVID-19 booster shot
Flu – to fake or exaggerate – “He’s totally flu-ing, he doesn’t really have a Lamborghini.”
Simp – someone who does too much for someone they have a crush on
Glow up – a dramatic improvement in appearance or confidence
Cancel – to publicly reject or boycott someone or something – “I’m going to cancel that celebrity, I don’t like their behavior.”
Cheugy – out of style or uncool – “Those shoes are so cheugy.”
Karen – a derogatory term for an entitled or demanding woman
Poggers – a term of excitement or approval – “That play was so poggers!”
No cap – no lie or no joke – “I’m no cap, that concert was amazing.”
Savage – ruthless or unapologetic – “She’s such a savage when it comes to competition.”
Ship – to support or endorse a romantic relationship between two people – “I totally ship those two characters on the TV show.”
GOAT – greatest of all time – “LeBron James is the GOAT of basketball.”
Yeet – to throw or discard something with force – “I’m going to yeet this old sweater.”
Clout – influence or popularity – “He’s got a lot of clout on social media.”
TFW – an acronym for “that feeling when” – “TFW you finally finish a project you’ve been working on for months.”
Flex – to show off or boast – “He’s always flexing his new car.”
Salty – bitter or resentful – “She’s salty because she didn’t get the promotion.”
AF – an acronym for “as f***” – “That party was lit AF!”
Gucci – good or all good – “Everything’s Gucci, no worries.”