innit

Innit is a British contraction of “isn’t it.” People tack it onto the end of a sentence to ask for agreement, or say it on its own to mean “yeah, exactly.” It works even when “isn’t it” wouldn’t make grammatical sense.

What does innit mean?

In standard English, the tag at the end of a sentence has to match the verb: “it’s cold, isn’t it?” but “you went, didn’t you?” Innit ignores all that. In casual British speech, especially in London, it can follow almost anything: “You went to the party, innit?” or “She’s moving to Leeds, innit.”

On its own, “innit” is a quick way to agree. If someone says “this queue is ridiculous,” replying “innit” means “I know, right?”

How to use it

• “It’s freezing today, innit?”
• “You’re coming tonight, innit?”
• “‘These prices are mad.’ ‘Innit.’”
• “He’s always late, innit. Typical.”

Where it comes from

Innit is simply “isn’t it” said quickly, with the “s” and “t” sounds smoothed out. It has been part of informal British speech for a long time, and its use as an all-purpose tag became strongly linked with London youth slang. Because it is so recognizable, it often shows up in comedy and memes as a shorthand for “very British.”

Related terms

• bruv: brother, mate
• mandem: your group of guy friends
• bare: in UK slang, lots of
• peak: in UK slang, unlucky or bad
• ting: thing

See more terms like this in our British slang dictionary.