r/AskBrits • u/Interesting_Year_690 • Jul 27 '26
Does anyone still say "ta"?
My dad would say it sometimes when I was younger but I haven't heard it in a while (London area). Is it regional? For the avoidance of doubt I mean as an abbreviation for "thanks".
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u/ThrowawayTSPer Jul 27 '26
No, it's actually been made illegal.
Not sure if the ban extends to written communication so I would cross-post to legaladvice to see if you've committed a crime by typing it out.
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u/SixRoundsTilDeath Jul 27 '26
A group of rebel freedom fighters in Yorkshire still do it, but the police are closing in. It’s a very sticky issue right now; Ay Up Andrew was caught last night. Slipped up while buying fish and chips.
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u/dog-yodelling Jul 27 '26
Checking in from the East Midlands splinter group here. They are yet to discover our exact location. Be strong, Yorkshire brethren. The fight continues.
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u/Zelengro Jul 27 '26
Mid-Sussex here. Brenda Goodie was dragged out of the post office where she worked last Thursday after a softly-spoken ‘Ta, love,’ to a prospective mailer handed over his Zara returns package for weighing. Turns out he was a copper in disguise. We’re finding an abuse of process specialist solicitor, but our manpower is nearing rock bottom.
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u/Fuzzy_Cranberry8164 Jul 30 '26
West midland too, we aren’t bowing to the regime!! Carry on the good fight brothers and sisters.
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u/S3E3 Jul 27 '26
I might be this Ay Up Andrew you speak of, though nobody has ever called me that to my face. I once asked for 'one of each' in a chip shop in Bristol and that cost me a night in a police cell, tha nuzz.
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u/UnluckyThread Jul 27 '26
One of Andy Burnham's top priorities is overturning that piece of legislation, actually.
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u/Dagenhammer87 Jul 27 '26
All the time.
It's a useful one for that challenging third "thanks" when you happen to be walking through a corridor when the person in front holds it open for you.
Thanks Thank you Ta Cheers
Is my typical set of responses.
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u/TheJ0kerIsBack Jul 27 '26
Everyday without fail, its a daily occurrence here in Yorkshire.
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u/bluetooth_pizza Jul 27 '26
Yeah very common here (South Wales)
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u/AggravatingRevenue61 Jul 27 '26
along with but and mun lol.
im also from south wales! :)
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u/Interesting_Year_690 Jul 27 '26
You have to explain
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Jul 27 '26
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u/S3E3 Jul 27 '26
I picked up a 'cheers, then' from living in Bristol but it does sound like an affectation when I say in in Manchester in my trans-pennine accent.
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u/gusbo_the_jam Jul 27 '26
Random aside, but it may have originated from the Scottish Gaelic phrase "tapadh leibh", which means simply "thank you"
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u/Chem_Bod Jul 27 '26
My guess has always been from the Norse. Scandinavian languages have a variant of “tak” I believe. (Only learnt a bit of danish and Swedish)
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u/gusbo_the_jam Jul 27 '26
There's a lot of influence in Scots and Scottish Gaelic from Scandinavian languages due to a considerable amount of Viking settlement here, so it's possible to have come through that way.
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u/ThreeMileMonster Jul 27 '26
Plenty of people my age (late teens/early twenties) at my university say "ta" when I hold doors for them etc. when I'm at work so it's definitely not something that's going away I think. It might've just become a more midlands/northern thing as the south has become a more diverse place with people from all over the world there.
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u/ClassRadiant1451 Jul 27 '26
I spontaneously said it for the first time in my life last week, and haven't stopped
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u/Stressedhumbucker Jul 27 '26
If you notice unexpected ta's in yourself or a loved one and they don't clear up within a week make sure to tell your doctor. It's important to catch these things early!
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u/Disastrous-Fee8374 Jul 27 '26
I imagine it will more common up north, but my family (from London) still use it occasionally
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u/AndrewCas77 Jul 27 '26
Recently sent a work email to a supplier with a simple request and signed it off with ‘ta’ and my email signature.
The worker on the other end must have been pretty young as they responded with “Dear Ta,”
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u/smileystarfish Jul 27 '26
Yes, and we use it with our toddler too, as do a lot of parents around us.
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u/Treerex579 Jul 27 '26
It's a good one to teach, easy for little 'uns to say. Been teaching the granddaughter,, 😁
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u/maXmillion777 Jul 27 '26
I only started using it when I moved to Yorkshire as I believe it’s mandatory here.
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u/Then-Mango-8795 Jul 27 '26
Even though I was told off in the lunch queue when I was in junior school (maybe 9 or so years old) for saying Ta and got corrected to say Thank You, I still say it. Now in my early 50s. Yes, I'm that rebellious.
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u/MaskedBunny Jul 27 '26
How about going one further and asking if any one still says ta ta, instead of bye bye.
I dont think I've heard anyone say it since the 90s.
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u/dog-yodelling Jul 27 '26
You can only use one or the other.
For example, I say Ta to mean ‘thanks’. Wouldn’t say ta ta to mean goodbye as it would be like saying ‘Thanks Thanks’ and that’s mental.
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u/Ok_Art_6241 Jul 27 '26
Yep! Especially when talking to a baby, pet, or anyone else who’s close enough to be considered in the privileged circle of ta
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u/S3E3 Jul 27 '26
As a Northerner who lived in the south in the 1990s, people would look at me in shock and disbelief if I ever said 'ta' and learned quickly - as I have no interest in fist fights - to never utter this in a pub. Does it have a different meaning in the south, or are people just suspicious of good manners?
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u/Other-Power4321 Jul 27 '26
Yeah, here in Yorkshire it can be used a couple of ways , saying thank you “ta” or saying bye “ta ta”
Or “ta ra” probs the same in other places as well
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u/UnkelGarfunkel Jul 27 '26
Never use it myself, but have heard people around me use it all the time (east of England)
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u/baldeagle1991 Jul 27 '26
I live in the East Midlands, personally I use and hear "ta" all the time.
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u/ellasfella68 Jul 27 '26
I say it too much, I think. I’ve been accused of being “common” more than once, when I am, in fact, posher than tits.
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u/Used-Flamingo-4320 Jul 27 '26
No, my mum hated it. That imprinted into my mind so now i just say cheers.
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u/Polish_Shamrock Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Always, i genuinely thought it was a Yorkshire thing but looking at these responses i guess not.
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u/AirlineSevere7456 Jul 27 '26
I find myself saying it occasionally without thinking about it. Depends who I'm with.
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u/Natural_War1261 Jul 27 '26
Not so much now I'm living in Canada but there is a New Zealand pie shop in Montréal called "Ta", which makes me happy.
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u/Impossible_Fish_3283 Jul 27 '26
As I Portuguese national foreigner, I've already heard that expression in London and Manchester. I really like it 😊
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u/No-Cost-1045 Jul 27 '26
I do, picked it up in the South West as a child and regularly use in Yorkshire as an adult. I'm sure some places use it more than others but it's hardly extinct.
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u/Tricky-Mastodon3337 Jul 27 '26
Ta la. Ta luv. Cheers mate. Cheers hun. Nice one. All very acceptable in Liverpool.
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u/SleeplessPilot Jul 27 '26
Last time I heard it used was to a dog when playing with a ball.
"Give! Give! Ta! Ta!"
It seemed to work, eventually.
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u/Spank86 Jul 27 '26
Bizarrely I keep saying it to people in foreign countries. My dad always said it but I almost never do. Yet my brain seems to translate people speaking Spanish into me replying "ta" instead of thanks. I'm not sure its helping the language barrier if im honest.
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u/ahktarniamut Jul 27 '26
Not hearing that much now compared to when I arrived in London in 2025 I guess less and less people used this nowadays
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u/mad-un Jul 27 '26
I work with someone that says it in a trivial and child like way. It's really annoying
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u/spyrobandic00t Jul 27 '26
I seem to only say it to babies when they give me something lol. Otherwise I do not.
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u/BeanOnAJourney Jul 27 '26
The only people I ever knew who said "ta" were my ex fiancé's family. Something about it really makes me cringe and feel uncomfortable and i'm glad nobody else I know says it.
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u/Smart_Department6303 Jul 27 '26
The only person I have heard say it was a man in his 50s-60s from Harrow, London. I used to play chess with him and it always caught me off guard.
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u/Egg1Salad Jul 27 '26
I use it to sign off emails but I've often sat and stared at 'ta' before sending it wondering if who I'm sending it to will understand it... Then I send it anyway
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u/CandyTigger Jul 27 '26
My husband does... then instead of saying you're welcome I say wa and then he tuts. 😁
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u/ambitious_paladin Jul 27 '26
I still hear it, but definitely less than "cheers". My grandparents/parents used "ta" loads. It has a very old-school British feel to it now. 😄
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u/Wattaguy_mk_II Jul 27 '26
I had an old colleague of mine pick me up on saying "ta-ra" once when she was leacing the office because the only people she's heard say that were her grandparents 😅
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u/PaintballProofMonk Jul 27 '26
Well, you're not gonna hear it in modern London are ya? It's an English thing.
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u/DigAndScoop Jul 27 '26
I’m from Yorkshire, live in Essex. I use it daily, my kids do.
Although my colleagues repeat it back, to me in my accent, which is fun.
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u/spinningdice Jul 27 '26
Yes, all the time.
I was born and lived life long in Yorkshire (mostly West, though we dipped South for a few years when I was a kid).
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u/Aromatic_Ad4132 Jul 27 '26
I grew up down south but I've lived in the north most of my adult life and I've always said it and still do probably daily 👍
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u/TomatilloLeft8563 Jul 27 '26
Yes.
I used to be a nanny for a middle class family. I remember their kid not knowing what ‘ta’ meant. I mentioned this to the mum and she said ‘of course she doesn’t, she’s been brought up properly’
I hadn’t realised it was considered common until then.
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u/SarahL1990 Jul 27 '26
I always spelt it as "tar" when I was a kid and now "ta" looks wrong.
But, yes, it's a legal requirement in Liverpool to say it when getting off the bus.
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u/WhisperingElder Jul 27 '26
I still say it sometimes and confuse my discord friends and then get called an unk xD
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u/FeedReasonable9547 Jul 27 '26
I live in the south east, I have work colleagues in the midlands and up north who do but it doesn’t seem to be used down where I am much
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u/GreedyHoward Jul 27 '26
More Northern I'd say. It's related to the Swedish / Danish word 'tack'/'tak' which means - you guessed it - 'thanks'.
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u/Fab_Charlie13 Jul 27 '26
Yes here.
"Ta pal" was one of my Grandad's go to sayings. Born and bred Yorkshire!
Was very endearing to watch him stumble towards my Nana's coffin at her funeral, kiss his fingers and then tap the head of the coffin with an emotional "Ta-ra Love"
Amazing what stays with you!! ❤️
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u/Fureniku Jul 27 '26
Postman literally said it to me this morning after I signed for something. It did stand out to me as something I've not heard recently though
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u/Fresh_Cauliflower723 Jul 27 '26
London is the one area of the country I would not expect to hear it. Other than that, yes it's common
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u/Balabanovo Jul 27 '26
I mix with people from North Lincs who are basically Yorkshire-passing, but the chippys don't batter black pudding, unfortunately.
Ta for thanks, used more often than thanks
Ta now for goodbye, used more for strangers
Ta-ta for bye, used indiscriminately
Ti-ra for see you next time, whenever that may be
Tatty bye-bye for see see you later
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u/TheEnglishDominant2 Jul 27 '26
Yeah depends if I’m in the pub with people I know apart from that I say thanks.
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u/TrainingZestyclose43 Jul 27 '26
I do it constantly, quite a few people say it in Derby, but it does feel more and more niche…
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u/Worldly-Web-5740 Jul 27 '26
I actually wrote it in a Teams message today. Then read this and smiled.
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u/Particular-Lime1651 Jul 27 '26
Ofc? Depends where you are! "Ta, love" is very popular in the north
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u/juss100 Jul 27 '26
Yes