British Slang For Yes (Helpful Content!)

The most common British slang terms for yes are common words like “yep” or “totally”. More regional slang terms include “aye” which you’ll mostly hear in Scotland and parts of the north of England. Other than that, you will hear universal slang terms like “completely” or “for sure” used for yes by the British.

“Yes” or some other affirmative answer is something that most of us are likely to say every single day.

You might think that this would lead to an endless stream of slang terms to stand in its place, but in fact, people prefer to just use a few universally agreed on terms, with some others being more specific for the right circumstances.

Let’s find out more.

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British Slang For Yes

How do the British say yes?

The British use a few different slang terms for yes, though most of them you are likely familiar with if you hail from another part of the English-speaking world.

1. Yep

Taking Britain as a whole, we have things like “yep” as perhaps the single most common slang term for yes.

Obviously, it is only a slight variation of the word yes, but in that slight variation, there is enormous room for difference in sense and meaning.

“Yep” is something informal, something you would say quickly if someone asked you a question, though one you would probably want to avoid in formal settings like a work meeting or something similar.

Example: “”Did you remember to pick up some milk from the shop?” “Yep, I got 4 pints on my way home.”

2. Aye

One that is closer to slang but which is not as widely used is “aye”.

This one is used throughout Scotland by just about everyone and has the simple meaning of yes.

The meaning isn’t really any more specific than this.

It is also used in large parts of northern England, although arguably to a lesser degree.

Whereas many Scottish people might simply always use it in place of yes, those in the north of England use it interchangeably with other terms for yes.

Example: “Are you ready to go?” “Aye, let’s get moving!”

Beyond these, there are a wide variety of terms that are used by the British for yes.

I’ll get into the specifics of more of these shortly, but it’s worth mentioning that many British people may simply use the word “yes” and never use any slang terms.

Yes is one of those bedrock terms, as mentioned, that only really needs a handful of slang terms—other than that, people will just say yes most of the time!

Where do we get some of these terms, then?

Why do the British say “yep”?

Though this is a very commonly used slang term in Britain today, it in fact has its roots in American slang.

There are, naturally, many similar variants of the word with which you might be familiar—“yup,” “yus,” and even “yap” in some cases.

The specific term “yep” is first recorded in the U.S. in 1889, where it was simply a variant of yes or yeah.

It was altered in this way for emphasis, giving a harder consonant sound at the end of the word than the –S.

It could also have been influenced by the older term “nope”.

This is first recorded in 1888, so it may be that a “yes” variant of this slang term naturally arose when the first one caught on.

With something as simple and commonly used as this, we may never know for sure where it came from, just as we can’t really say where “yeah” or other similar slang words came from.

That we are able to be as precise about the origin as a single year is already astounding—though it’s important to stress this is just the first time it was recorded, not the first time it was used.

Why do the British say “aye”?

It’s not entirely clear where “aye” comes from either, though we first have it recorded as being used in the 1570s.

Doubtless, it predates this by a long time in the vernacular, perhaps even as long as five or six centuries.

One common theory of its origin is that it is derived from the pronoun I, in the sense of “I assent”.

This was commonly used in official proceedings.

Another theory is that it was an alteration of the Middle English yai meaning yes, but we can’t really be sure of this.

What else do the British say for yes?

Beyond these terms, there are many other words you might hear used in place of “yes” in British English.

“Totally” is something you would use for a bit of extra emphasis.

“Did you like the film?” “Oh, totally,” for example.

“For sure” is also a common expression in Britain as it is elsewhere, again adding emphasis rather than just saying a simple yes.

“Completely” is a similar term, used in the sense of agreeing with what someone said rather than just saying “yes”.

Virtually any slang word for yes that is used in the English speaking world will be used in Britain.

So, you do have a handful of widely used slang terms for yes in British English, then.

For the most part, though, if you aren’t in Scotland or the north of England, then the most likely slang terms you’ll hear for “yes” are things like “yep” or “totally”.

“Aye” in Scotland is probably far more common than yes, though, so a Scottish person might even think of “yes” as being slang for “aye”!

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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