The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has expanded its lexicon with the addition of several Nigerian and West African words in its December 2025 update, rolled into the 2026 edition, further highlighting the growing global influence of African languages and culture on modern English.
The update, announced by the OED on Wednesday via its official X handle, includes commonly used Nigerian expressions associated with food, music, everyday conversation, markets and popular culture.
According to the OED, the December 2025 update introduced more than 500 new words, phrases and meanings, while over 1,000 existing entries were revised as part of the dictionary’s quarterly review process.
Author and Head of Pronunciations at the OED, Catherine Sangster, said the update also marked a milestone in the way pronunciations are documented across global varieties of English.
She explained that the dictionary introduced a new pronunciation model for Maltese English, bringing the total number of World English pronunciation models to nineteen.
She also noted that the update marked ten years since spoken pronunciations were first added to the OED in December 2015.
As part of the expansion, the dictionary added fresh pronunciation guides for several West African English entries, including multiple audio recordings where necessary.
Among the Nigerian words newly recognised is abeg, described as an interjection or adverb used to express emotions such as surprise, disbelief or exasperation.
Another notable addition is amala, a popular Nigerian staple defined as a dough made from yam, cassava or unripe plantain flour, typically rolled into balls and eaten with soups.
The OED also formally acknowledged Afrobeats, describing it as a genre of popular music that blends elements of West African rhythms with jazz, soul and funk.
Other Nigerian and West African words added in the update include Ghana Must Go, biko, Mammy Market, nyash and Moi Moi, terms widely used across Nigeria and Ghana in daily speech and cultural settings.
Additional African entries in the update include abrokyire, Adowa, ampesi, benachin, bichir, domoda, dumboy, hiplife, kpanlogo, light soup, nawetan, obroni, poda-poda and yassa.
The latest expansion builds on a similar update reported in January 2025, when the OED added 20 Nigerian words and expressions reflecting street language, food culture, migration narratives and internet slang.
That earlier update featured words such as japa, agbero, eba, 419 and abi, alongside terms like area boy, yahoo boy, Naija, suya, kobo, Edo, Kanuri, jand, janded, cross-carpet and cross-carpeting.
Some of those entries appeared as both nouns and verbs, with pronunciation guides provided for non-Nigerian speakers.
Full list of 20 Nigerian words added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2025:
Abeg
Afrobeats
Amala
Bend down (and) select
Biafran
Biko
Coco
Cocoyam
Fufu
Ghana Must Go
Hype man
Ijaw
Iroko
Mammy market
Moi Moi
Nyash
Swallow
Talk less of
Trolling
Wear and tear.
