Slang: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 9, 2026

News •

‘Mogging’ crowned Collins English dictionary word of the year • Nov. 3, 2026, 11:15 AM ET (The Guardian)

Photos and Videos

Walpole, Horace

Collage spells African American English in cutout letters; at right, a large open mouth, a hand with megaphone, and chat bubbles with laptop.

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Topics

How Gen Z Speaks Why Is Coffee Called a Cup of Joe?argot the number sixty-seven Neologism Language pronunciation lingua franca jargon writing prosody oral tradition Grammar profanity universal grammar Why Do Languages Die?

Key People

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Eric Partridge

British lexicographer

A young boy dressed in retro 1980s attire, with bow tie and eyeglasses, wears a light bulb idea invention machine to help him think of the next big idea. (nerd, nerdy, thinker) SEE CONTENT NOTES.

Are You An Idiom Savant? Quiz

Hand with pencil writing on page. (handwriting; write)

Word Nerd Quiz

YOLO "You Only Live Once" written in bright colors and repeated on a purple background (acronym, slang)

Slang Through the Ages Vocabulary Quiz