slang
/ˈsleɪ̯ŋ/noun, verb
slang is spelled S-L-A-N-G: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, slang means “Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of slang is slangs.
How many letters and syllables are in slang?
| Letters | 5: S-L-A-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is slang?
Slang appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce slang?
- /ˈslæŋ/
- [ˈslæŋ]
- US /ˈsleɪ̯ŋ/
Slang has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-slang.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with slang?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as slang from its last stressed vowel (/eɪŋ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: glans.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of slang
- slangs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- slanging participle, present
- slanged participle, past
- slanket
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does slang mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
- 2
Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
- 3
The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant.
- 4
A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group.
- 5
An item of slang; a slang word or expression.
- 6
IndiaA curse word.
- 7
UKAny long, narrow piece of land; a promontory.
- 8
UKobsoleteA fetter worn on the leg by a convict.
- 9
UKobsoleteA counterfeit weight or measure.
- 10
UKobsoleteA travelling show, or one of its performances.
- 11
UKobsoleteA hawker's license.
- 12
UKobsoleteA watchchain.
verb
- 1
To sell (something, especially illegal drugs).
- 2
datedTo vocally abuse, or shout at.
Stephen feared that he would yell louder, and was hostile. But they made friends and treated each other, and slanged the proprietor and ragged the pretty girls …
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate slang?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of slang: sl..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Slang in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense unconventional language:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | argot, langue verte, jargon |
| German | Slang, Umgangssprache |
| Portuguese | calão, jargão, gíria |
| Spanish | argot, jerga, germanía, replana |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does slang come from?
First use appears c. 1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Not believed to be connected with language or lingo. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, then possibly related to Nordic language: Danish slænge, Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk slengja, Norwegian slenge, Swedish slänga (“to (carelessly) sling, throw, hurl; throw away, to dispose of; to flail”), with derivational nouns such as slæng, sleng, släng etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).