A new study has revealed that 'bonkers' is the most popular Britishism used by Americans, accounting for 24 per cent of all such terms identified. Researchers from Northern Arizona University and language learning platform Babbel analysed a database of 5 million transcribed words and 1,000 hours of spoken American English collected between January 2023 and October 2024.
The term, meaning absurd or wildly extreme, was particularly popular among Gen Z and women, with 90 per cent of users being female. It was followed by 'amongst' (14 per cent), 'queue' (13 per cent), 'wonky' (11 per cent), and 'cheeky' (10 per cent). Other Britishisms on the rise include 'nutter', 'trousers', 'dodgy', 'kerfuffle', 'posh', 'banter', and 'flummox'.
Esteban Touma, a linguistic expert at Babbel, said the prevalence of Britishisms reflects 'cultural globalisation'. He noted that British TV shows like Love Island and musicians such as Charli XCX are exporting language, while streaming platforms like Netflix and Apple TV bring British content into American homes. 'The rise of Britishisms could herald a new British invasion of the kind experienced in the Punk and Britpop eras,' he added.
The study highlights the ongoing exchange of words between the US and the UK, with Touma emphasising that adopting these terms is about 'embracing a shared culture' and signals membership in a global community.
