Most Scottish words you will hear on a trip come from Scots, and a few from Scottish Gaelic. This page gives you the everyday ones in plain English, so you are never lost in a pub, a tea room or a taxi. Every meaning here is checked against the Dictionary of the Scots Language, which records Scots words with dated quotations going back centuries.
What are the Scottish words you will hear most?
Here are ten you will meet in your first day, with what the dictionary says they mean:
- Wee: small, tiny, little. It started life as a noun meaning “a weight” in Old English and is written in Scots from 1375 (DSL).
- Braw: fine, splendid. Scots also use it for pleasant weather (DSL).
- Dreich: of the weather, dreary, cheerless and bleak. Its oldest sense is “long-drawn-out”, which fits a grey day that never ends (DSL).
- Och aye: “yes, of course”. The dictionary notes that “och aye the noo” is mostly used as a humorous marker of Scottish speech, so you will hear it more from visitors than from Scots (DSL).
- Aye: yes, and in older Scots also “always” (DSL).
- Ken: to know. “Ye ken” at the end of a sentence works like “you know?” (DSL).
- Blether: to talk a lot; also a good chat, or the person who never stops talking (DSL).
- Crabbit: in a bad temper (DSL).
- Lum: a chimney, as in the old wish “Lang may your lum reek” (DSL).
- Lang syne: long ago, the words behind “Auld Lang Syne” (DSL).
What do Scots say at Hogmanay and New Year?
Hogmanay is the Scots word for 31 December, and it comes with its own words: the first-foot, Ne’erday, the handsel and the toast to auld lang syne. Read them all, with what each one means, in Hogmanay Sayings and What They Mean (Plus What First-Footing Is).
Is the Scottish accent hard to understand?
For most visitors it takes a day or two. Start with these pages:
- How difficult is the Scottish accent?
- How to speak with a Scottish accent
- Scottish accent vs Irish accent: what makes them different?
- Famous Scottish accents in film and TV
- Why most Scots don’t sing with a Scottish accent
What is the difference between Scots and Scottish Gaelic?
They are two different languages. Scots is close to English (wee, ken, braw); Gaelic is a Celtic language you will see on signs in the Highlands and islands. We explain it in the difference between Scottish Gaelic and Scots, and the Gaelic names on the map in Scottish Gaelic place names.
Where can I learn more Scottish words and sayings?
- Scottish words the rest of the world should be using
- Learn Scottish slang: real words, real wit
- The Love Scotland Guide No. 005: Scots and Scottish slang
- The Love Scotland Guide No. 009: Scottish sayings and blessings
- Sláinte: what the Scottish toast means
More word pages are on the way this week: what “wee” really means, what “braw” means, what “och aye” means, Scottish terms of endearment and how to say cheers in Scottish Gaelic. Each one will be linked here.
Last checked: 7 November 2026, against the Dictionary of the Scots Language (dsl.ac.uk).