What Does Natter Mean? The Word Behind the Chat

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To natter is to chat casually and at length, usually about everyday things. As a noun, a natter is a friendly, relaxed chat. It's an informal, mostly British word with roots in northern English dialect.

Natter, defined

natter (verb): To talk casually, often for a long time and about nothing in particular. "We nattered for an hour and forgot the tea had gone cold."
natter (noun): A relaxed, friendly chat. "Pop round for a natter whenever you like."
natterer (noun): Someone who loves a good chat, sometimes said fondly, sometimes with a raised eyebrow.

It's an informal word, more at home in a kitchen than a boardroom, and it carries warmth. Calling a conversation a natter says it was easy, unhurried and enjoyable, the kind of talk that happens over a cup of tea or a garden fence rather than across a desk.

How do you say natter?

It rhymes with chatter and matter. In most British accents the last syllable is soft, close to "NAT-uh", while American speakers tend to sound the r at the end, closer to "NAT-er". Either way, the stress falls on the first syllable.

Where does the word natter come from?

Dictionaries trace natter to a northern English dialect word, gnatter, which meant to chatter or grumble. Like many words for talking, it seems to imitate the sound itself, the low murmur of people talking away to each other. Natter starts turning up in writing in the early nineteenth century, around the 1820s.

For a while, and in some dialects still, it leaned towards complaining: to natter at someone could mean to nag them or grumble on. In Scots, a natter can still carry that peevish edge. Over time, in everyday British English, the friendly sense won out, and today a natter is something you look forward to rather than put up with.

How to use natter in a sentence

"Let's grab a coffee and have a proper natter."
"They were nattering away at the bus stop like old friends."
"Sorry, I've nattered on far too long."
"She rang for a quick natter and we were still going at ten."
"Fancy a natter later? I'll put the kettle on."

Phrases built on natter

Have a natter: To have a friendly chat. The most common way the word turns up.
A good natter: A long, satisfying chat that leaves you in a better mood.
Natter away: To chat happily and continuously.
Natter on: To keep talking, sometimes a little longer than the listener would like.

Words like natter, from Leeds to Sydney

English has a lovely collection of words for a casual chat, and different corners of the English-speaking world have their favourites:

Chinwag (British): a chat, often a gossipy one.
Chit-chat: light, inconsequential talk.
Blether (Scottish, also blather): to chat away, or a person who talks a lot.
Craic (Irish): fun, banter and good company, as in "what's the craic?"
A yarn (Australian and New Zealand): a chat, as in "stop for a yarn".
Chew the fat: to chat in a leisurely way, heard on both sides of the Atlantic.
Shoot the breeze (American): to chat idly about nothing much.

More of these, and plenty of modern chat words, are in our chat glossary, and our chat slang guide explains the shorthand people type.

Natter, chatter or gossip?

They overlap, but they aren't quite the same thing:

Natter: Relaxed, friendly talk about everyday life, usually between people who enjoy each other's company.
Chatter: Quick, continuous talk, often light and sometimes just noise. Birds chatter; so do teeth on a cold day.
Gossip: Talk about other people's private business. A natter can include a bit of gossip, but it doesn't need any.

When natter fits, and when it doesn't

Natter belongs with friends, family, neighbours and anyone you'd happily share a pot of tea with. It suits a text to a mate, a card to your aunt or a chat site with a sense of humour. In a work email or a formal letter it can sound a little too cosy, so "a quick chat" or "a catch-up" usually works better there.

Tone matters too. "We had a lovely natter" is warm. "Stop nattering" is a gentle telling-off, the sort of thing a teacher might say to a giggling back row. And "nattering on" can hint that someone talked for longer than you'd have liked, which is why it's kinder to use about yourself than about other people.

Why a chat site called Natter?

Because a natter is exactly the kind of conversation the site is for: easy, warm, and the sort you lose track of time in. Natter is a chat community for adults (18+), with live chat rooms, private messages and group chats, where people come to make friends from the comfort of home, and sometimes find a date along the way.

If you'd like to be better at the thing the word describes, our how to chat guides cover everything from the first hello to keeping a conversation going, and the about page tells you more about the site that borrowed the name.

Questions about the word natter

What does having a natter mean?

Having a natter means having a relaxed, friendly chat, usually about everyday things and often for longer than you planned. It is a warm, informal phrase that is especially common in Britain.

Is natter a British word?

It is mainly used in British English and comes from northern English dialect, though English speakers elsewhere will usually understand it. In American English it is less common but not unknown.

Is natter a rude word?

Not at all. It is informal and usually affectionate. Saying someone nattered on can sound mildly teasing, but the word itself is friendly.

What is another word for natter?

Chat, chinwag and chit-chat are close in meaning. In Scotland people might blether, in Australia and New Zealand they might stop for a yarn, and in America they might shoot the breeze.

Where does the word natter come from?

It comes from gnatter, a northern English dialect word meaning to chatter or grumble, which probably imitates the sound of talking. Natter itself appears in writing from around the 1820s.

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