Mancunians speak the most slang in the UK, new study reveals

Manchester has been crowned the UK city that uses the most slang in conversations, with one in three doing so, according to a new survey. 

Like it or not, slang is a major — informal — part of the English language with many people using it in social situations among friends, relatives and co-workers as it helps make us feel like we’re, quite literally, speaking the same language and on the same page.

Research from the study, conducted by the language learning platform Preply, showed Manchester emerged as the UK city which uses the most slang in conversations, with nearly one in three respondents (27.56%) doing so. 

This finding could be a result of the Mancunian dialect having more slang terms and phrases than other cities. 

The slang-speaking cities following closely behind are Cardiff with a lush 27.65% and Liverpool with 27.27% — boss!

The wider results reveal that nearly two in five Brits (36.13%) use slang in occasional conversations, while a smaller 8.53% say they actually use slang in all conversations. 

A significant 60.6% of Brits were most confident in using the word ‘knackered’ correctly in a sentence, with the use of ‘cheeky’ following shortly behind with 56.8% — both of which are widely used among Mancs.

Another Manc term,‘Muppet’ — the informal way of referring to someone who is stupid — was unknown to less than half of Brits, with (48.67%) not sure of how to use it in a sentence. 

Though, there is a time and a place for slang with formal and professional situations not really being the appropriate time and space to be dropping a load of ‘knackereds’, ‘muppets’, and ‘bogs’ into the situation.

When it comes to using slang in the workplace, 42.04% of people found it unprofessional, with more women (48.96%) than men (35.61%) agreeing.

A smaller but still significant percentage (29.25%) of those aged 55 and over view slang as inappropriate to use in any conversation.

Expectedly, the most popular age group to use slang in the majority of their conversations was 16-24-year-olds at 33.84%, whilst the 55+ age group were using it the least at 9.44%.

Now, let’s see which most popular slang words made the list:

1. Knackered
2. Tenner
3. Cuppa
4. Skint
5. Fiver
6. Dodgy
7. Cheeky
8. Gutted
9. Quid
10. Bloody ….. as expected, all of which are popular slang words used by Mancunians.

Sylvia Johnson, Language expert at Preply, said: “During the mid-18th century, the term ‘slang’ gained popularity in the English language. 

“Initially associated with the vocabulary used by tramps and thieves, slang captures the essence of the time period in which the words were coined and often reveals the speaker’s era. 

“Nowadays, in addition to social media and the internet, new slang often emerges from popular culture and is used as a ‘flex’ showing that you are keeping up with the latest trends.

“Slang serves as a form of shorthand, not only for language but also for the connections that unite us. It fosters a sense of belonging among individuals within a specific ‘tribe’ or circle of friends.”