Sometimes the word “friend” is not enough. So here are 20 ways to call a friend using English slang.

The poet Aquiles Nazoa wrote that friendship is the best invention of the human being; and since language is also an invention, a collective one, we will review the slang, that is: those words that we have invented over time to refer to our friends in more pleasant, simple and affectionate ways.

Dude

Dude is a friendly way of saying “friend” to someone who may or may not be your friend. You can even say dude to a stranger if you are in an informal setting. Although the word began to be used in the United States, over time it has come to be used in many countries around the world, including non-English speaking countries.

Bro

Bro is a diminutive of the word Brother. Americans began using it in college fraternities, where people call each other “brothers”. But because it is so popular and simple to use, today it is widespread in all cultures, even those beyond the English language.

Chum

Chum is a word that originated in the 17th century in British universities. It is an acronym for chamber fellow (roommate), and eventually spread globally by English speakers as a synonym for close friend.

The word chum is so universal that when the first American oilmen traveled to Venezuela in the first half of the 20th century, they made Venezuelans adopt it among themselves. That is why today in Venezuela chamo (adaptation of chum) is used as a synonym for boy.

Mate

Mate is another synonym for friend that you can use even if you don’t know the person. Always in informal contexts.

Buddy

Buddy is more common in Canada and the United States than anywhere else. It is often abbreviated as Bud, which means the same thing. The important thing is that Buddy translates from slang as buddy.

Pal

This word is the fruit of the Scottish imagination. Initially it refers to someone you spend a lot of time with and are fond of, but the Scots also use it as a verb meaning to play or have fun: We are palling around”.

Homeboy

A homeboy is a close friend who is usually from the same city as the person who calls him that.

Homegirl

Same case. A homegirl is a friend from your city, town or neighborhood.

Comrade

Comrade means comrade. Although today it is used to refer to any friend, initially it was the way in which socialist revolutionaries called themselves.

BFF

BFF is the most famous acronym for best friend. The letters stand for: Best Friend Forever.

Biffle

Your biffle is your best friend. It comes from the acronym BFFL (Best Friends For Life).

Friend

Although amigo is a Spanish word, many Americans use it frequently to talk to strangers in a friendly way. They also use it, although less, as a vocative for their real friends.

Girl

You can hear American women say “chica” to each other in Spanish without any problem. It is common among close-knit groups of friends.

Girl

It is common for women to call each other girl, both among friends, acquaintances and even strangers.

Sis / Sista / Sister

When women have a solid or trusting friendship, sis, sista and sister are common vocatives among them.

Ace

In some communities in the United States, ace is called ace to a childhood friend from the same neighborhood.

Butty

Butty is a historical variation of the word buddy created by the miners, who divided a loot and called themselves butty among those among whom the loot was to be divided.

Blad

Blad is a word of Jamaican origin whose etymology comes from the word blood. It is also used in the United Kingdom.

Bitch

Yes, it means bitch and initially it was an offense. But today it is also used among women who are very fond of each other to call each other.

Chuck

It is used in the northern part of England as a synonym for “man” or “fellow”.

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