innit
- 1Contraction of isn't it: used as a tag seeking agreement or to open a question, in casual speech, especially in Britain.
Innit a bit late to be calling him now?
It's going to be a long drive back, innit?
UsageAs a tag it asks for agreement (it's cold, innit?). Keep it for relaxed speech, where isn't it would fit.
Note
Only the pronunciation changes; the grammar of isn't it survives intact. Tacked onto a statement, it asks the listener to agree (It's cold out, innit?). Placed first, it opens a question (Innit a bit late?). Unlike the all-purpose tag, it fits only where isn't it itself would.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- In its literal contraction sense, innit is a reduced form of isn't it. en.wiktionary.org
- 2Used in place of any negative question tag, not just isn't it, whatever the statement's person, number, or verb. It may also come before the statement.
We had maths with him last year, innit?
Innit the shops shut early on Sundays?
UsageIn formal writing, match the tag to the statement: we had maths, didn't we?
Note
Critics of this use object to the mismatch: You were dissing my girl, innit? uses one fixed word where standard grammar wants weren't you.
- 3Used as a discourse marker in speech, by extension from its use as an all-purpose question tag.
So me and my brother are walking home, innit, and this guy just starts shouting at us for no reason.
I've been working loads of extra shifts lately, innit, because I'm trying to save up for a car.
Note
Here the question has drained out of the word: it rounds off a remark rather than asking the listener to agree. Someone who says I like pop music, innit expects no answer, which is why the sentence can end with a period rather than a question mark.
Use it in a sentence
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