View source for Australian English

{{Short description|Set of varieties of the English language}}
{{For|Australians of English descent|English Australians}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Australian English
| speakers         = 18.5&nbsp;million in Australia
| date             = 2021
| ref              = <ref name="ethn">{{e19|eng|English (Australia)}}</ref>
| speakers2        = 5&nbsp;million [[L2 speakers]] of English in Australia (approx. 2021)
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Germanic languages|Germanic]]
| fam3             = [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic]]
| fam4             = [[North Sea Germanic]]
| fam5             = [[Anglo-Frisian languages|Anglo-Frisian]]
| fam6             = [[Anglic languages|Anglic]]
| fam7             = [[English language|English]]
| ancestor         = [[Old English]]
| ancestor2        = [[Middle English]]
| ancestor3        = [[Early Modern English]]
| ancestor4        = [[Modern English]]
| ancestor5        = 18th century [[British English]]
| script           = [[Latin script|Latin]] (English alphabet)<br />[[Unified English Braille]]<ref name=braille>{{cite web|url=http://brailleaustralia.org/unified-english-braille/|title=Unified English Braille|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=18 May 2016|website=Australian Braille Authority|access-date=2 January 2017}}</ref>
| isoexception     = dialect
| glotto           = aust1314
| ietf             = {{wikidata|property|references|P305}}
| notice           = IPA
| states           = [[Australia]]
}}
{{ English language}}
[[File:Australia 2021 English language spoken at home.png|thumb|341x341px|The percentage of people who speak only the English language at home, 2021]]
'''Australian English''' ('''AusE''', '''AusEng''', '''AuE''', '''AuEng''', '''en-AU''') is the set of [[variety (linguistics)|varieties]] of the [[English language]] native to [[Australia]]. It is the country's [[common language]] and ''de facto'' [[national language]]. While Australia has no [[official language]], English is the [[first language]] of [[Languages of Australia|the majority of the population]], and has been entrenched as the ''de facto'' national language since the onset of [[History of Australia (1788–1850)|British settlement]], being the only language spoken in the home for 72% of [[Australians]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Australia |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/AUS |access-date=6 March 2025 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> It is also the main language used in compulsory education, as well as federal, state and territorial legislatures and courts.

Australian English began to diverge from [[British English|British]] and [[Hiberno-English]] after the [[First Fleet]] established the [[Colony of New South Wales]] in 1788. Australian English arose from a [[Koiné language|dialectal melting pot]] created by the intermingling of early settlers who were from a variety of dialectal regions of [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]],<ref name="Burridge 2020 178¬-181">{{cite book |last=Burridge |first=Kate |editor-last=Willoughby |editor-first=Louisa |title=Australian English Reimagined: Structure, Features and Developments |publisher=Routledge |date=2020 |pages=178¬–181 |chapter=Chapter 11: History of Australian English |isbn=978-0-367-02939-5}}</ref> though its most significant influences were [[English language in Southern England|the dialects of South East England]].<ref name="Moore 2008 69">{{cite book |last=Moore |first=Bruce |title=Speaking our Language: the Story of Australian English |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-19-556577-5 |location=South Melbourne |page=69}}</ref> By the 1820s, the native-born colonists' speech was recognisably distinct from speakers in Britain and Ireland.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Burridge |first=Kate |title=Australian English Reimagined: Structure, Features and Developments |date=2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-367-02939-5 |editor-last=Willoughby |editor-first=Louisa |pages=181, 183 |chapter=Chapter 11: History of Australian English}}</ref>

Australian English differs from other varieties in its [[phonology]], [[pronunciation]], [[lexicon]], [[idiom]], [[grammar]] and [[spelling]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Cox |first=Felicity |editor-last=Willoughby |editor-first=Louisa |title=Australian English Reimagined: Structure, Features and Developments |publisher=Routledge |date=2020 |pages=15 |chapter=Chapter 2: Phonetics and Phonology of Australian English |isbn=978-0-367-02939-5}}</ref> Australian English is relatively consistent across the continent, although it encompasses numerous [[Variation in Australian English|regional and sociocultural varieties]]. "General Australian" describes the ''de facto'' [[standard language|standard dialect]], which is perceived to be free of pronounced regional or sociocultural [[markedness|markers]] and is often used in the media.
{{toc limit|3}}

==History==
Similar to [[American English#History|early American English]], Australian English passed through a process of extensive [[dialect levelling]] and [[Koiné language|mixing]] which produced a relatively homogeneous new variety of English which was easily understood by all.<ref name="Burridge 2020 178¬-181" />

The earliest Australian English was spoken by the first generation of native-born colonists in the [[Colony of New South Wales]] from the end of the 18th century. These native-born children were exposed to a wide range of dialects from across the [[British Isles]]. The dialects of [[South East England]], including most notably the traditional [[Cockney]] dialect of London, were particularly influential on the development of the new variety and constituted "the major input of the various sounds that went into constructing" Australian English. All the other regions of England were represented among the early colonists. A large proportion of early convicts and colonists were from Ireland (comprising the 25% of the total convict population), and many of them spoke [[Irish language|Irish]] as a sole or [[first language]]. They were joined by other non-native speakers of English from the [[Scottish Highlands]] and [[Wales]]. [[Peter Miller Cunningham]]'s 1827 book ''Two Years in New South Wales'' described the distinctive accent and vocabulary that had developed among the native-born colonists.<ref name="Moore 2008 69" />

The first of the [[Australian gold rushes]] in the 1850s began a large wave of [[Immigration history of Australia|immigration]], during which about two percent of the population of the United Kingdom emigrated to the colonies of [[Colony of New South Wales|New South Wales]] and [[Colony of Victoria|Victoria]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Blainey|first=Geoffrey|title=The Rush that Never Ended: a History of Australian Mining|year=1993|publisher=Melbourne University Press|location=Carlton, Vic.|isbn=0-522-84557-6|edition=4}}</ref> The Gold Rushes brought immigrants and linguistic influences from many parts of the world. An example was the introduction of vocabulary from [[American English]], including some terms later considered to be typically Australian, such as ''bushwhacker'' and ''squatter''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Baker|first=Sidney J.|title=The Australian Language|year=1945|publisher=Angus and Robertson|location=Sydney|edition=1st}}</ref> This American influence was continued with the popularity of American films from the early 20th century and the influx of American military personnel that settled in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] during [[World War II]]; seen in the enduring persistence of such universally-accepted terms as ''[[okay]]'' and ''guys''.<ref name="Bell">{{cite book|last1=Bell|first1=Philip|last2=Bell|first2=Roger|title=Americanization and Australia|year=1998|publisher=University of New South Wales Press|location=Sydney|isbn=0-86840-784-4|edition=1. publ.}}</ref>

The publication of [[Edward Ellis Morris]]'s ''Austral English: A Dictionary Of Australasian Words, Phrases And Usages'' in 1898, which extensively catalogued Australian English vocabulary, started a wave of academic interest and codification during the 20th century which resulted in Australian English becoming established as an [[Schneider's dynamic model|endonormative]] variety with its own internal norms and standards. This culminated in publications such as the 1981 first edition of the ''[[Macquarie Dictionary]]'', a major English language dictionary based on Australian usage, and the 1988 first edition of ''[[The Australian National Dictionary]]'', a historical dictionary documenting the history of Australian English vocabulary and idiom.

<gallery>
File:The First Fleet entering Port Jackson, January 26, 1788, drawn 1888 A9333001h.jpg|The [[First Fleet]], which brought the [[English language]] to Australia
File:Doudiet Swearing allegiance to the Southern Cross.jpg|The [[Australian gold rushes]] saw many external influences on the language.
</gallery>

==Phonology and pronunciation==
{{Main|Australian English phonology}}
The most obvious way in which Australian English is distinctive from other varieties of English is through its unique pronunciation. It shares most similarity with [[New Zealand English]].<ref>Trudgill, Peter and Jean Hannah. (2002). ''International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English'', 4th ed. London: Arnold. {{ISBN|0-340-80834-9}}, p. 4.</ref> Like most dialects of English, it is distinguished primarily by the phonetic quality of its vowels.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harrington | first1 = J. |last2 = Cox | first2=F. |last3= Evans | first3 = Z. |name-list-style=amp |title=An acoustic phonetic study of broad, general, and cultivated Australian English vowels |journal=Australian Journal of Linguistics |year=1997 |volume=17 |pages=155–84 |doi=10.1080/07268609708599550 |issue = 2 }}</ref>

===Vowels===
[[File:Australian English vowel chart.svg|thumb|right|Australian English monophthongs<ref name="coxflet2017">{{citation |last1=Cox |first1=Felicity|last2=Fletcher|first2=Janet |year=2017|orig-year=First published 2012 |title=Australian English Pronunciation and Transcription |edition=2nd |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-316-63926-9 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZBs3DwAAQBAJ }}</ref>]]
[[File:Australian English diphthong chart - part 1.svg|thumb|right|Part 1 of Australian English diphthongs<ref name="coxflet2017" />]]
[[File:Australian English diphthong chart - part 2.svg|thumb|right|Part 2 of Australian English diphthongs<ref name="coxflet2017" />]]

The vowels of Australian English can be divided according to length. The long vowels, which include [[monophthong]]s and [[diphthong]]s, mostly correspond to the [[tense vowel]]s used in analyses of [[Received Pronunciation]] (RP) as well as its centring diphthongs. The short vowels, consisting only of monophthongs, correspond to the RP lax vowels.

There exist pairs of long and short vowels with overlapping vowel quality giving Australian English [[vowel length|phonemic length distinction]], which is also present in some regional south-eastern dialects of the UK and eastern seaboard dialects in the US.<ref>{{cite web|first=Robert| last=Mannell |url=http://clas.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/phonetics/ausenglish/impressionistic.html |title=Australian English – Impressionistic Phonetic Studies |publisher=Clas.mq.edu.au|date=14 August 2009|access-date=26 July 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110706114743/http://clas.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/phonetics/ausenglish/impressionistic.html| archive-date= 6 July 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> An example of this feature is the distinction between ''ferry'' {{IPA|/ˈfeɹiː/}} and ''fairy'' {{IPA|/ˈfeːɹiː/}}.

As with New Zealand English and General American English, the [[weak-vowel merger]] is complete in Australian English: unstressed {{IPA|/ɪ/}} is merged into {{IPA|/ə/}} ([[schwa]]), unless it is followed by a velar consonant. Examples of this feature are the following pairings, which are pronounced identically in Australian English: ''Rosa's'' and ''roses'', as well as ''Lennon'' and ''Lenin''. Other examples are the following pairs, which rhyme in Australian English: ''abbott'' with ''rabbit'', and ''dig it'' with ''bigot''.

Most varieties of Australian English exhibit only a partial [[trap-bath split]]. The words ''bath'', ''grass'' and ''can't'' are always pronounced with the "long" {{IPA|/ɐː/}} of ''father''. Throughout the majority of the country, the "flat" {{IPA|/æ/}} of ''man'' is the dominant pronunciation for the ''a'' vowel in the following words: ''dance'', ''advance'', ''plant'', ''example'' and ''answer''. The exception is the state of [[South Australia]], where a more advanced trap-bath split is found, and where the dominant pronunciation of all the preceding words incorporates the "long" {{IPA|/ɐː/}} of ''father''.

{|class=wikitable
|-
! colspan="4" |monophthongs
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |diphthongs
|-
! colspan="2" |short vowels
! colspan="2" |long vowels
|-
! valign="top" align="center" |IPA
!examples
! valign="top" align="center" |IPA
!examples
! valign="top" align="center" |IPA
!examples
|-
|{{IPA|ʊ}}
|''f'''oo'''t'', ''h'''oo'''d'', ''ch'''oo'''k''
|ʉː<ref group="nb">The vowel /ʉː/ is diphthongised in all the major Australian accents; in General Australian, the most widespread Australian accent, the vowel is pronounced as [ɪ̈ɯ]. See [[Australian English phonology]] for a more detailed analysis.</ref>
|''g'''oo'''se'', ''b'''oo''''', ''wh'''o''''d''
|{{IPA|ɪə}}
|''n'''ear''''', ''b'''ear'''d'', ''h'''ear'''''<ref group="nb">The boundary between monophthongs and diphthongs is somewhat fluid: {{IPA|/ɪə/}}, for example, is commonly realised as {{IPA|[ɪː]}}, particularly in closed syllables, though also found in open syllables such as ''we're'', ''here'', and so on. In open syllables particularly, the pronunciation varies from the bisyllabic {{IPA|[ɪːa]}}, through the diphthong {{IPA|[ɪə]}}, to the long vowel {{IPA|[ɪː]}}.</ref>
|-
|ɪ
|''k'''i'''t'', ''b'''i'''d'', ''h'''i'''d'',
|{{IPA|iː}}<ref group="nb">The vowel /iː/ has an onset [ɪi̯], except before laterals. The onset is often lowered to [əi], so that "beat" is [bəit] for some speakers.</ref>
|''fl'''ee'''ce'', ''b'''ea'''d'', ''h'''ea'''t''
|{{IPA|æɔ}}
|''m'''ou'''th'', ''b'''owe'''d'', ''h'''ow'<nowiki/>'''d''
|-
|e/ɛ
|''dr'''e'''ss'', ''l'''e'''d'', ''h'''ea'''d''
|{{IPA|eː}}/ɛː
|''squ'''are''''', ''b'''are'''d'', ''h'''aire'''d''
|{{IPA|əʉ}}
|''g'''oa'''t'', ''b'''o'''d'''e''''', ''h'''oe'''d''
|-
|ə
|''comm'''a''''', '''''a'''bout'', ''wint'''er'''''
|{{IPA|ɜː}}
|''n'''ur'''se'', ''b'''ir'''d'', ''h'''ear'''d''
|{{IPA|æɪ}}
|''f'''a'''ce'', ''b'''ai'''t'', ''m'''a'''de''
|-
|{{IPA|æ}}
|''tr'''a'''p'', ''l'''a'''d'', ''h'''a'''d''
|æː
|b'''a'''d, s'''a'''d, m'''a'''d
|{{IPA|ɑe}}
|''pr'''i'''ce'', ''b'''i'''te'', ''h'''i'''de''
|-
|{{IPA|ɐ}}
|''str'''u'''t'', ''b'''u'''d'', ''h'''u'''d''
|{{IPA|ɐː}}
|''st'''ar'''t'', ''p'''al'''m'', ''b'''a'''th''
|{{IPA|oɪ}}
|''ch'''oi'''ce'', ''b'''oy''''', '''''oi'''l''
|-
|{{IPA|ɔ}}
|''l'''o'''t'', ''cl'''o'''th'', ''h'''o'''t''
|oː
|''th'''ou'''ght'', ''n'''or'''th'', ''f'''or'''ce''
|
|
|-
| colspan="6" |{{reflist|group=nb}}
|}

===Consonants===
There is little variation in the sets of [[consonant]]s used in different English dialects but there are variations in how these consonants are used. Australian English is no exception.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|+ Australian English consonant phonemes{{sfnp|Cox|Palethorpe|2007|p=343}}
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Interdental consonant|Dental]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br />alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
|
| {{IPA link|n}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Stop consonant|Plosive]]
! {{small|[[fortis consonant|fortis]]}}
| {{IPA link|p}}
|
| {{IPA link|t}}
| 
|
| {{IPA link|k}}
|
|-
! {{small|[[lenis consonant|lenis]]}}
| {{IPA link|b}}
|
| {{IPA link|d}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! {{small|[[fortis consonant|fortis]]}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|tʃ}}
|
|
|
|-
! {{small|[[lenis consonant|lenis]]}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|dʒ}}
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! {{small|[[fortis consonant|fortis]]}}
| {{IPA link|f}}
| {{IPA link|θ}}
| {{IPA link|s}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|h}}
|-
! {{small|[[lenis consonant|lenis]]}}
| {{IPA link|v}}
| {{IPA link|ð}}
| {{IPA link|z}}
| {{IPA link|ʒ}}
|
|
| 
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
! {{small|[[Central consonant|central]]}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ɹ}}
|
| {{IPA link|j}}
| {{IPA link|w}}
|
|-
! {{small|[[Lateral consonant|lateral]]}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|l}}
|
|
|
|
|}

Australian English is uniformly [[Rhoticity in English|non-rhotic]]; that is, the {{IPA|/ɹ/}} sound does not appear at the end of a syllable or immediately before a consonant.<ref name=":0" /> As with many non-rhotic dialects, [[Linking R|linking {{IPA|/ɹ/|cat=no}}]] can occur when a word that has a final {{angbr|r}} in the spelling comes before another word that starts with a vowel. An [[Linking and intrusive R#Intrusive R|intrusive {{IPA|/ɹ/|cat=no}}]] may similarly be inserted before a vowel in words that do not have {{angbr|r}} in the spelling in certain environments, namely after the long vowel {{IPA|/oː/}} and after word final {{IPA|/ə/}}. This can be heard in "law-r-and order", where an intrusive R is voiced between the AW and the A.

As with North American English, [[intervocalic alveolar flapping]] is a feature of Australian English: prevocalic {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/d/}} surface as the [[alveolar tap]] {{IPA|[ɾ]}} after [[sonorant]]s other than {{IPA|/m, ŋ/}} as well as at the end of a word or morpheme before any vowel in the same breath group. Examples of this feature are that the following pairs are pronounced similarly or identically: ''latter'' and ''ladder'', as well as ''rated'' and ''raided''.

[[English consonant-cluster reductions#Yod-dropping|''Yod''-dropping]] generally occurs after {{IPA|/s/}}, {{IPA|/l/}}, {{IPA|/z/}}, {{IPA|/θ/}} but not after {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/d/}} and {{IPA|/n/}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Filppula |first1=Markku |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qdk-DgAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Handbook of World Englishes |last2=Klemola |first2=Juhani |last3=Sharma |first3=Devyani |date=2017-02-14 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-067144-0 |pages=412 |language=en}}</ref> Accordingly, ''suit'' is pronounced as {{IPA|/sʉːt/}}, ''lute'' as {{IPA|/lʉːt/}}, ''Zeus'' as {{IPA|/zʉːs/}} and ''enthusiasm'' as {{IPA|/enˈθʉːziːæzəm/}}. Other cases of {{IPA|/sj/}} and {{IPA|/zj/}}, as well as {{IPA|/tj/}} and {{IPA|/dj/}}, have [[English consonant-cluster reductions#Yod-coalescence|coalesced]] to {{IPA|/ʃ/}}, {{IPA|/ʒ/}}, {{IPA|/tʃ/}} and {{IPA|/dʒ/}} respectively for many speakers. {{IPA|/j/}} is generally retained in other [[consonant cluster]]s.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

In common with most varieties of [[Scottish English]] and [[American English]], the phoneme {{IPA|/l/}} is pronounced by Australians as a "dark" (velarised) ''l'' ({{IPA|[ɫ]}}) in almost all positions, unlike other dialects such as [[Received Pronunciation]], [[Hiberno-English|Hiberno (Irish) English]], etc.

===Pronunciation===
Differences in stress, weak forms and standard pronunciation of isolated words occur between Australian English and other forms of English, which while noticeable do not impair intelligibility.

The affixes ''-ary'', ''-ery'', ''-ory'', ''-bury'', ''-berry'' and ''-mony'' (seen in words such as ''necessary, mulberry'' and ''matrimony'') can be pronounced either with a full vowel ({{IPA|/ˈnesəseɹiː, ˈmalbeɹiː, ˈmætɹəməʉniː/}}) or a schwa  ({{IPA|/ˈnesəsəɹiː, ˈmalbəɹiː, ˈmætɹəməniː/}}). Although some words like ''necessary'' are almost universally pronounced with the full vowel, older generations of Australians are relatively likely to pronounce these affixes with a schwa as is typical in British English. Meanwhile, younger generations are relatively likely to use a full vowel.

Words ending in unstressed ''-ile'' derived from Latin adjectives ending in ''-ilis'' are pronounced with a full vowel, so that ''fertile'' {{IPA|/ˈfɜːtɑel/}} sounds like ''fur tile'' rather than rhyming with ''turtle'' {{IPA|/ˈtɜːtəl/}}.

In addition, miscellaneous pronunciation differences exist when compared with other varieties of English in relation to various isolated words, with some of those pronunciations being unique to Australian English. For example:
* As with American English, the vowel in ''yoghurt'' {{IPA|/ˈjəʉɡət/}} and the prefix ''homo-'' {{IPA|/ˈhəʉməʉ/}} (as in ''homosexual'' or ''homophobic'') are pronounced with {{sc2|GOAT}} rather than {{sc2|LOT}};
* ''Vitamin'', ''migraine'' and ''privacy'' are all pronounced with {{IPA|/ɑe/}} in the stressed syllable ({{IPA|/ˈvɑetəmən, ˈmɑeɡɹæɪn, ˈpɹɑevəsiː/}}) rather than {{IPA|/ˈvɪtəmən, ˈmiːɡɹæɪn, ˈpɹɪvəsiː/}};
* ''Dynasty'' and ''patronise'', by contrast, are usually subject to [[trisyllabic laxing]] ({{IPA|/ˈdɪnəstiː, ˈpætɹɔnɑez/}}) like in Britain, alongside US-derived {{IPA|/ˈdɑenəstiː, ˈpæɪtɹɔnɑez/}};
* The prefix ''paedo-'' (as in ''paedophile'') is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈpedəʉ/}} rather than {{IPA|/ˈpiːdəʉ/}};
* In loanwords, the vowel spelled with {{angbr|a}} is often nativized as the {{sc2|PALM}} vowel ({{IPA|/ɐː/}}), similar to American English ({{IPA|/ɑː/}}), rather than the {{sc2|TRAP}} vowel ({{IPA|/æ/}}), as in British English. For example, ''pasta'' is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈpɐːstə/}}, analogous to American English {{IPA|/ˈpɑstə/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈpæstə/}}, as in British English.
* ''Urinal'' is stressed on the first syllable and with the [[schwa]] for ''I'': {{IPA|/ˈjʉːɹənəl/}};
* ''Harass'' and ''harassment'' are pronounced with the stress on the second, rather than the first syllable;
* The suffix ''-sia'' (as in ''[[Malaysia]]'', ''[[Indonesia]]'' and ''[[Polynesia]]'', but not ''[[Tunisia]]'') is pronounced {{IPA|/-⁠ʒə/}} rather than {{IPA|/-ziːə/}};
* The word ''foyer'' is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈfoɪə/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈfoɪæɪ/}};
* ''Tomato'', ''vase'' and ''data'' are pronounced with {{IPA|/ɐː/}} instead of {{IPA|/æɪ/}}: {{IPA|/təˈmɐːtəʉ, vɐːz, ˈdɐːtə/}}, with {{IPA|/ˈdæɪtə/}} being uncommon but acceptable;
* ''Zebra'' and ''leisure'' are pronounced {{IPA|/ˈzebɹə/}} and {{IPA|/ˈleʒə/}} rather than {{IPA|/ˈziːbɹə/}} and {{IPA|/ˈliːʒə/}}, both having disyllabic laxing;
* ''Status'' varies between British-derived {{IPA|/ˈstæɪtəs/}} with the {{sc2|FACE}} vowel and American-derived {{IPA|/ˈstætəs/}} with the {{sc2|TRAP}} vowel;
* Conversely, ''precedence'', ''precedent'' and derivatives are mainly pronounced with the {{sc2|FLEECE}} vowel in the stressed syllable, rather than {{sc2|DRESS}}: {{IPA|/ˈpɹiːsədəns ~ pɹiːˈsiːdəns, ˈpɹiːsədənt/}};
* ''Basil'' is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈbæzəl/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈbæɪzəl/}};
* Conversely, ''cache'' is usually pronounced {{IPA|/kæɪʃ/}}, rather than the more conventional {{IPA|/kæʃ/}};
* ''Buoy'' is pronounced as {{IPA|/boɪ/}} (as in ''boy'') rather than {{IPA|/ˈbʉːiː/}};
* The ''E'' in ''congress'' and ''progress'' is not reduced: {{IPA|/ˈkɔnɡɹes, ˈpɹəʉɡɹes/}};
* Conversely, the unstressed ''O'' in ''silicon'', ''phenomenon'' and ''python'' stands for a schwa: {{IPA|/ˈsɪlɪkən, fəˈnɔmənən, ˈpɑeθən/}};
* In ''Amazon'', ''Lebanon'', ''marathon'' and ''pantheon'', however, the unstressed ''O'' stands for the {{sc2|LOT}} vowel, somewhat as with American English: {{IPA|/ˈæməzɔn, ˈlebənɔn, ˈmæɹəθɔn, ˈpænθæɪɔn/}};
* The colour name ''maroon'' is pronounced with the {{sc2|GOAT}} vowel: {{IPA|/məˈɹəʉn/}}.

==Variation==
{| class="wikitable" style="float: right;"
|+ Variation in Australian closing diphthongs<ref>{{citation
|last=Wells
|first=John C.
|author-link=John C. Wells
|year=1982
|page=597
|title=Accents of English
|location=Cambridge
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
}}</ref> updated to match the HCE system <ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Harrington|Cox|Evans|1997}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" | Phoneme !! rowspan="2" | Lexical set !! colspan="3" | Phonetic realization
|-
! Cultivated !! General !! Broad
|-
| {{IPA|/iː/}}
| {{sc2|FLEECE}}
| {{IPA|[ɪi]}}
| {{IPA|[ɪ̈i]}}
| {{IPA|[əːɪ]}}
|-
| {{IPA|/ʉː/}}
| {{sc2|GOOSE}}
| {{IPA|[ʊu]}}
| {{IPA|[ɪ̈ɯ, ʊʉ]}}
| {{IPA|[əːʉ]}}
|-
| {{IPA|/æɪ/}}
| {{sc2|FACE}}
| {{IPA|[ɛɪ]}}
| {{IPA|[æ̠ɪ]}}<!-- Wells's [ʌ], which represents a near-open near-front unrounded vowel, is written [æ̠] here. -->
| {{IPA|[æ̠ːɪ, a̠ːɪ]}}
|-
| {{IPA|/əʉ/}}
| {{sc2|GOAT}}
| {{IPA|[ö̞ʊ]}}
| {{IPA|[æ̠ʉ]}}
| {{IPA|[æ̠ːʉ, a̠ːʉ]}}
|-
| {{IPA|/ɑe/}}<!-- Wells's [ɪ] is written HCE's [e] in this row. -->
| {{sc2|PRICE}}
| {{IPA|[a̠e]}}
| {{IPA|[ɒe]}}
| {{IPA|[ɒːe]}}
|-
| {{IPA|/æɔ/}}
| {{sc2|MOUTH}}
| {{IPA|[a̠ʊ]}}
| {{IPA|[æo]}}
| {{IPA|[ɛːo, ɛ̃ːɤ]}}
|}
{{Main|Variation in Australian English}}

Relative to many other national dialect groupings, Australian English is relatively homogeneous across the country. Some relatively minor regional differences in pronunciation exist. A limited range of [[Word usage|word choice]]s is strongly regional in nature. Consequently, the geographical background of individuals may be inferred if they use words that are peculiar to particular Australian states or territories and, in some cases, even smaller regions. In addition, some Australians speak [[English-based creole languages|creole languages]] derived from Australian English, such as [[Australian Kriol language|Australian Kriol]], [[Torres Strait Creole]] and [[Norfuk language|Norfuk]].

Academic research has also identified notable [[culture|sociocultural]] variation within Australian English, which is mostly evident in phonology.<ref>{{cite web|first=Robert | last=Mannell |url=http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/phonetics/ausenglish/impressionistic.html |title=Robert Mannell, "Impressionistic Studies of Australian English Phonetics" |publisher=Ling.mq.edu.au |date=14 August 2009 |access-date=26 July 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081231163640/http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/phonetics/ausenglish/impressionistic.html| archive-date=31 December 2008| url-status= live}}</ref>

===Regional variation===
Although Australian English is relatively homogeneous, there are some regional variations. The dialects of English spoken in the various [[states and territories of Australia]] differ slightly in vocabulary and phonology.

Most regional differences are in word usage. Swimming clothes are known as ''cossies'', {{IPA|/ˈkɔziːz/}} ''togs'' or ''swimmers'' in New South Wales, ''togs'' in Queensland, and ''bathers'' in Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-05/what-do-you-call-battered-deep-fried-potato-snack-linguistic/7069684|title=Divide over potato cake and scallop, bathers and togs mapped in 2015 Linguistics Roadshow|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|first=Kellie|last=Scott|newspaper=ABC News|date=5 January 2016|access-date=5 January 2016}}</ref> What Queensland calls a ''stroller'' is usually called a ''pram'' in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, and Tasmania.<ref name="Pauline Bryant 1985">Pauline Bryant (1985): Regional variation in the Australian English lexicon, Australian Journal of Linguistics, 5:1, 55–66</ref>

Preference for some synonymous words also differ between states. ''Garbage'' (i.e., garbage bin, garbage truck) dominates over ''rubbish'' in New South Wales and Queensland, while ''rubbish'' is more popular in Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia.<ref name="Pauline Bryant 1985"/>

Additionally, the word ''footy'' generally refers to the most popular [[Football in Australia|football code]] in an area; that is, [[rugby league]] or [[rugby union]] depending on the local area, in most of New South Wales and Queensland. More commonly "rugby" is used to distinguish rugby union from "footy" which refers to the more popular rugby league. Footy commonly is used for [[Australian rules football]] elsewhere however the term refers to the both  prominent codes, rugby league and Australian rules football, interchangeably, depending on context of usage outside of regional perrameters. In some pockets of Melbourne & Western Sydney "football" and more rarely "footy" will refer to Association football although unlike more common international terminology, Australian English uses the term soccer and not football or footy. Beer glasses are also [[Australian English vocabulary#Alcohol|named differently]] in different states. Distinctive grammatical patterns exist such as the use of the interrogative ''eh'' (also spelled ''ay'' or ''aye''), which is particularly associated with Queensland. ''[[Secret Santa]]'' ({{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}) and ''Kris Kringle'' are used in all states, with the former being more common in Queensland.

;South Australia
The most pronounced variation in phonology is between [[South Australia]] and the other states and territories. The [[trap–bath split]] is more complete in South Australia, in contrast to the other states. Accordingly, words such as ''dance'', ''advance'', ''plant'', ''example'' and ''answer'' are pronounced with {{IPA|/ɐː/}} (as in ''father'') far more frequently in South Australia while the older {{IPA|/æ/}} (as in ''mad'') is dominant elsewhere in Australia.<ref name="Pauline Bryant 1985"/> [[L-vocalization|''L''-vocalisation]] is also more common in South Australia than other states.

;Centring diphthongs
In Western Australian and Queensland English, the vowels in ''near'' and ''square'' are typically realised as centring diphthongs ({{IPA|[nɪə, skweə]}}), whereas in the other states they may also be realised as monophthongs: {{IPA|[nɪː, skweː]}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clas.mq.edu.au/australian-voices/regional-accents |title=regional accents &#124; Australian Voices |publisher=Clas.mq.edu.au |access-date=26 July 2011}}</ref>

;Salary–celery merger
A feature common in Victorian English is [[English-language vowel changes before historic l#Salary–celery merger|salary–celery merger]], whereby a Victorian pronunciation of ''Ellen'' may sound like ''Alan'' and Victoria's capital city ''[[Melbourne]]'' may sound like ''Malbourne'' to speakers from other states. There is also regional variation in {{IPA|/ʉː/}} before {{IPA|/l/}} (as in ''school'' and ''pool'').

;Full-fool allophones
In some parts of Australia, notably Victoria, a fully backed allophone of {{IPA|/ʉː/}}, transcribed {{IPA|[ʊː]}}, is common before {{IPA|/l/}}. As a result, the pairs full/fool and pull/pool differ phonetically only in vowel length for those speakers. The usual allophone for {{IPA|/ʉː/}} is further forward in Queensland and New South Wales than Victoria.

;Final particle but
A ''final particle but'', where "but" is the concluding word in a sentence, has also evolved as a distinctive feature in Australian English, particularly in Western Australia and Queensland. In conversational Australian English it is thought to be a turn-yielding particle that marks contrastive content in the utterance it closes. It is a linguistic trait sometimes employed in Australian literature to indicate that the character is quintessentially Australian.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275354830_The_final_particle-hood_of_but_in_Australian_English_conversation|title= Final but in Australian English conversation.}}  Mulder, Jean & Thompson, Sandra & Penry Williams, Cara. (2009) in Peters, Pam, Collins, Peter and Smith, Adam. Comparative Studies in Australian and New Zealand English: Grammar and beyond, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1075/veaw.g39  </ref>

===Sociocultural variation===<!-- [[General Australian]] redirects here-->
The General Australian accent serves as the [[standard language|standard variety]] of English across the country. According to linguists, it emerged during the 19th century.<ref>Bruce Moore (Australian Oxford Dictionary) and Felicity Cox (Macquarie University) [interviewed in]: ''Sounds of Aus'' (television documentary) 2007; director: David Swann; Writer: Lawrie Zion, Princess Pictures (broadcaster: ABC Television).</ref> General Australian is the dominant variety across the continent, and is particularly so in urban areas.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.international.mq.edu.au/globe/default.aspx?id=244&EditionID=162| title = Australia's unique and evolving sound| access-date = 22 January 2009| archive-date = 27 September 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090927000652/http://www.international.mq.edu.au/globe/default.aspx?id=244&EditionID=162| url-status = dead}} Edition 34, 2007 (23 August 2007) – ''The Macquarie Globe''</ref> The increasing dominance of General Australian reflects its prominence on radio and television since the latter half of the 20th century.

Recent generations have seen a comparatively smaller proportion of the population speaking with the ''Broad'' sociocultural variant, which differs from General Australian in its phonology. The Broad variant is found across the continent and is relatively more prominent in rural and outer-suburban areas.<ref>{{cite news|last=Das|first=Sushi|title=Struth! Someone's nicked me Strine|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Struth-Someones-nicked-me-Strine/2005/01/28/1106850102203.html|newspaper=The Age|date=29 January 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Corderoy|first=Amy|title=It's all English, but vowels ain't voils|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/its-all-english-but-vowels-aint-voils-20100125-mukf.html|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|date=26 January 2010}}</ref>

A largely historical ''Cultivated'' sociocultural variant, which adopted features of British [[Received Pronunciation]] and which was commonplace in official media during the early 20th century, had become largely extinct by the onset of the 21st century.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jamieson|first=Maya|title=Australia's accent only now starting to adopt small changes|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-s-accent-only-now-starting-to-adopt-small-changes|newspaper=SBS News|date=12 September 2017}}</ref>

[[Australian Aboriginal English]] is made up of a range of forms which developed differently in different parts of Australia, and are said to vary along a continuum, from forms close to Standard Australian English to more non-standard forms. There are distinctive features of accent, grammar, words and meanings, as well as language use.

Academics have noted the emergence of numerous ethnocultural dialects of Australian English that are spoken by people from some [[Minority group|minority]] non-English speaking backgrounds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clas.mq.edu.au/australian-voices/australian-english |title=australian english &#124; Australian Voices |publisher=Clas.mq.edu.au |date=30 July 2010 |access-date=26 July 2011}}</ref> These ethnocultural varieties contain features of General Australian English as adopted by the children of immigrants blended with some non-English language features, such as [[Afro-Asiatic]] languages and [[Asian languages|languages of Asia]]. [[Samoa#Language|Samoan English]] is also influencing Australian English.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.abc.net.au/article/13079360| title = Reference at www.abc.net.au| website = [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]}} {{dead link|date=March 2023}}</ref> Other [[ethnolects]] include those of Lebanese and Vietnamese Australians.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/education/learn-english/learn-english-six-facts-about-the-aussie-accent/8963136 |title=Six facts about the Australian accent |date=18 Dec 2017 |website=ABC Education |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date= 9 April 2023}}</ref>

A [[high rising terminal]] in Australian English was noted and studied earlier than in other varieties of English.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Speech of Australian Adolescents: A Study in Phonetics and Intonation. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. |publisher=Mitchell, A. G., & Delbridge, A. (1965). |access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> The feature is sometimes called ''Australian questioning intonation''. Research published in 1986, regarding vernacular speech in [[Sydney]], suggested that high rising terminal was initially spread by young people in the 1960s. It found that the high rising terminal was used more than twice as often by young people than older people, and is more common among women than men.<ref name="guy">{{cite journal |last1=Guy |first1=G. |last2=Horvath |first2=B. |last3=Vonwiller |first3=J. |last4=Daisley |first4=E. |last5=Rogers |first5=I. |title=An intonational change in progress in Australian English |journal=Language in Society |volume=15 |year=1986 |pages=23&ndash;52 |issn=0047-4045 | doi = 10.1017/s0047404500011635 |s2cid=146425401 }}</ref> In the [[United Kingdom]], it has occasionally been considered one of the variety's stereotypical features, and its spread there is attributed to the popularity of [[Soap opera#Australia|Australian soap operas]].<ref name="aqi">{{cite news |first=Chris |last=Stokel-Walker |title=The unstoppable march of the upward inflection? |work=[[BBC News]] |date=11 August 2014 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28708526 |access-date=17 February 2022 }}</ref>

==Vocabulary==
===Intrinsic traits===
{{Main|Australian English vocabulary}}
[[File:Banjo Patterson.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Bush poets such as [[Banjo Paterson]] captured the Australian vocabulary of the 19th century in their [[bush ballad]]s.]]
Australian English has many words and idioms which are unique to the dialect.

====Commonly known====
Internationally well-known examples of Australian terminology include ''[[outback]]'', meaning a remote, sparsely populated area, ''[[the bush]]'', meaning either a native forest or a country area in general, and ''g'day'', a greeting. ''Dinkum'', or ''fair dinkum'' means "true", "legitimate" or "is that true?", among other things, depending on context and inflection.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.anu.edu.au/andc/pubs/ozwords/November_98/index.html| title = Frederick Ludowyk, 1998, "Aussie Words: The Dinkum Oil On Dinkum; Where Does It Come From?" (''0zWords'', Australian National Dictionary Centre)| access-date = 5 November 2007| archive-date = 16 March 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110316062047/http://www.anu.edu.au/andc/pubs/ozwords/November_98/index.html| url-status = dead}}. Access date: 5 November 2007.</ref> The derivative ''dinky-di'' means "true" or devoted: a "dinky-di Aussie" is a "true Australian".{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

====Historical references====
[[Australian performance poetry|Australian poetry]], such as "[[The Man from Snowy River (poem)|The Man from Snowy River]]", as well as [[Australian folk music|folk songs]] such as "[[Waltzing Matilda]]", contain many historical Australian words and phrases that are understood by Australians even though some are not in common usage today.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

==== British English similarities and differences ====
Australian English, in common with [[British English]], uses the word ''[[mateship|mate]]'' to mean ''[[mate (colloquialism)|friend]]'', as well as the word ''[[bloody]]'' as a mild [[Expletive (linguistics)|expletive]] or [[intensifier]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} "Mate" is also used in multiple ways including to indicate "mateship" or formally call out the target of a threat or insult, depending on internation and context.

Several words used by Australians were at one time used in the UK but have since fallen out of usage or changed in meaning there. For example, ''creek'' in Australia, as in North America, means a stream or small river, whereas in the UK it is typically a watercourse in a marshy area; ''paddock'' in Australia means field, whereas in the UK it means a small enclosure for livestock; ''bush'' or ''scrub'' in Australia, as in North America, means a natural, uncultivated area of vegetation or flora, whereas in England they are commonly used only in proper names (such as [[Shepherd's Bush]] and [[Wormwood Scrubs]]).{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

====Aboriginal-derived words====
{{further|List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin}}
Some elements of [[Australian Aboriginal languages|Aboriginal languages]] have been [[List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin|adopted by Australian English]]—mainly as names for places, flora and fauna (for example [[dingo]]) and local culture. Many such are localised, and do not form part of general Australian use, while others, such as ''kangaroo'', ''boomerang'', ''budgerigar'', ''wallaby'' and so on have become international. Other examples are ''[[cooee]]'' and ''hard yakka''. The former is used as a high-pitched call, for attracting attention, (pronounced {{IPA|/ˈkʉːiː/}}) which travels long distances. ''Cooee'' is also a notional distance: "if he's within ''cooee'', we'll spot him". ''Hard yakka'' means "hard work" and is derived from ''yakka'', from the [[Turrubal language|Jagera]]/Yagara language once spoken in the Brisbane region.

The word ''bung'', meaning "dead" was originally a [[Turrbal language|Yagara]] word which was used in the [[pidgin]] widely spoken across Australia.<ref name=ludowyk2004>{{cite journal| url=https://slll.cass.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/andc/Ozwords%20Oct.%202004.pdf |date= October 2004 | volume= 11 |issue= 2| journal=Ozwords|title=Aussie Words: Of Billy, Bong, Bung, & 'Billybong' |page=7|last1=Ludowyk |first1=Frederick| author-link=Frederick Ludowyk| via=[[Australian National University]]| publisher=[[Australian National Dictionary Centre]]}} Also [https://web.archive.org/web/20160623044356/http://andc.anu.edu.au/pubs/ozwords/October_2004/Billy.html here]</ref>

====Places====
Many towns or suburbs of Australia have also been influenced or named after Aboriginal words. The best-known example is the capital, [[Canberra]], named after a local [[Ngunnawal language]] word thought to mean "women's breasts" or "meeting place".<ref>{{cite web|title=Canberra Facts and figures|url=http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/Visitor-Info/Facts-and-figures.aspx|access-date=15 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109134755/http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/Visitor-Info/Facts-and-figures.aspx|archive-date=9 November 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Frei>{{cite web |last=Frei |first=Patricia |title=Discussion on the Meaning of 'Canberra' |url=http://www.canberrahistoryweb.com/meaningofcanberra.htm |work=Canberra History Web |publisher=Patricia Frei |access-date=11 August 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927182307/http://www.canberrahistoryweb.com/meaningofcanberra.htm |archive-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

====Figures of speech and abbreviations====
[[Litotes]], such as "not bad", "not much" and "you're not wrong", are also used.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

[[Diminutive]]s and [[hypocorism]]s are common and are often used to indicate familiarity.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Astle|first=David|date=12 March 2021|title=Why do Aussies shorten everything an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny bit?|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/why-do-aussies-shorten-everything-an-itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-bit-20210308-p578qe.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331125115/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/why-do-aussies-shorten-everything-an-itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-bit-20210308-p578qe.html|archive-date=Mar 31, 2022}}</ref> Some common examples are ''arvo'' (afternoon), ''barbie'' (barbecue), ''[[smoko]]'' (cigarette break), ''[[Aussie]]'' (Australian) and ''Straya'' (Australia). This may also be done with people's names to create nicknames (other English speaking countries create [[English diminutive|similar diminutives]]). For example, "Gazza" from Gary, or "Smitty" from John Smith. The use of the suffix ''-o'' originates in {{langx|ga|ó}},{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}} which is both a postclitic and a suffix with much the same meaning as in Australian English.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In informal speech, incomplete comparisons are sometimes used, such as "sweet as" (as in "That car is sweet as."). "Full", "fully" or "heaps" may precede a word to act as an intensifier (as in "The waves at the beach were heaps good."). This was more common in regional Australia and South Australia{{When|date=September 2014}} but has been in common usage in urban Australia for decades. The suffix "-ly" is sometimes omitted in broader Australian English. For instance, "really good" can become "real good".{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

====Measures====
Australia's switch to the [[metric system]] in the 1970s changed most of the country's vocabulary of measurement from [[imperial units|imperial]] to metric measures.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.measurement.gov.au/measurementsystem/Pages/HistoryofMeasurementinAustralia.aspx |title=History of Measurement in Australia |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=web page |publisher=Australian Government National Measurement Institute |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> Since the switch to metric, heights of individuals are listed in centimetres on official documents and distances by road on signs are listed in terms of [[kilometre]]s and [[metre]]s.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilks|first1=Kevin|title=Metrication in Australia: A review of the effectiveness of policies and procedures in Australia's conversion to the metric system|date=1992|publisher=Australian Government Publishing Service|location=Canberra|isbn=0-644-24860-2|page=114|url=http://themetricmaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Metrication-in-Australia-built-2013-06-24.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://themetricmaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Metrication-in-Australia-built-2013-06-24.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|access-date=5 August 2017|quote=Measurements used by people in their private lives, in conversation or in estimation of sizes had not noticeably changed nor was such a change even attempted or thought necessary.}}</ref>

===Comparison with other varieties===

Where [[American and British English differences|British and American English vocabulary differs]], sometimes Australian English shares a usage with one of those varieties, as with ''petrol'' (AmE: ''gasoline'') and ''mobile phone'' (AmE: ''cellular phone'') which are shared with British English, or ''truck'' (BrE: ''lorry'') and ''[[eggplant]]'' (BrE: ''aubergine'') which are shared with American English.

In other circumstances, Australian English sometimes favours a usage which is different from both British and American English as with:<ref name="Fourth Edition 2005">"The Macquarie Dictionary", Fourth Edition.  The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, 2005.</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=16em|
* ''[[the bush|(the) bush]]'' (AmE and BrE: ''(the) woods'')
* ''bushfire'' (Ame and BrE: ''[[wildfire]]'')
* ''capsicum'' (AmE: ''[[bell pepper]]''; BrE ''(green/red) pepper'')
* ''[[Esky]]'' (AmE and BrE: ''cooler'' or ''ice box'')
* ''doona''  (AmE: ''[[comforter]]''; BrE ''duvet'')
* ''footpath'' (AmE: ''[[sidewalk]]''; BrE: ''pavement'')
* ''ice block'' or ''icy pole'' (AmE: ''[[Ice pop|popsicle]]'' BrE: ''ice lolly'')
* ''[[confectionery|lollies]]'' (AmE: ''candy''; BrE: ''sweets'')
* ''overseas'' (AmE and BrE: ''abroad'')
* ''peak hour'' (Ame and BrE: ''[[rush hour]]'')
* ''[[AC power plugs and sockets|powerpoint]]'' (AmE: electrical ''outlet''; BrE: electrical ''socket'')
* ''thongs'' (AmE and BrE: ''[[flip-flops]]'')
* ''[[ute (vehicle)|ute]]'' {{IPA|/jʉːt/}} (AmE and BrE: ''pickup truck'')
}}

Differences exist between Australian English and other varieties of English, where different terms can be used for the same subject or the same term can be ascribed different meanings. Non-exhaustive examples of terminology associated with food, transport and clothing is used below to demonstrate the variations which exist between Australian English and other varieties:

'''Food''' – '''''capsicum''''' (BrE: ''(red/green) pepper''; AmE: ''bell pepper''); '''''(potato) chips''''' (refers both to BrE ''crisps'' and AmE ''French fries''); '''''chook (sanga)''''' (BrE and AmE: ''chicken (sandwich)''); '''''coriander''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''cilantro''); '''''entree''''' (refers to AmE ''appetizer'' whereas AmE ''entree'' is referred to in AusE as ''main course''); '''''eggplant''''' (shared with AmE. BrE: ''aubergine''); '''''fairy floss''''' (BrE: ''candy floss''; AmE: ''cotton candy''); '''''ice block''''' or '''''icy pole''''' (BrE: ''ice lolly''; AmE: ''popsicle''); '''''jelly''''' (refers to AmE ''Jell-o'' whereas AmE ''jelly'' refers to AusE ''jam''); '''''lollies''''' (BrE: ''sweets''; AmE: ''candy''); '''''marinara (sauce)''''' (refers to a tomato-based sauce in AmE and BrE but a seafood sauce in AusE); '''''mince''''' or '''''minced meat''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''ground meat''); '''''[[prawn]]''''' (which in BrE refers to large crustaceans only, with small crustaceans referred to as ''shrimp''. AmE universally: ''shrimp''); '''''snow pea''''' (shared with AmE. BrE ''mangetout''); '''''pumpkin''''' (AmE: ''squash'', except for the large orange variety – AusE ''squash'' refers only to a small number of uncommon species; BrE: ''marrow''); '''''tomato sauce''''' (also used in BrE. AmE: ''ketchup''); '''''zucchini''''' (shared with AmE. BrE: ''courgette'')

'''Transport''' – '''''aeroplane''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''airplane''); '''''bonnet''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''hood''); '''''bumper''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''fender''); '''''car park''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''parking lot''); '''''convertible''''' (shared with AmE. BrE: ''cabriolet''); '''''footpath''''' (BrE: ''pavement''; AmE: ''sidewalk''); '''''horse float''''' (BrE: ''horsebox''; AmE: ''horse trailer''); '''''indicator''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''turn signal''); '''''peak hour''''' (BrE and AmE: ''rush hour''); '''''petrol''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''gasoline''); '''''railway''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''railroad''); '''''sedan (car)''''' (shared with AmE. BrE: ''saloon (car)''); '''''semitrailer''''' (shared with AmE. BrE: ''artic'' or ''articulated lorry''); '''''station wagon''''' (shared with AmE. BrE: ''estate car''); '''''truck''''' (shared with AmE. BrE: ''lorry''); '''''ute''''' (BrE and AmE: ''pickup truck''); '''''windscreen''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''windshield'')

'''Clothing''' – '''''gumboots''''' (BrE: ''Wellington boots'' or ''Wellies''; AmE: ''rubber boots'' or ''galoshes''); '''''jumper''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''sweater''); '''''nappy''''' (shared with BrE. AmE: ''diaper''); '''''overalls''''' (shared with AmE. BrE: ''dungarees''); '''''raincoat''''' (shared with AmE. BrE: ''mackintosh'' or ''mac''); '''''runners or sneakers (footwear)''''' (BrE: ''trainers''. AmE: ''sneakers''); '''''sandshoe''''' (BrE: ''pump'' or ''plimsoll''. AmE: ''tennis shoe''); '''''singlet''''' (BrE: ''vest''. AmE: ''tank top'' or ''wifebeater''); '''''skivvy''''' (BrE: ''polo neck''; AmE: ''turtleneck''); '''''swimmers''''' or '''''togs''''' or '''''bathers''''' (BrE: ''swimming costume''. AmE: ''bathing suit'' or ''swimsuit''); '''''thongs''''' (refers to BrE and AmE ''flip-flops (footwear)''. In BrE and AmE refers to ''g-string (underwear)'')

====Terms with different meanings in Australian English====
There also exist words which in Australian English are ascribed different meanings from those ascribed in other varieties of English, for instance:<ref name="Fourth Edition 2005"/>
* ''Asian'' in Australian (and American) English commonly refers to people of East Asian ancestry, while in British English it commonly refers to people of South Asian ancestry
* ''Biscuit'' in Australian (and British) English refers to AmE ''cookie'' and ''cracker'', while in American English it refers to a [[biscuit (bread)|leavened bread product]]
* ''(potato) Chips'' refers both to British English ''crisps'' (which is not commonly used in Australian English) and to American English ''French fries'' (which is used alongside ''hot chips'')
* ''Football'' in Australian English most commonly refers to [[Australian rules football]], [[rugby league]] or [[rugby union]]. In British English, ''football'' is most commonly used to refer to ''association football'', while in North American English ''football'' is used to refer to ''[[Gridiron football|gridiron]]''
* ''Pants'' in Australian (and American) English most commonly refers to British English ''trousers'', but in British English refers to Australian English ''underpants''
* ''Nursery'' in Australian English generally refers to a [[plant nursery]], whereas in British English and American English it also often refers to a [[child care]] or daycare for pre-school age children<ref>{{Cite journal |last=SCHLEEF |first=ERIK |last2=TURTON |first2=DANIELLE |date=2016-09-19 |title=Sociophonetic variation of like in British dialects: effects of function, context and predictability |url=https://doi.org/10.1017/s136067431600023x |journal=English Language and Linguistics |volume=22 |issue=01 |pages=35–75 |doi=10.1017/s136067431600023x |issn=1360-6743}}</ref>
* ''Paddock'' in Australian English refers to an open field or meadow whereas in American and British English it refers to a small agricultural enclosure
* ''Premier'' in Australian English refers specifically to the [[premiers and chief ministers of the Australian states and territories|head of government of an Australian state]], whereas in British English it is used interchangeably with ''[[Prime Minister]]''
* ''Public school'' in Australian (and American) English refers to a state school. Australian and American English use ''private school'' to mean a non-government or independent school, in contrast with British English which uses ''public school'' to refer to the same thing
* ''Pudding'' in Australian (and American) English refers to [[pudding|a particular sweet dessert dish]], while in British English it often refers to dessert (the [[course (food)|food course]]) in general
* ''Thongs'' in Australian English refer to British and American English ''flip-flop'' (footwear), whereas in both American and British English it refers to Australian English ''[[G-string]]'' (underwear) (in Australian English the singular "thong" can refer to one half of a pair of the footwear or to a G-string, so care must be taken as to context)
* ''Vest'' in Australian (and American) English refers to a padded upper garment or British English ''waistcoat'' but in British English refers to Australian English ''singlet''

====Idioms taking different forms in Australian English====
In addition to the large number of uniquely Australian idioms in common use, there are instances of idioms taking different forms in Australian English than in other varieties, for instance:
* ''A drop in the ocean'' (shared with BrE usage) as opposed to AmE ''a drop in the bucket''
* ''A way to go'' (shared with BrE usage) as opposed to AmE ''a ways to go''
* ''Home away from home'' (shared with AmE usage) as opposed to BrE ''home from home''
* ''Take (something) with a grain of salt'' (shared with AmE usage) as opposed to BrE ''take with a pinch of salt''
* ''Touch wood'' (shared with BrE usage) as opposed to AmE ''knock on wood''
* ''Wouldn't touch (something) with a ten-foot pole'' (shared with AmE usage) as opposed to BrE ''wouldn't touch with a barge pole''

====British and American English terms not commonly used in Australian English====
There are extensive terms used in other varieties of English which are not widely used in Australian English. These terms usually do not result in Australian English speakers failing to comprehend speakers of other varieties of English, as Australian English speakers will often be familiar with such terms through exposure to media or may ascertain the meaning using context.

Non-exhaustive selections of British English and American English terms not commonly used in Australian English together with their definitions or Australian English equivalents are found in the collapsible table below:<ref name="ReferenceA">"The Macquarie Dictionary", Fourth Edition. The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, 2005. Note: Entries with ''Chiefly British'' usage note in the Macquarie Dictionary and reference to corresponding Australian entry.</ref><ref name="The Macquarie Dictionary 2005">''The Macquarie Dictionary'', Fourth Edition.  The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, 2005. Note: Entries with ''Chiefly US'' usage note in the Macquarie Dictionary and reference to corresponding Australian entry.</ref>

British English terms not widely used in Australian English<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

{{div col}}

* '''Allotment''' (gardening): A [[allotment (gardening)|community garden]] not connected to a dwelling
* '''Artic''' or '''articulated lorry''' (vehicle): Australian English ''[[semi-trailer]]''
* '''Aubergine''' (vegetable): Australian English ''[[eggplant]]''
* '''Bank holiday''': Australian English ''public holiday''
* '''Barmy''': Crazy, mad or insane.
* '''Bedsit''': Australian English ''studio (apartment)''
* '''[[Belisha beacon]]''': A flashing light atop a pole used to mark a pedestrian crossing
* '''Bin lorry''': Australian English: ''[[rubbish truck]] or garbage truck''
* '''Bobby''': A police officer, particularly one of lower rank
* '''Cagoule''': A lightweight [[raincoat]] or windsheeter
* '''Candy floss''' (confectionery): Australian English ''[[cotton candy|fairy floss]]''
* '''Cash machine''': Australian English ''automatic teller machine''
* '''Chav''': Lower socio-economic person comparable to Australian English ''bogan''
* '''Child-minder''': Australian English ''[[babysitter]]''
* '''Chivvy''': To hurry (somebody) along. Australian English ''nag''
* '''Chrimbo''': Abbreviation for ''Christmas'' comparable to Australian English ''Chrissy''
* '''Chuffed''': To be proud (especially of oneself)
* '''Cleg''' (insect): Australian English ''horsefly''
* '''Clingfilm''': A plastic wrap used in food preparation. Australian English ''Glad wrap/[[plastic wrap|cling wrap]]''
* '''Community payback''': Australian English ''[[community service]]''
* '''Comprehensive school''': Australian English ''state school'' or ''public school''
* '''Cooker''': A kitchen appliance. Australian English ''[[stove]]'' and/or ''oven''
* '''Coppice''': An area of cleared woodland
* '''Council housing''': Australian English ''public housing''
* '''Counterpane''': A bed covering. Australian English ''bedspread''
* '''Courgette''': A vegetable. Australian English ''[[zucchini]]''
* '''Creche''': Australian English ''[[child care]] centre''
* '''(potato) Crisps''': Australian English ''[[potato chips|(potato) chips]]''
* '''Current account''': Australian English ''transaction account''
* '''Dell''': A small secluded hollow or valley
* '''Do''': Australian English ''party'' or social gathering
* '''Doddle''': An easy task
* '''Doss''' (verb): To spend time idly
* '''Drawing pin''': Australian English ''thumb tack''
* '''Dungarees''': Australian English ''[[overalls]]''
* '''Dustbin''': Australian English ''[[waste container|garbage bin]]/rubbish bin''
* '''Dustcart''': Australian English ''[[garbage truck]]/rubbish truck''
* '''Duvet''': Australian English ''[[duvet|doona]]''
* '''Elastoplast''' or '''plaster''': An adhesive used to cover small wounds. Australian English ''[[adhesive bandage|band-aid]]''
* '''Electrical lead''': Australian English ''electrical cord''
* '''Estate car''': Australian English ''[[station wagon]]''
* '''Fairy cake''': Australian English ''[[cupcake]]''
* '''Father Christmas''': Australian English ''[[Santa Claus]]''
* '''Fen''': A low and frequently flooded area of land, similar to Australian English ''swamp''
* '''Free phone''': Australian English ''[[toll-free telephone number|toll-free]]''
* '''Gammon''': Meat from the hind leg of [[pork]]. Australian English makes no distinction between gammon and ''ham''
* '''Git''': A foolish person. Equivalent to ''idiot'' or ''moron''
* '''Goose pimples''': Australian English ''[[goose pimples|goose bumps]]''
* '''Hacked off''': To be irritated or upset, often with a person
* '''Hairgrip''': Australian English ''hairpin'' or ''bobbypin''
* '''Half-term''': Australian English ''[[school holiday]]''
* '''Haulier''': Australian English ''[[hauler]]''
* '''Heath''': An area of dry grass or shrubs, similar to Australian English ''shrubland''
* '''Hoover''' (verb): Australian English ''to [[vacuum cleaner|vacuum]]''
* '''Horsebox''': Australian English ''[[horse trailer|horse float]]''
* '''Ice lolly''': Australian English ''[[ice block]]'' or ''icy pole''
* '''Juicy bits''': Small pieces of fruit residue found in fruit juice. Australian English ''[[pulp (juice)|pulp]]''
* '''Kip''': To ''sleep''
* '''Kitchen roll''': Australian English ''[[paper towel]]''
* '''Landslip''': Australian English ''landslide''
* '''Lavatory''': Australian English ''toilet'' (''lavatory'' is used in Australian English for toilets on aeroplanes)
* '''Lido''': A public swimming pool
* '''Lorry''': Australian English ''truck''
* '''Loudhailer''': Australian English ''megaphone''
* '''Mackintosh''' or '''mac''': Australian English ''[[raincoat]]''
* '''Mangetout''': Australian English ''[[snow pea]]''
* '''Marrow''': Australian English ''[[cucurbita|squash]]''
* '''Minidish''': A [[satellite dish]] for domestic (especially television) use
* '''Moggie''': A [[domestic short-haired cat]]
* '''Moor''': A low area prone to flooding, similar to Australian English ''swampland''
* '''Nettled''': Irritated (especially with somebody)
* '''Nosh''': A meal or spread of food
* '''Off-licence''': Australian English ''[[liquor store|bottle shop]]/Bottle-o''
* '''Pak choi''': Australian English ''[[bok choy]]''
* '''Pavement''': Australian English ''[[footpath]]''
* '''Pelican crossing''': Australian English ''pedestrian crossing'' or ''zebra crossing''
* '''Peaky''': Unwell or sickly
* '''(red or green) Pepper''' (vegetable): Australian English ''[[capsicum]]''
* '''People carrier''' (vehicle): Australian English ''[[minivan|people mover]]''
* '''Pikey''': An itinerant person. Similar to Australian English ''tramp''
* '''Pillar box''': Australian English ''[[post box]]''
* '''Pillock''': A mildly offensive term for a foolish or obnoxious person, similar to ''idiot'' or ''moron''. Also refers to male genitalia
* '''Plimsoll''' (footwear): Australian English ''[[plimsoll shoe|sandshoe]]''
* '''Pneumatic drill''': Australian English ''[[jackhammer]]''
* '''Polo neck''' (garment): Australian English ''[[polo neck|skivvy]]''
* '''Poorly''': Unwell or sick
* '''Press-up''' (exercise): Australian English ''[[push-up]]''
* '''Pushchair''': A wheeled cart for pushing a baby. Australian English: ''[[stroller]]'' or ''pram''
* '''Pusher''': A wheeled cart for pushing a baby. Australian English: ''[[stroller]]'' or ''pram''
* '''Rodgering''': A mildly offensive term for sexual intercourse, similar to Australian English ''rooting''
* '''Saloon''' (car): Australian English ''sedan''
* '''Scratchings''' (food): Solid material left after rendering animal (especially pork) fat. Australian English ''[[cracklings|crackling]]''
* '''Sellotape''': Australian English ''sticky tape''
* '''Shan't''': Australian English ''will not''
* '''Skive''' (verb): To play truant, particularly from an educational institution. Australian English to ''[[truancy|wag]]''
* '''Sleeping policeman''': Australian English ''speed hump'' or ''speed bump''
* '''Snog''' (verb): To kiss passionately, equivalent to Australian English ''pash''
* '''Sod''': A mildly offensive term for an unpleasant person
* '''Spinney''': A small area of trees and bushes
* '''Strimmer''': Australian English ''whipper snipper'' or ''[[string trimmer|line trimmer]]''
* '''Swan''' (verb): To move from one plact to another ostentatiously
* '''Sweets''': Australian English ''[[candy|lollies]]''
* '''Tailback''': A long queue of stationary or slow-moving traffic
* '''Tangerine''': Australian English ''[[mandarin orange|mandarin]]''
* '''Tat''' (noun): Cheap, tasteless goods
* '''Tipp-Ex''': Australian English ''white out'' or ''liquid paper''
* '''Trainers''': Athletic footwear. Australian English ''runners'' or ''sneakers''.
* '''Turning''' (noun): Where one road branches from another. Australian English ''turn''
* '''Utility room''': A room containing washing or other home appliances, similar to Australian English ''[[laundry room|laundry]]''
* '''Value-added tax (VAT)''': Australian English ''[[sales tax|goods and services tax (GST)]]''
* '''Wellington boots''': Australian English ''[[wellington boot|gumboots]]''
* '''White spirit''': Australian English ''[[white spirit|turpentine]]''
{{div col end}}

American English terms not widely used in Australian English<ref name="The Macquarie Dictionary 2005"/>

{{div col}}
* '''Acclimate''': Australian English ''acclimatise''
* '''Airplane''': Australian English ''aeroplane''
* '''Aluminum''': Australian English ''aluminium''
* '''Baby carriage''': Australian English ''stroller'' or ''pram''
* '''Bangs''': A hair style. Australian English ''fringe''
* '''Baseboard''' (architecture): Australian English ''skirting board''
* '''Bayou''': Australian English ''swamp''/''billabong''
* '''Bell pepper''': Australian English ''[[capsicum]]''
* '''Bellhop''': Australian English ''hotel porter''
* '''Beltway''': Australian English ''[[beltway|ring road]]''
* '''Boondocks''': An isolated, rural area. Australian English ''the sticks'' or ''Woop Woop'' or ''Beyond the black stump''
* '''Broil''' (cooking technique): Australian English ''[[Grilling|grill]]''
* '''Bullhorn''': Australian English ''megaphone''
* '''Burglarize''': Australian English ''burgle''
* '''Busboy''': A subclass of (restaurant) waiter
* '''Candy''': Australian English ''[[candy|lollies]]''
* '''Cellular phone''': Australian English ''mobile phone''
* '''Cilantro''': Australian English ''[[coriander]]''
* '''Comforter''': Australian English ''[[duvet|doona]]''
* '''Condominium''': Australian English ''apartment''
* '''Counter-clockwise''': Australian English ''anticlockwise''
* '''Coveralls''': Australian English ''[[overall]]s''
* '''Crapshoot''': A risky venture
* '''Diaper''': Australian English ''nappy''
* '''Downtown''': Australian English ''central business district''
* '''Drapes''': Australian English ''curtains''
* '''Drugstore''': Australian English ''[[pharmacy]]'' or ''chemist''
* '''Drywall''': Australian English ''plasterboard''
* '''Dumpster''': Australian English ''[[dumpster|skip bin]]''
* '''Fall''' (season): Australian English ''autumn''
* '''Fanny pack''': Australian English ''[[fanny pack|bum bag]]''
* '''Faucet''': Australian English ''tap''
* '''Flashlight''': Australian English ''[[flashlight|torch]]''
* '''[[Freshman]]''': A first year student at a highschool or university
* '''Frosting''' (cookery): Australian English ''icing''
* '''Gasoline''': Australian English ''petrol''
* '''Gas pedal''': Australian English ''[[Car controls#Throttle control|accelerator]]''
* '''Gas Station''': Australian English ''service station'' or ''petrol station''
* '''Glove compartment''': Australian English ''[[glove compartment|glovebox]]''
* '''Golden raisin''': Australian English ''[[sultana (grape)|sultana]]''
* '''Grifter''': Australian English ''[[con artist]]''
* '''Ground beef''': Australian English ''[[minced beef]]'' or ''mince''
* '''Hood''' (vehicle): Australian English ''bonnet''
* '''Hot tub''': Australian English ''[[hot tub|spa]]'' or ''spa bath''
* '''Jell-o''': Australian English ''jelly''
* '''Ladybug''': Australian English ''ladybird''
* '''Mail-man''': Australian English ''postman'' or ''postie''
* '''Mass transit''': Australian English ''public transport''
* '''Math''': Australian English ''maths''
* '''Mineral spirits''': Australian English ''[[white spirit|turpentine]]''
* '''Nightstand''': Australian English ''bedside table''
* '''Out-of-state''': Australian English ''interstate''
* '''Pacifier''': Australian English ''dummy''
* '''Parking lot''': Australian English ''[[parking lot|car park]]''
* '''Penitentiary''': Australian English ''prison'' or ''jail''
* '''Period''' (punctuation): Australian English ''full stop''
* '''Play hooky''' (verb): To play truant from an educational institution. Equivalent to Australian English (to) ''wag''
* '''Popsicle''': Australian English ''[[ice block]]'' or ''icy pole''
* '''Railroad''': Australian English ''railway''
* '''Railroad ties''': Australian English ''Railway sleepers''
* '''Rappel''': Australian English ''[[abseil]]''
* '''Realtor''': Australian English ''[[estate agent|real estate agent]]''
* '''Root''' (sport): To enthusiastically support a sporting team. Equivalent to Australian English ''barrack''
* '''Row house''': Australian English ''[[terraced house|terrace house]]''
* '''Sales tax''': Australian English ''[[sales tax|goods and services tax (GST)]]''
* '''Saran wrap''': Australian English ''[[Glad wrap|plastic wrap]]'' or ''cling wrap''
* '''Scad''': Australian English ''a large quantity''
* '''Scallion''': Australian English ''spring onion''
* '''Sharpie''' (pen): Australian English ''permanent marker'' or ''texta'' or ''felt pen''
* '''Shopping cart''': Australian English ''shopping trolley''
* '''Sidewalk''': Australian English ''footpath''
* '''Silverware''' or '''flatware''': Australian English ''[[cutlery]]''
* '''Soda pop''': Australian English ''soft drink''
* '''Streetcar''': Australian English ''tram''
* '''Sweater''':Australian English ''jumper''
* '''Sweatpants''': Australian English ''[[sweatpants|tracksuit pants]]/trackies''
* '''Tailpipe''': Australian English ''[[exhaust pipe]]''
* '''Takeout''': Australian English ''takeaway''
* '''Trash can''': Australian English ''[[waste container|garbage bin]]'' or ''rubbish bin''
* '''Trunk''' (vehicle): Australian English ''boot''
* '''Turn signal''': Australian English ''indicator''
* '''Turtleneck''': Australian English ''[[polo neck|skivvy]]''
* '''Upscale''' and '''downscale''': Australian English ''upmarket'' and ''downmarket''
* '''Vacation''': Australian English ''holiday''
* '''Windshield''': Australian English ''[[windshield|windscreen]]''
{{div col end}}

==Grammar==
The general rules which apply to Australian English are described at [[English grammar]]. Grammatical differences between varieties of English are minor relative to differences in phonology and vocabulary and do not generally affect intelligibility. Examples of grammatical differences between Australian English and other varieties include:
*Collective nouns are generally singular in construction, e.g., ''the government was unable to decide'' as opposed to ''the government were unable to decide'' or ''the group was leaving'' as opposed to ''the group were leaving''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Pena |first=Yolanda Fernandez |date=5 May 2016 |title=What Motivates Verbal Agreement Variation with Collective Headed Subjects |journal=University of Vigo LVTC}}</ref> This is in common with [[American English]].
*Australian English has an extreme distaste for the modal verbs ''shall'' (in non-legal contexts), ''shan't'' and ''ought'' (in place of ''will'', ''won't'' and ''should'' respectively), which are encountered in British English.<ref name="Collins 2012">{{cite journal |last=Collins |first=Peter |date=2012 |title=Australian English: Its Evolution and Current State |journal=International Journal of Language, Translation and Intercultural Communication|volume=1 |page=75 |doi=10.12681/ijltic.11 |doi-access=free }}</ref> However, ''shall'' is found in the [[Constitution of Australia|Australian Constitution]], Acts of Parliament, and other formal or legal documents such as contracts, and ''ought'' sees use in some academic contexts (such as philosophy).
*Using ''should'' with the same meaning as ''would'', e.g. ''I should like to see you'', encountered in British English, is almost never encountered in Australian English and is often contracted to ''I'd''.
*''River'' follows the name of the river in question, e.g., ''Brisbane River'', rather than the British convention of coming before the name, e.g., ''River Thames''. This is also the case in [[North American English|North American]] and [[New Zealand English]]. In [[South Australian English]] however, the reverse applies when referring to the following three rivers: [[Murray River|Murray]], [[Darling River|Darling]] and [[River Torrens|Torrens]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/planning-and-property/planning-and-land-management/suburb-road-and-place-names/geographical-names-guidelines |title=Geographical names guidelines |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 2020 |website=Planning and property |publisher=Attorney-General's Department (Government of South Australia) |access-date=8 February 2021 }}</ref> The [[River Derwent (Tasmania)|Derwent]] in Tasmania also follows this convention.
*While prepositions before days may be omitted in American English, i.e., ''She resigned Thursday'', they are retained in Australian English: ''She resigned on Thursday''. This is shared with British English. 
*The institutional nouns ''hospital'' and ''university'' do not take the [[definite article]]: ''She's in hospital'', ''He's at university''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Siegel |first=Jeff |date=2010 |title=Second Dialect Acquisition |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-51687-7}}</ref> This is in contrast to American English where ''the'' is required: ''In the hospital'', ''At the university''.
*''On the weekend'' is used in favour of the British ''at the weekend'' which is not encountered in Australian English.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hewings |first=Matthew |date=1999 |title=Advanced Grammar in Use |page=214}}</ref>
*Ranges of dates use ''to'', i.e., ''Monday to Friday'', rather than ''Monday through Friday''. This is shared with British English and is in contrast to American English.
*When speaking or writing out numbers, ''and'' is always inserted before the tens, i.e., ''one hundred and sixty-two'' rather than ''one hundred sixty-two''. This is in contrast to American English, where the insertion of ''and'' is acceptable but nonetheless either casual or informal.
*The preposition ''to'' in ''write to'' (e.g. "I'll write to you") is always retained, as opposed to American usage where it may be dropped. 
*Australian English does not share the British usage of ''read'' (v) to mean "study" (v). Therefore, it may be said that "He studies medicine" but not that "He ''reads'' medicine".
*When referring to time, Australians will refer to 10:30 as ''half past ten'' and do not use the British ''half ten''. Similarly, ''a quarter to ten'' is used for 9:45 rather than ''(a) quarter of ten'', which is sometimes found in American English.
*Australian English does not share the British English meaning of ''sat'' to include ''sitting'' or ''seated''. Therefore, uses such as ''I've been sat here for an hour'' are not encountered in Australian English.
*To ''have a shower'' or ''have a bath'' are the most common usages in Australian English, in contrast to American English which uses ''take a shower'' and ''take a bath''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cetnarowska |first=Bozena |date=1993 |title=The Syntax, Semantics and Derivation of Bare Normalisations in English |page=48 |publisher=Uniwersytet Śląski |isbn=83-226-0535-8}}</ref>
*The past participle of ''saw'' is ''sawn'' (e.g. ''sawn-off shotgun'') in Australian English, in contrast to the American English ''sawed''.
*The verb ''visit'' is transitive in Australian English. Where the object is a person or people, American English also uses ''visit with'', which is not found in Australian English.
*An outdoor event which is cancelled due to inclement weather is ''rained out'' in Australian English. This is in contrast to British English where it is said to be ''rained off''.<ref>"The Macquarie Dictionary", Fourth Edition. The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, 2005</ref><ref>"Collins English Dictionary", 13th Edition. HarperCollins, 2018</ref>
*In informal speech, sentence-final ''but'' may be used, e.g. "I don't want to go but" in place of "But I don't want to go".<ref name="Collins 2012"/> This is also found in [[Scottish English]].
*In informal speech, the [[discourse marker]]s ''yeah no'' (or ''yeah nah'') and ''no yeah'' (or ''nah yeah'') may be used to mean "no" and "yes" respectively.<ref>{{cite thesis |type=Honours |last=Moore |first=Erin |date=2007 |title=Yeah-no: A Discourse Marker in Australian English |publisher=University of Melbourne}}</ref> Extended discourse markers of this nature are sometimes used for comedic effect, but the meaning is generally found in the final affirmative/negative.

==Spelling and style==<!-- [[Australian spelling]] redirects here-->
As in all English-speaking countries, there is no central authority that prescribes official usage with respect to matters of [[orthography|spelling]], grammar, punctuation or style.

===Spelling===
There are several dictionaries of Australian English which adopt a [[linguistic description|descriptive]] approach. The ''[[Macquarie Dictionary]]'' and the ''[[Australian Oxford Dictionary]]'' are most commonly used by universities, governments and courts as the [[standardization (linguistics)|standard]] for Australian English spelling.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spelling |url=https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/grammar-punctuation-and-conventions/spelling |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Australian Government Style Manual}}</ref>

Australian spelling is significantly closer to [[American and British English spelling differences|British]] than [[American and British English spelling differences|American spelling]], as it did not adopt the systematic [[spelling reform|reforms]] promulgated in [[Noah Webster]]'s [[Webster's Dictionary|1828 Dictionary]]. Notwithstanding, the Macquarie Dictionary often lists most American spellings as acceptable secondary variants.

The minor systematic differences which occur between Australian and American spelling are summarised below:<ref name="Macquarie Dictionary 8th Edition">"The Macquarie Dictionary", 8th Edition. Macquarie Dictionary Publishers, 2020.</ref>
* French-derived words which in American English end with '''or''', such as ''col'''or''''', ''hon'''or''''', ''behavi'''or''''' and ''lab'''or''''', are spelt with '''our''' in Australian English: ''col'''our''''', ''hon'''our''''', ''behavi'''our''''' and ''lab'''our'''''. Exceptions are the [[Australian Labor Party|Australian ''Lab'''or''''' Party]] and some (especially [[South Australia]]n) placenames which use ''Harb'''or''''', notably [[Victor Harbor, South Australia|Victor ''Harb'''or''''']].
* Words which in American English end with '''ize''', such as ''real'''ize''''', ''recogn'''ize''''' and ''apolog'''ize''''' are spelt with '''ise''' in Australian English: ''real'''ise''''', ''recogn'''ise''''' and ''apolog'''ise'''''. The British [[Oxford spelling]], which uses the '''ize''' endings, remains a minority variant. The Macquarie Dictionary says that the ''-ise'' form as opposed to ''-ize'' sits at 3:1. The sole exception to this is ''capsize'', which is used in all varieties.
* Words which in American English end with '''yze''', such as ''anal'''yze''''', ''paral'''yze''''' and ''catal'''yze''''' are spelt with '''yse''' in Australian English: ''anal'''yse''''', ''paral'''yse''''' and ''catal'''yse'''''.
* French-derived words which in American English end with '''er''', such as ''fib'''er''''', ''cent'''er''''' and ''met'''er''''' are spelt with '''re''' in Australian English: ''fib'''re''''', ''cent'''re''''' and ''met'''re''''' (the unit of measurement only, not physical devices; so ''gasomet'''er''''', ''voltmet'''er''''').
* Words which end in American English end with '''log''', such as ''cata'''log''''', ''dia'''log''''' and ''mono'''log''''' are usually spelt with '''logue''' in Australian English: ''cata'''logue''''', ''dia'''logue''''' and ''mono'''logue'''''; however, the ''Macquarie Dictionary'' lists the '''log''' spelling as the preferred variant for ''ana'''log'''''.
* A double-consonant '''l''' is retained in Australian English when adding suffixes to words ending in ''l'' where the consonant is unstressed, contrary to American English. Therefore, Australian English favours ''cance'''ll'''ed'', ''counse'''ll'''or'', and ''trave'''ll'''ing'' over American ''cance'''l'''ed'', ''counse'''l'''or'' and ''trave'''l'''ing''.
* Where American English uses a double-consonant '''ll''' in the words ''ski'''ll'''ful'', ''wi'''ll'''ful'', ''enro'''ll''''', ''disti'''ll''''', ''enthra'''ll''''', ''fulfi'''ll''''' and ''insta'''ll'''ment'', Australian English uses a single consonant: ''ski'''l'''ful'', ''wi'''l'''ful'', ''enro'''l''''', ''disti'''l''''', ''enthra'''l''''', ''fulfi'''l''''' and ''insta'''l'''ment''. However, the Macquarie Dictionary has noted a growing tendency to use the double consonant.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Macquarie Dictionary|url=https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/features/word/search/fulfil/|access-date=2021-11-23|website=www.macquariedictionary.com.au}}</ref>
* The American English ''defen'''se''''' and ''offen'''se''''' are spelt ''defen'''ce''''' and ''offen'''ce''''' in Australian English.
* In contrast with American English, which uses ''pract'''ice''''' and ''lic'''ense''''' for both nouns and verbs, ''pract'''ice''''' and ''licen'''ce''''' are nouns while ''pract'''ise''''' and ''licen'''se''''' are verbs in Australian English.
* Words with '''ae''' and '''oe''' are often maintained in words such as '''''oe'''strogen'' and ''p'''ae'''dophilia'', in contrast to the American English practice of using '''e''' alone (as in '''''e'''strogen'' and ''p'''e'''dophilia''). The ''Macquarie Dictionary'' has noted a shift within Australian English towards using '''e''' alone, and now lists some words such as ''encyclop'''e'''dia'', ''f'''e'''tus'', '''''e'''on''<!--see https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/features/word/search/eon/--> or ''h'''e'''matite'' with the '''e''' spelling as the preferred variant and hence Australian English varies by word when it comes to these sets of words.

Minor systematic difference which occur between Australian and British spelling are as follows:<ref name="Macquarie Dictionary 8th Edition">"The Macquarie Dictionary", 8th Edition. Macquarie Dictionary Publishers, 2020.</ref>
* Words often ending in ''eable'' in British English end in ''able'' in Australian English. Therefore, Australian English favours ''liv'''able''''' over ''liv'''eable''''', ''siz'''able''''' over ''siz'''eable''''', ''mov'''able''''' over ''mov'''eable''''', etc., although both variants are acceptable.
* Words often ending in ''eing'' in British English end in '''ing''' in Australian English. Therefore, Australian English favours ''a'''ging''''' over ''ag'''eing''''', or ''rout'''ing''''' over ''rout'''eing''''', etc., although both variants are acceptable.
* Words often ending in ''mme'' in British English end in '''m''' in Australian English. Therefore, Australian English favours ''progra'''m''''' over ''progra'''mme''''' (in all contexts) and ''aerogra'''m''''' over ''aerogra'''mme''''', although both variants are acceptable. Similar to Canada, New Zealand and the United States, ''(kilo)gra'''m''''' is the only spelling.

Other examples of individual words where the preferred spelling is listed by the ''Macquarie Dictionary'' as being different from current British spellings include ''ana'''log''''' as opposed to ''ana'''logue''''', ''gue'''r'''illa'' as opposed to ''gue'''rr'''illa'', ''verand'''ah''''' as opposed to ''verand'''a''''', ''bur'''q'''a'' as opposed to ''bur'''k'''a'', ''past'''ie''''' (noun) as opposed to ''past'''y''''', ''neuro'''n''''' as opposed to ''neuro'''ne''''', ''hic'''up''''' as opposed to ''hic'''ough''''', ''anne'''x''''' as opposed to ''anne'''xe''''', ''ra'''cc'''oon'' as opposed to ''ra'''c'''oon'' etc.<ref name="Macquarie Dictionary 8th Edition">"The Macquarie Dictionary", 8th Edition. Macquarie Dictionary Publishers, 2020.</ref> Unspaced forms such as ''onto'', ''anytime'', ''alright'' and ''anymore'' are also listed as being equally as acceptable as their spaced counterparts.<ref name="Macquarie Dictionary 8th Edition">"The Macquarie Dictionary", 8th Edition. Macquarie Dictionary Publishers, 2020.</ref>

There is variation between and within varieties of English in the treatment of '''-t''' and '''-ed''' endings for past tense verbs. The Macquarie Dictionary does not favour either, but it suggests that ''leap'''ed''''', ''lean'''ed''''' or  ''learn'''ed''''' (with '''-ed''' endings) are more common but ''spel'''t''''' and ''burn'''t''''' (with '''-t''' endings) are more common.<ref name="Macquarie Dictionary 8th Edition">"The Macquarie Dictionary", 8th Edition. Macquarie Dictionary Publishers, 2020.</ref>

Different spellings have existed throughout Australia's history. What are today regarded as American spellings were popular in Australia throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the Victorian Department of Education endorsing them into the 1970s and ''[[The Age]]'' newspaper until the 1990s. This influence can be seen in the spelling of the [[Australian Labor Party]] and also in some place names such as [[Victor Harbor, South Australia|Victor Harbor]]. The ''[[Concise Oxford English Dictionary]]'' has been credited with re-establishing the dominance of the British spellings in the 1920s and 1930s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.paradisec.org.au/blog/2008/01/webster-in-australia/ |title=Endangered Languages and Cultures » Blog Archive » Webster in Australia |publisher=Paradisec.org.au |date=30 January 2008 |access-date=20 September 2017}}</ref> For a short time during the late 20th century, [[Harry Lindgren]]'s 1969 spelling reform proposal ([[SR1|''Spelling Reform 1'' or ''SR1'']]) gained some support in Australia and was adopted by the [[Australian Teachers' Federation]] and minister [[Doug Everingham]] in personal correspondence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.englishspellingsociety.org/journals/j2/jimmieson.php|title=Spelling Reform 1 – And Nothing Else!|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730222013/http://www.englishspellingsociety.org/journals/j2/jimmieson.php|archive-date=30 July 2012}}</ref>

===Punctuation and style===
Prominent general [[list of style guides|style guides]] for Australian English include the ''Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage'', the ''Australian Government Style Manual''<ref>{{cite web |author=Digital Transformation Agency|date=n.d.|title=Australian Government Style Manual |url=https://stylemanual.gov.au/|access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref> (formerly the ''[[Style Manual: For Authors, Editors and Printers]]''), the ''Australian Handbook for Writers and Editors'' and the ''Complete Guide to English Usage for Australian Students''.

Both [[Quotation mark|single and double quotation marks]] are in use, with single quotation marks preferred for use in the first instance, with double quotation marks reserved for quotes of speech within speech. [[Logical punctuation|Logical (as opposed to typesetter's) punctuation]] is preferred for punctuation marks at the end of quotations. For instance, ''Sam said he 'wasn't happy when Jane told David to "go away{{"'}}.'' is used in preference to ''Sam said he "wasn't happy when Jane told David to 'go away.{{'"}}''

The DD/MM/YYYY [[Calendar date|date format]] is followed and the 12-hour clock is generally used in everyday life (as opposed to service, police, and airline applications).

With the exception of screen sizes, [[metric system|metric]] units are used in everyday life, having supplanted [[imperial units]] upon the country's switch to the metric system in the 1970s, although imperial units persist in casual references to a person's height. Tyre and bolt sizes (for example) are defined in imperial units where appropriate for technical reasons.

In [[sports betting|betting]], [[Odds#Gambling usage|decimal odds]] are used in preference to fractional odds, as used in the United Kingdom, or moneyline odds in the United States.

===Keyboard layout===
There are [[British and American keyboards|two major English language keyboard layouts]], the United States layout and the United Kingdom layout. Keyboards and keyboard software for the Australian market universally uses the US keyboard layout, which lacks the [[pound sign|pound (£)]], [[euro sign|euro]] and [[negation]] symbols and uses a different layout for punctuation symbols from the UK keyboard layout.

==See also==
{{Portal|Australia|Language}}
* ''[[The Australian National Dictionary]]''
* [[Australian English vocabulary]] 
* [[New Zealand English]] 
* [[South African English]] 
* [[Zimbabwean English]]
* [[Falkland Islands English]] 
* [[Commonwealth English]] 
* [[Diminutives in Australian English]]
* [[Sound correspondences between English accents]]
* [[Strine]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin}}
* {{Citation |last1=Cox |first1=Felicity |last2=Palethorpe |first2=Sallyanne |year=2007 |title=Australian English |journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=341–350 |doi=10.1017/S0025100307003192 |s2cid=232349884 |url=http://clas.mq.edu.au/felicity/Papers/Illustration_Australian.pdf |doi-access=free |access-date=17 May 2018 |archive-date=31 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731062731/http://clas.mq.edu.au/felicity/Papers/Illustration_Australian.pdf |url-status=dead }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite thesis |last = Korhonen |first = Minna |title = Perspectives on the Americanisation of Australian English: A Sociolinguistic Study of Variation |institution = [[University of Helsinki]] |year=2017 |isbn = 978-951-51-3559-9 |degree = PhD |url = http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-51-3560-5 }}
* Mitchell, Alexander G. (1995). ''The Story of Australian English''. Sydney: Dictionary Research Centre.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Appendix:Australian English vocabulary}}
* [http://alanwood.id.au/aussie-english/ Aussie English, The Illustrated Dictionary of Australian English]
* [http://www.anu.edu.au/ANDC/ Australian National Dictionary Centre]
* [https://www.oup.com.au/dictionaries/australian-national-dictionary/ozwords free newsletter from the Australian National Dictionary Centre, which includes articles on Australian English]
* [http://abc.net.au/wordmap/ Australian Word Map] at the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]—documents regionalisms
* [http://clas.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/index.html R. Mannell, F. Cox and J. Harrington (2009), An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090120122833/http://clas.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/index.html |date=20 January 2009 }}, Macquarie University
* [http://www.nma.gov.au/kidz/aussie_english_for_the_beginner/ Aussie English for beginners]—the origins, meanings and a quiz to test your knowledge at the National Museum of Australia.

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