101 Colloquial English Words with Their Formal Equivalents and Sample Sentences

Here are 101 colloquial English words with their formal equivalents and sample sentences

1. ace = excellent
Colloquial: You did an ace job!
Formal: You did an excellent job!

2. ain’t = am not / is not / are not
Colloquial: I ain’t going to the party.
Formal: I am not going to the party.

3. ain’t no = there isn’t any
Colloquial: There ain’t no way I’m doing that.
Formal: There isn’t any way I’m doing that.

4. alright = all right
Colloquial: Alright, let’s get started.
Formal: All right, let’s get started.

5. babe = baby / sweetheart
Colloquial: Hey babe, how’s it going?
Formal: Hello, sweetheart, how are you?

6. bail = leave
Colloquial: I’m gonna bail early tonight.
Formal: I’m going to leave early tonight.

7. bail on = abandon
Colloquial: Don’t bail on me now.
Formal: Don’t abandon me now.

8. betcha = bet you
Colloquial: I betcha he’ll be late again.
Formal: I bet you he’ll be late again.

9. bloke = man (British)
Colloquial: He’s a nice bloke.
Formal: He’s a nice man.

10. bogus = fake
Colloquial: That story sounds bogus.
Formal: That story sounds fake.

11. buck = dollar
Colloquial: Can I borrow a few bucks?
Formal: Can I borrow a few dollars?

12. busted = broken
Colloquial: My phone’s busted.
Formal: My phone’s broken.

13. chill = relax
Colloquial: Just chill, everything’s fine.
Formal: Just relax, everything’s fine.

14. chill out = calm down
Colloquial: Chill out, it’s not a big deal.
Formal: Calm down, it’s not a big deal.

15. cram = study intensely
Colloquial: I need to cram for the exam.
Formal: I need to study intensely for the exam.

16. cuz = because
Colloquial: I’m tired cuz I stayed up late.
Formal: I’m tired because I stayed up late.

17. dodgy = suspicious
Colloquial: That guy seems dodgy.
Formal: That guy seems suspicious.

18. dude = man/ person
Colloquial: Hey dude, what’s up?
Formal: Hello, how are you?

19. dunno = don’t know
Colloquial: I dunno what to do.
Formal: I don’t know what to do.

20. faff = waste time (British)
Colloquial: Stop faffing around.
Formal: Stop wasting time.

21. fave = favorite
Colloquial: Pizza’s my fave food.
Formal: Pizza’s my favorite food.

22. fella = fellow
Colloquial: He’s a nice fella.
Formal: He’s a nice fellow.

23. flunk = fail
Colloquial: I flunked the test.
Formal: I failed the test.

24. freak out = panic
Colloquial: Don’t freak out, it’s just a spider.
Formal: Don’t panic, it’s just a spider.

25. gig = job
Colloquial: I got a new gig.
Formal: I got a new job.

26. gimme = give me
Colloquial: Gimme a break!
Formal: Give me a break!

27. gobsmacked = astonished
Colloquial: I was gobsmacked by the news.
Formal: I was astonished by the news.

28. gonna = going to
Colloquial: I’m gonna call you later.
Formal: I’m going to call you later.

29. goofy = silly
Colloquial: He’s acting goofy today.
Formal: He’s acting silly today.

30. gotta = have to/ must
Colloquial: I gotta finish this by tomorrow.
Formal: I have to finish this by tomorrow.

31. grub = food
Colloquial: Let’s grab some grub.
Formal: Let’s get some food.

32. hafta = have to
Colloquial: I hafta go now.
Formal: I have to go now.

33. hang out = spend time together
Colloquial: Let’s hang out this weekend.
Formal: Let’s spend time together this weekend.

34. hassle = inconvenience
Colloquial: This is such a hassle.
Formal: This is such an inconvenience.

35. hassle = bother
Colloquial: Don’t hassle me about it.
Formal: Don’t bother me about it.

36. heck = hell
Colloquial: What the heck is that?
Formal: What on earth is that?

37. hit the road = leave
Colloquial: It’s late; let’s hit the road.
Formal: It’s late; let’s leave.

38. hit the sack = go to bed
Colloquial: I’m tired; I’m gonna hit the sack.
Formal: I’m tired; I’m going to bed.

39. icky = unpleasant
Colloquial: This food tastes icky.
Formal: This food tastes unpleasant.

40. icky = gross
Colloquial: This food looks icky.
Formal: This food looks gross.

41. jiffy = moment
Colloquial: I’ll be back in a jiffy.
Formal: I’ll be back in a moment.

42. jolly = very
Colloquial: That’s jolly good!
Formal: That’s very good!

43. junk = trash
Colloquial: Throw that junk away.
Formal: Throw that trash away.

44. kiddo = child
Colloquial: Hey kiddo, how was school?
Formal: Hello, how was school?

45. kinda = kind of
Colloquial: I’m kinda tired.
Formal: I’m kind of tired.

46. knackered = exhausted (British)
Colloquial: I’m knackered after work.
Formal: I’m exhausted after work.

47. kudos = praise
Colloquial: Kudos to you for finishing the project.
Formal: Praise to you for finishing the project.

48. lame = boring
Colloquial: This party is lame.
Formal: This party is boring.

49. lemme = let me
Colloquial: Lemme see that.
Formal: Let me see that.

50. lotta = lot of
Colloquial: That’s a lotta work.
Formal: That’s a lot of work.

51. lousy = terrible
Colloquial: This weather is lousy.
Formal: This weather is terrible.

52. mad = very/ extremely
Colloquial: I’m mad tired.
Formal: I’m extremely tired.

53. miffed = annoyed
Colloquial: I’m miffed about the delay.
Formal: I’m annoyed about the delay.

54. munch = eat
Colloquial: Let’s munch on some snacks.
Formal: Let’s eat some snacks.

55. nifty = clever
Colloquial: That’s a nifty idea.
Formal: That’s a clever idea.

56. nope = no
Colloquial: Nope, I’m not going.
Formal: No, I’m not going.

57. nosh = food (British)
Colloquial: Let’s grab some nosh.
Formal: Let’s grab some food.

58. nuts = crazy
Colloquial: This traffic is nuts.
Formal: This traffic is crazy.

59. oldie = something old
Colloquial: That song’s an oldie but a goodie.
Formal: That song’s old but still good.

60. outta = out of
Colloquial: I’m outta here.
Formal: I’m out of here.

61. outta sight = amazing
Colloquial: That performance was outta sight!
Formal: That performance was amazing!

62. peachy = fine
Colloquial: Everything’s peachy.
Formal: Everything’s fine.

63. peckish = hungry (British)
Colloquial: I’m feeling peckish.
Formal: I’m feeling hungry.

64. peeps = people
Colloquial: My peeps are coming over.
Formal: My people are coming over.

65. pissed = angry
Colloquial: She’s pissed at me.
Formal: She’s angry with me.

66. plenty = a lot
Colloquial: We’ve got plenty of time.
Formal: We’ve got a lot of time.

67. quid = pound (British currency)
Colloquial: Can you lend me a few quid?
Formal: Can you lend me a few pounds?

68. quid pro quo = favor for a favor
Colloquial: It’s a quid pro quo situation.
Formal: It’s a favor for a favor situation.

69. quip = joke
Colloquial: He made a funny quip.
Formal: He made a funny joke.

70. rad = excellent
Colloquial: That movie was rad!
Formal: That movie was excellent!

71. radical = extreme
Colloquial: That’s a radical idea.
Formal: That’s an extreme idea.

72. rip-off = overpriced
Colloquial: This is such a rip-off.
Formal: This is overpriced.

73. savvy = understanding
Colloquial: Are you savvy with this plan?
Formal: Do you understand this plan?

74. screw up = make a mistake
Colloquial: I really screwed up this time.
Formal: I really made a mistake this time.

75. sick = cool
Colloquial: That car is sick!
Formal: That car is cool!

76. snazzy = stylish
Colloquial: That’s a snazzy outfit.
Formal: That’s a stylish outfit.

77. sorta = sort of
Colloquial: I’m sorta nervous.
Formal: I’m sort of nervous.

78. stuff = things
Colloquial: I need to buy some stuff.
Formal: I need to buy some things.

79. suck = be bad
Colloquial: This movie sucks.
Formal: This movie is bad.

80. ta = thank you
Colloquial: Ta for the help!
Formal: Thank you for the help!

81. take a rain check = postpone
Colloquial: Can I take a rain check on that?
Formal: Can I postpone that?

82. telly = television
Colloquial: What’s on the telly tonight?
Formal: What’s on television tonight?

83. tho = though
Colloquial: I like it, tho.
Formal: I like it, though.

84. totes = totally
Colloquial: I’m totes going to the party.
Formal: I’m totally going to the party.

85. ugh = expressing frustration
Colloquial: Ugh, I hate Mondays.
Formal: I really dislike Mondays.

86. uppity = arrogant
Colloquial: She’s acting uppity today.
Formal: She’s acting arrogant today.

87. vibe = atmosphere
Colloquial: I like the vibe here.
Formal: I like the atmosphere here.

88. wanna = want to
Colloquial: I wanna go home.
Formal: I want to go home.

89. whack = hit
Colloquial: Don’t whack the table!
Formal: Don’t hit the table!

90. whatcha = what are you
Colloquial: Whatcha doing?
Formal: What are you doing?

91. wicked = excellent
Colloquial: That concert was wicked!
Formal: That concert was excellent!

92. y’all = you all
Colloquial: Y’all should come over.
Formal: You all should come over.

93. yeah = yes
Colloquial: Yeah, I’ll be there.
Formal: Yes, I’ll be there.

94. yep = yes
Colloquial: Yep, that’s correct.
Formal: Yes, that’s correct.

95. yikes = expressing surprise
Colloquial: Yikes, that’s scary!
Formal: Oh my, that’s frightening!

96. yo = hello
Colloquial: Yo, what’s up?
Formal: Hello, how are you?

97. yucky = unpleasant
Colloquial: This food tastes yucky.
Formal: This food tastes unpleasant.

98. zap = destroy
Colloquial: I’ll zap that bug.
Formal: I’ll destroy that bug.

99. zilch = nothing
Colloquial: I got zilch from that deal.
Formal: I got nothing from that deal.

100. Zip: Zero, nothing
Colloquial: I got zip done today.
Formal: I accomplished nothing today.

101. Zonked: Extremely tired
Colloquial: I’m zonked after that workout.
Formal: I am extremely tired after that workout.

When to say good morning good afternoon good evening and good night?
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