British slang phrases
Twenty-four everyday words, seven bits of rhyming slang and the art of understatement, all written to be pasted into the generator.
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Why this is a slang guide and not a Cockney generator
You may have come looking for a Cockney accent generator. We do not have one, because none of the voices available do Cockney honestly. They are standard British English voices. A page that claimed otherwise would waste your time. What we can do is give you the words, so a writer, game master or comedian can write the lines, and let a standard voice read them out.
Everyday slang
| Word or phrase | Meaning | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| knackered | exhausted | I’m absolutely knackered after that journey. |
| gutted | bitterly disappointed | He was gutted when the match was cancelled. |
| chuffed | pleased | She was chuffed to bits with the card. |
| skint | with no money | I’d come out, but I’m skint until Friday. |
| faff | to fuss about pointlessly | Stop faffing and put your shoes on. |
| gobsmacked | astonished | I was gobsmacked by the price. |
| naff | tacky or unfashionable | Those curtains are a bit naff. |
| dodgy | suspicious or unreliable | That kebab looks dodgy. |
| minging | disgusting | The fridge is minging. |
| sorted | arranged or fixed | Tickets? Sorted. |
| bloody | mild intensifier (can be rude) | It’s bloody freezing in here. |
| brolly | umbrella | Take a brolly, it’s going to chuck it down. |
| cuppa | cup of tea | Fancy a cuppa? |
| quid | pound (money) | It cost me twenty quid. |
| mate | friend | Cheers, mate. |
| innit | isn’t it, as a tag | Nice day, innit. |
| blimey | expression of surprise | Blimey, is that the time? |
| wonky | crooked or unsteady | The table’s a bit wonky. |
| bog standard | ordinary, nothing special | It’s just a bog standard phone. |
| taking the mickey | teasing someone | Are you taking the mickey? |
| nowt | nothing (Northern) | There’s nowt on telly. |
| proper | real, thorough | That was a proper curry. |
| pop round | visit briefly | I’ll pop round after tea. |
| car park | parking lot | Meet me in the car park. |
Rhyming slang
Rhyming slang comes from London and replaces a word with a phrase that rhymes with it. The trick is that the rhyming part is often dropped, so “go up the apples” means go upstairs. It is great for comedy sketches and character dialogue. Pick the full phrase when you want it to be understood and the short form when you want it to sound lived-in.
| Phrase | Means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| apples and pears | stairs | Up the apples and pears. |
| dog and bone | phone | Pass me the dog and bone. |
| trouble and strife | wife | The trouble and strife is out. |
| plates of meat | feet | My plates of meat are killing me. |
| butcher’s hook | look | Have a butcher’s at this. |
| Adam and Eve | believe | Would you Adam and Eve it? |
| Barnet Fair | hair | Look at the state of my Barnet. |
The art of understatement
A lot of what sounds British is not slang at all, but a habit of saying less than you mean. It is the quickest route to a British-sounding script, and it works in any voice.
| What is said | What is often meant |
|---|---|
| That’s not bad. | That is good. |
| With the greatest respect… | I think you’re wrong. |
| I’ll bear it in mind. | I will not do it. |
| Quite good. | A bit disappointing, in fact. |
| You must come round some time. | Please do not actually come. |
| A bit of a nightmare. | A catastrophe. |
How to use this with the generator
Paste a line into the box at the top, choose a voice and generate. Helios suits a gruff, practical delivery; Draco is warmer. If a slang spelling comes out stiff, try the normal spelling instead of “innit”, or add a comma for rhythm. Slang is regional, so use the words you would actually hear where your character lives, and do not assume they carry the same meaning in every part of Britain. When your script is American in its vocabulary, the spelling and vocabulary page has the swaps.
Questions people ask
Why is there no Cockney accent generator here?
Because the voices cannot honestly do Cockney. They are standard British English voices. You can type Cockney vocabulary and rhyming slang and hear it read, but the accent will be standard, and a page promising otherwise would be wrong.
What are the most common British slang words?
Mate, cheers, quid, knackered, gutted, chuffed, skint, brolly and cuppa are everyday ones across most of England. Plenty of regional words differ, so check before using a word with someone local.
What is rhyming slang?
A code where a phrase that rhymes with the word stands in for it: “dog and bone” for phone. It is usually shortened, so “trouble” can mean wife and “butcher’s” means a look.
Does the voice pronounce slang correctly?
Mostly. Words like “knackered” and “brolly” come out fine. Words with unusual spelling (nowt, innit) may sound stiff, because the voice reads them as spelled. Test, then respell if needed.
Is British slang rude?
Some of it is, particularly “bloody” and anything stronger. Whether it matters depends on context. Check how a word lands with your audience.
Keep going
- British accent generator
The main tool: seven voices, Britishify toggle, free clips. - British vs American spelling
Reference tables and the Britishify tool. - Posh British accent
RP features, example lines and which voice suits them.