Australian slang - popular words

Many Australian slang came from outside Australia, particularly in England and Ireland. Don't be surprised if many terms seem familiar. However, please don't assume that similar slang expressions have the same meaning to Australians as they might in other countries. An attempt to use some Australian slang will likely be viewed as an attempt to mock rather than a genuine attempt to speak the local dialect. Use the guide to interpret Steve Irwin's former TV shows. If you're really unsure, just use American English, as nearly every Australian speaks American English just as well as their dialect.

Trying to use British English also will get you there in most places, but most British terms not commonly used in Australia (such as lorry or crisps) will likely not be understood by most, unlike Americans.

A significant portion of Australian lexicon and place names derive from one of the hundreds of Indigenous Australian languages spoken before the British colonial period, many of which are still spoken today. Some words and terms like "Wooloomooloo", "Oodnadatta", or "Kununurra", which visitors to the country may find challenging to pronounce, typically roll off the tongue of Australian English speakers.