talkin'

Havin' a conversation

Talkin' is an informal spelling of talking, representing the dropped g common in casual speech.

The apostrophe marks the missing letter: We were just talkin' about you.

This spelling appears frequently in dialogue, song lyrics, and titles to convey a conversational or folksy tone.

slang

streetwise

Shrewd from urban experience

vernacularEveryday regional speech
colloquialCasual, everyday language
informalRelaxed, not official

dialect · drawl · twang · accent · lingo · patois · jive · creole · pidgin · country

conversation

chattin'

Conversing informally

discussin'Informal debatin'
chit-chatInformal trivial conversation
banterPlayful, teasing exchange

dialogue · exchange · back-and-forth · heart-to-heart · confab · powwow

confrontation

sass

Impertinent verbal attitude

lipMouth's outer edge
arguin'Disputin' with someone
smackStrike with open hand

beef · frontin'

music

blues

Mournful American music genre

soulInnermost animating essence
funkDepression or groove music
R&BSoulful pop genre

spoken word · rap · call-and-response · vocalizing · crooning · scatting · riffing · improvising · Marvin Gaye · Stevie Wonder

speech

sayin'

Informal for speaking

declarin'Informal for announcing
oratingSpeaking formally aloud
lecturin'Teaching through speech

Opposites

verbal activity

talkin'listenin

Covert audio monitoring

listening · hearin · hearing · paying attention

action vs. inaction

talkin'silent

Producing no sound

quiet · mute · hushed · speechless · tongue-tied

verbal action vs. physical action

talkin'doin

Slang: kill or exhaust

doing · actin · acting

Phrases

talking backRude reply to authority
stop talkingCease verbal communication
keep talkingMaintain verbal communication
talking overSpeaking while another speaks
no talkingVerbal communication forbidden
talking toInformal reprimand

Family

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G