The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has added about 22 Nigerian and West African words and expressions to its latest update, reflecting the influence of everyday language, culture and popular expressions from the region on global English usage.
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The additions are part of the dictionary’s December update for its 2026 edition, which introduced hundreds of new words and meanings from different parts of the world where English is shaped by local realities.
Some of the Nigerian expressions added include ‘abeg’, ‘biko’, ‘amala’, ‘moi moi’, ‘nyash’, ‘Mammy market’, ‘Ghana Must Go’ and ‘Afrobeats’. The words capture common usage in Nigerian daily life, food culture, markets and music.
The update was announced on Wednesday via X by the OED and features widely used Nigerian and West African terms connected to food, music, everyday speech, markets and pop culture, highlighting the increasing global influence of African languages on English.
According to the OED, the December 2025 update introduced more than 500 new words, phrases and senses, while also revising over 1,000 existing entries as part of its quarterly review process.
Definitions Of New Nigerian Words
Among the newly added Nigerian entries is ‘abeg’, which the OED notes can function as an interjection or adverb “to express a range of emotions, such as surprise, exasperation, disbelief, etc.”
Another addition is ‘amala’, a staple Nigerian food, defined as “in Nigerian cookery: a kind of dough made of yam, cassava, or unripe plantain flour, typically formed into a ball and served as an accompaniment to other dishes.”
The update also formally recognises ‘Afrobeats’, described as “originally: a style of popular music incorporating elements of West African music and of jazz, soul, and funk.”
Afrobeats, which refers to the music genre that emerged from Nigeria and Ghana, was included following its growing global popularity and widespread usage in international media and entertainment.
Other words such as ‘abeg’ and ‘biko’ are frequently used in informal communication to express politeness or emphasis, while ‘amala’ and ‘moi moi’ refer to staple foods consumed across different parts of Nigeria.
‘Mammy market’ describes informal markets often found in military barracks and youth service camps, while ‘Ghana Must Go’ refers to the widely used chequered travel bag.
‘Nyash’, a popular slang term, was also added to the dictionary.
New Pronunciations For West African English
Author and OED Head of Pronunciations, Catherine Sangster, said the update marked an important development in how pronunciations are documented across different varieties of English.
“With this update we introduce a new model for the transcription of Maltese English pronunciations; this is the nineteenth World English pronunciation model in our collection. We also celebrate a decade of OED having spoken pronunciations, which were first added in December 2015,” Sangster said.
She explained that the dictionary has further expanded its pronunciation features, including the use of multiple audio files where necessary, adding that new pronunciations were also recorded for several West African English entries included in the update.
Full List Of New West African Words Added
The full list of new West African words added to the OED 2026 edition includes:
- Abeg, int. & adv.
- Abrokyire, n.
- Adowa, n.
- Afrobeats, n.
- Amala, n.
- Ampesi, n.
- Benachin, n.
- Bichir, n.
- Biko, adv. & int.
- Domoda, n.
- Dumboy, n.
- Ghana Must Go, n.
- Hiplife, n.
- Kpanlogo, n.
- Light soup, n.
- Mammy market, n.
- Moi moi, n.
- Nawetan, n.
- Nyash, n.
- Obroni, n. & adj.
- Poda-poda, n.
- Yassa, n.
Nigeria accounts for several of the new additions, including abeg, Afrobeats, Ghana Must Go, biko, mammy market, amala, nyash, and moi moi, while Ghanaian expressions such as kpanlogo, light soup, ampesi and abrokyire also feature prominently.
Builds On Previous Nigerian Additions
The latest additions build on a similar development in 2025 when the OED added 20 Nigerian words and expressions to its dictionary.
That earlier update included popular terms such as ‘japa’, ‘agbero’, ‘eba’, ‘419’ and ‘abi’, words closely linked to Nigerian street language, food culture, migration discourse and internet slang.
Other Nigerian entries from the 2025 list were ‘area boy’, ‘yahoo boy’, ‘yahoo’, ‘Naija’, ‘suya’, ‘kobo’, ‘Edo’, ‘Kanuri’, ‘jand’, ‘janded’, ‘cross-carpet’ and ‘cross-carpeting’.
The OED said the additions reflect the growing global influence of African languages, culture and popular expressions.
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