The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has expanded its lexicon with the addition of new Nigerian and West African words, reflecting the growing global influence of African languages on English. The update, first published in December 2025, features words and expressions tied to food, music, everyday speech, markets, and pop culture.

According to the OED, the December 2025 update introduced over 500 new words, phrases, and senses, while revising more than 1,000 existing entries.

Catherine Sangster, OED’s Head of Pronunciations, said the update also improved documentation of pronunciations across English varieties, including new West African English audio files. “This marks a significant step in recording how English is spoken across different cultures,” she said.

Among the new Nigerian entries are:

• Abeg – an interjection or adverb expressing surprise, exasperation, disbelief, etc.
• Amala – a staple food made from yam, cassava, or unripe plantain flour, typically served in balls with other dishes.
• Afrobeats – a style of music combining West African sounds with jazz, soul, and funk.
• Nyash, Biko, Mammy Market, Moi Moi, and Ghana Must Go – everyday cultural expressions.

Other African words included in the update are abrokyire, Adowa, ampesi, benachin, bichir, domoda, dumboy, hiplife, kpanlogo, light soup, nawetan, obroni, poda-poda, and yassa.

This latest expansion follows a previous 2025 update that added 20 Nigerian words, including japa, agbero, eba, 419, abi, area boy, yahoo boy, Naija, suya, kobo, Edo, Kanuri, jand, and cross-carpet. These entries reflect Nigerian street language, food culture, migration discourse, and internet slang.

The OED’s updates highlight the growing recognition of African contributions to global English vocabulary, celebrating both spoken and written expressions.