Besty

E

Ede

New Member
New York City
Italian Italy
Hi, I have a question about some American slang...
My friend told me that I am her "besty" or "bestie" (I don't know how it is spelled!), but I assumed that she means I am her best friend, right?
Thank you,
Erica :)
 
    • A

    A90Six

    Senior Member
    London
    England - English.
    Ede said:
    Hi, I have a question about some American slang...
    My friend told me that I am her "besty" or "bestie" (I don't know how it is spelled!), but I assumed that she means I am her best friend, right?
    Thank you,
    Erica :)
    Click to expand...
    I am a BE speaker, not AE, but as it is a slang term I daresay you could choose either. I would plump for besty as bestie looks a bit too much like beastie. Have you asked your besty how it should be spelt?
     
    A

    ArtemisTwo

    Member
    U.S. English
    I haven't heard this usage, but it's not uncommon to hear someone referred to as "my bestest friend." It's not grammatically correct, but it's contemporary slang.
     
    Vikta

    Vikta

    Member
    Quebec City, Qc.
    English/French/Spanish Canada
    HaHa! No, besty, bestest, or even bestie are not official slang words anywhere in the world. But yes, it probably means that you're the best of something that she has (friends).
     
    lizzeymac

    lizzeymac

    Senior Member
    New York City
    English - USA
    Sorry Vikta -
    Perhaps these nicknames are not used in Canada but some parts of "the world" they are very common slang & have been in use for many years.
    Besty & Bestest are variants of "best friend" in AE. They are used virtually exclusively by females rather than males & tend to be used by young people - teenagers or younger. I imagine that if you don't have contact with that age group you might never hear these terms.
     
    9

    99bottles

    Senior Member
    Greek
    lizzeymac said:
    Sorry Vikta -
    Perhaps these nicknames are not used in Canada but some parts of "the world" they are very common slang & have been in use for many years.
    Besty & Bestest are variants of "best friend" in AE. They are used virtually exclusively by females rather than males & tend to be used by young people - teenagers or younger. I imagine that if you don't have contact with that age group you might never hear these terms.
    Click to expand...
    Is it wrong if I refer to the (male) best friend of a boy as that boy's besty? Should I replace that word in my text?

    Also, is the besty/bestie difference a regional (BE/AE) one?
     
    Wordy McWordface

    Wordy McWordface

    Senior Member
    SSBE (Standard Southern British English)
    I've only ever heard young women talk about their 'besties'. In fact, I heard my daughter use it the last time I saw her.

    I don't know if there's a regional preference for spelling. I would prefer 'bestie', as it's in line with the spelling of other similar adjective+suffix combinations such as 'softie' and 'sweetie'. I can't think of any comparable examples with a 'y'.

    For boys and men, it's more likely to be something like 'best mate' (UK/Aus) . Maybe 'best buddy' in the US?
     
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