How Australian English Plays With Words
Once you know these two habits, you can guess words like servo and sunnies.
| American English | Australian English | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| afternoon | arvo | Cut the word short and add -o |
| mosquito | mozzie | Cut the word short and add -ie |
| service station | servo | The same trick works on longer phrases |
| It'll be OK. | She'll be right. | She can stand for "it" |
Everyday Words
Most of these are informal.
- arvo
- The afternoonAmerican English: afternoonYou will hear this arvo all the time. It is sometimes squeezed into sarvo.
- barbie
- A barbecue grill, or a barbecue partyAmerican English: barbecueMatt's hosting a barbie this weekend means he's having a barbecue party.
- servo
- A service station that sells fuel and snacksAmerican English: gas stationAustralians also call it a petrol station.
- bottle-o
- A shop that sells alcohol to take homeAmerican English: liquor storeIts longer name is bottle shop.
- ute
- A small truck with an open tray at the backAmerican English: pickup truckIt is short for utility, and the word goes back to the 1940s.
- esky
- A box that keeps food and drinks coldAmerican English: coolerIt started as a brand name, and now people use it for any cooler.
- sunnies
- SunglassesAmerican English: sunglasses
- rellie
- A member of your familyAmerican English: relativeSome people say rello instead.
- mozzie
- A mosquitoAmerican English: mosquitoYou also see it spelled mossie.
- bathers
- Clothes for swimmingAmerican English: swimsuitThis one depends on the state. Queensland says togs, and New South Wales says cossies, togs, or swimmers.
Sayings You Hear in Conversation
These are casual, friendly sayings.
- no worries
- It's fine, or you're welcomeAmerican English: no problemIt can answer a thank-you or a request. Australians have said it since the 1960s.
- she'll be right
- Everything will turn out fineAmerican English: it'll be OKDon't stress, she'll be right! means "Don't worry, it'll be fine!"
- mate
- A friend, or a friendly way to talk to someoneAmerican English: buddyIt suggests that the two people are equals.
- crook
- Ill, not feeling wellAmerican English: sickI'm feeling a bit crook means "I'm feeling a little sick."
- my shout
- It's my turn to payAmerican English: my treatAs a verb, I'll shout you a drink means "I'll buy you a drink."
- fair go
- A fair deal, or "be fair"American English: a fair chanceFair go mate, let the others have a turn! asks someone to share.
- fair dinkum
- Real, true, or honestAmerican English: for realIt can also be a question: Fair dinkum? means "Really?"
- flat out like a lizard drinking
- Working as fast as you canAmerican English: really busyThe picture is a lizard lying flat while its tongue moves fast as it drinks.
How Australian English Sounds
In Australia, park sounds like "pahk" and four rhymes with saw. Most Americans say the r in both.
General Australian is the standard accent across the country. A stronger Broad accent is heard more in rural areas and outer suburbs, and fewer young people use it than in the past.
In Curtin University's video International Student Guesses Aussie Slang, an Aussie explains arvo and other slang to an international student.
Practice Australian English in Lessons
Poppy, your AI tutor, sets your Bubblegum lessons in Australian English at your level, and the people in them fill up with petrol and walk along the footpath.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Australian English. You learn from Australian English you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy you're starting uni in Melbourne, and she can write about your first day there or a barbie with new mates.
- Only characters who know each other well say words like arvo.
- Poppy can tell you why a busy person is like a drinking lizard.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Bubblegum doesn't pair you with Australians to talk to, so look for an exchange partner from Sydney or Melbourne.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Australian English
Mobile
Moving to Australia? The government's free English classes for eligible adult migrants are explained in best ways to learn Australian English.
Common Questions
Is Australian spelling British or American?
Mostly British. Australians write centre and defence, like Britain. One common word follows the American style: Australians write program.
Where do Australian words come from?
Many come from British English, and some come from Aboriginal languages. Yakka, meaning hard work, comes from a word in the Yagara language of the Brisbane area.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Australian National Dictionary Centre: Meanings and Origins of Australian Words and Idioms
- Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
- Cambridge Dictionary
- Curtin University: From Avo to Arvo, the Ultimate Guide to Aussie Slang
- CNN Travel: Australian Slang Terms Every Visitor Should Know
- Australian English (English Wikipedia)
- American and British English spelling differences (English Wikipedia)
- Comparison of American and British English (English Wikipedia)
- Curtin Life: International Student Guesses Aussie Slang
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 5, 2026 against each app's own pages.
