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Oxford English Dictionary updates its lexicon to include Nigerian words
A slew of commonly used words that reflect the life of an average Nigerian has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) following a 2025 update of its lexicon.
The words, including Yahoo Boy, 419, Kanuri, Kobo, Agbero, Japa, Jand, Suya, and Gele are gaining acceptance across Africa and beyond.
The new words which reflect ethnic nationalities and demographics highlight Nigeria’s cultural diversity, according to Dr. Kingsley Ugwuanyi, who consults for OED.
Ugwuanyi, who revealed the additions on LinkedIn on Tuesday, said editors used corpora to identify words that are more commonly and widely used nationwide.
He said: “So, the criteria include frequency, widespread use, age (generally words that have been in use for zero to 10 years), and the social significance of the words.
READ ALSO: Buka, Danfo, Okada, other Nigerian words added to Oxford dictionary. See full list
“This time, I not only drafted most of the words but also had the incredible opportunity to provide their pronunciations. So, when you explore the OED online and click on the pronunciations, you will hear my voice bringing these words to life.”
See list of the new words below:
1. 419
2. Abi
3. Adire
4. Agbero
5. Area Boy
6. cross-carpet /cross-carpeting –
7. Eba
8. Edo
9. Gele
10. Jand (noun)
11. Jand (verb)
12. Janded
13. Japa (noun)
14. Japa (verb)
15. Kanuri
16. Kobo
17. Naija
18. Suya
19. Yahoo
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