Africtionary has always been built the same way: someone knows a word, and they add it. No committee, no panel of linguists — just people writing down how their streets actually talk. Today we're adding a reason to bring more of those people in.
Refer & Win is live. Add words, invite friends, and every contribution earns you an entry into a draw for R500 Cash or R500 Takealot Voucher.
How it works
Two ways to earn entries, and they stack.
1. Add a word. Every word of yours that gets approved earns you one entry. There's no cap — ten approved words is ten entries. This is the main way to build up your odds.
2. Invite someone. Every member has a personal referral link on the Refer & Win page. Share it, and when someone who joins through your link gets their first word approved, you earn an entry too. They then start earning their own entries for every word they add.
So a friend who joins and contributes properly is good for both of you: one entry for you, and a growing pile for them.
Getting your link
Sign in and head to africtionary.com/referral.php. You'll find your personal link and a short code — something like K7QM4RD — plus a running count of your entries and a list of everyone who joined through you.
Share the link anywhere: WhatsApp, X, your group chat, wherever the people who know good slang are.
The rules, plainly
- Entries are earned when a word is approved, not when it's submitted. Everything gets reviewed, so give it a little time after you post.
- One entry per approved word you add. No limit.
- One entry per person you refer, earned on their first approved word.
- Every entry is one ticket in the draw — more entries genuinely means better odds.
- The draw takes place on 15 October 2026, and the winner will be contacted using the email on their account.
- Junk submissions and fake accounts will be removed along with any entries they earned. Real words from real people only.
Why we're doing this
Every week people search Africtionary for words that aren't here yet — you can see them on the Most Wanted list. Those gaps close only when someone who knows the word takes a minute to write it down. This is our way of saying that minute is worth something.
African slang moves faster than any dictionary can chase on its own. The more of us adding to it, the better the record we leave behind — of how people actually spoke, in this decade, in these cities.