diff --git a/spacy/lexeme.pxd b/spacy/lexeme.pxd
index ff2e4f92e..a16a14f76 100644
--- a/spacy/lexeme.pxd
+++ b/spacy/lexeme.pxd
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ cdef class Lexeme:
         return self
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef inline void set_struct_attr(LexemeC* lex, attr_id_t name, attr_t value) nogil:
+    cdef inline void set_struct_attr(LexemeC* lex, attr_id_t name, attr_t value) noexcept nogil:
         if name < (sizeof(flags_t) * 8):
             Lexeme.c_set_flag(lex, name, value)
         elif name == ID:
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ cdef class Lexeme:
             lex.lang = value
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef inline attr_t get_struct_attr(const LexemeC* lex, attr_id_t feat_name) nogil:
+    cdef inline attr_t get_struct_attr(const LexemeC* lex, attr_id_t feat_name) noexcept nogil:
         if feat_name < (sizeof(flags_t) * 8):
             if Lexeme.c_check_flag(lex, feat_name):
                 return 1
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ cdef class Lexeme:
             return 0
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef inline bint c_check_flag(const LexemeC* lexeme, attr_id_t flag_id) nogil:
+    cdef inline bint c_check_flag(const LexemeC* lexeme, attr_id_t flag_id) noexcept nogil:
         cdef flags_t one = 1
         if lexeme.flags & (one << flag_id):
             return True
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ cdef class Lexeme:
             return False
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef inline bint c_set_flag(LexemeC* lex, attr_id_t flag_id, bint value) nogil:
+    cdef inline bint c_set_flag(LexemeC* lex, attr_id_t flag_id, bint value) noexcept nogil:
         cdef flags_t one = 1
         if value:
             lex.flags |= one << flag_id
diff --git a/spacy/matcher/levenshtein.pyx b/spacy/matcher/levenshtein.pyx
index e394f2cf4..1f9cd1ba2 100644
--- a/spacy/matcher/levenshtein.pyx
+++ b/spacy/matcher/levenshtein.pyx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# cython: binding=True, infer_types=True
+# cython: binding=True, infer_types=True, language_level=3
 from cpython.object cimport PyObject
 from libc.stdint cimport int64_t
 
diff --git a/spacy/matcher/matcher.pyx b/spacy/matcher/matcher.pyx
index 9a9ed4212..64c26c82a 100644
--- a/spacy/matcher/matcher.pyx
+++ b/spacy/matcher/matcher.pyx
@@ -625,7 +625,7 @@ cdef action_t get_action(
     const TokenC * token,
     const attr_t * extra_attrs,
     const int8_t * predicate_matches
-) nogil:
+) noexcept nogil:
     """We need to consider:
     a) Does the token match the specification? [Yes, No]
     b) What's the quantifier? [1, 0+, ?]
@@ -740,7 +740,7 @@ cdef int8_t get_is_match(
     const TokenC* token,
     const attr_t* extra_attrs,
     const int8_t* predicate_matches
-) nogil:
+) noexcept nogil:
     for i in range(state.pattern.nr_py):
         if predicate_matches[state.pattern.py_predicates[i]] == -1:
             return 0
@@ -755,14 +755,14 @@ cdef int8_t get_is_match(
     return True
 
 
-cdef inline int8_t get_is_final(PatternStateC state) nogil:
+cdef inline int8_t get_is_final(PatternStateC state) noexcept nogil:
     if state.pattern[1].quantifier == FINAL_ID:
         return 1
     else:
         return 0
 
 
-cdef inline int8_t get_quantifier(PatternStateC state) nogil:
+cdef inline int8_t get_quantifier(PatternStateC state) noexcept nogil:
     return state.pattern.quantifier
 
 
@@ -805,7 +805,7 @@ cdef TokenPatternC* init_pattern(Pool mem, attr_t entity_id, object token_specs)
     return pattern
 
 
-cdef attr_t get_ent_id(const TokenPatternC* pattern) nogil:
+cdef attr_t get_ent_id(const TokenPatternC* pattern) noexcept nogil:
     while pattern.quantifier != FINAL_ID:
         pattern += 1
     id_attr = pattern[0].attrs[0]
diff --git a/spacy/ml/parser_model.pyx b/spacy/ml/parser_model.pyx
index f004c562e..96f2487ef 100644
--- a/spacy/ml/parser_model.pyx
+++ b/spacy/ml/parser_model.pyx
@@ -52,14 +52,14 @@ cdef SizesC get_c_sizes(model, int batch_size) except *:
     return output
 
 
-cdef ActivationsC alloc_activations(SizesC n) nogil:
+cdef ActivationsC alloc_activations(SizesC n) noexcept nogil:
     cdef ActivationsC A
     memset(&A, 0, sizeof(A))
     resize_activations(&A, n)
     return A
 
 
-cdef void free_activations(const ActivationsC* A) nogil:
+cdef void free_activations(const ActivationsC* A) noexcept nogil:
     free(A.token_ids)
     free(A.scores)
     free(A.unmaxed)
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ cdef void free_activations(const ActivationsC* A) nogil:
     free(A.is_valid)
 
 
-cdef void resize_activations(ActivationsC* A, SizesC n) nogil:
+cdef void resize_activations(ActivationsC* A, SizesC n) noexcept nogil:
     if n.states <= A._max_size:
         A._curr_size = n.states
         return
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ cdef void resize_activations(ActivationsC* A, SizesC n) nogil:
 
 cdef void predict_states(
     CBlas cblas, ActivationsC* A, StateC** states, const WeightsC* W, SizesC n
-) nogil:
+) noexcept nogil:
     resize_activations(A, n)
     for i in range(n.states):
         states[i].set_context_tokens(&A.token_ids[i*n.feats], n.feats)
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ cdef void sum_state_features(
     int B,
     int F,
     int O
-) nogil:
+) noexcept nogil:
     cdef int idx, b, f
     cdef const float* feature
     padding = cached
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ cdef void cpu_log_loss(
     const int* is_valid,
     const float* scores,
     int O
-) nogil:
+) noexcept nogil:
     """Do multi-label log loss"""
     cdef double max_, gmax, Z, gZ
     best = arg_max_if_gold(scores, costs, is_valid, O)
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ cdef void cpu_log_loss(
 
 cdef int arg_max_if_gold(
     const weight_t* scores, const weight_t* costs, const int* is_valid, int n
-) nogil:
+) noexcept nogil:
     # Find minimum cost
     cdef float cost = 1
     for i in range(n):
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ cdef int arg_max_if_gold(
     return best
 
 
-cdef int arg_max_if_valid(const weight_t* scores, const int* is_valid, int n) nogil:
+cdef int arg_max_if_valid(const weight_t* scores, const int* is_valid, int n) noexcept nogil:
     cdef int best = -1
     for i in range(n):
         if is_valid[i] >= 1:
diff --git a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/_state.pxd b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/_state.pxd
index aa3802bf7..ea1a7874b 100644
--- a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/_state.pxd
+++ b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/_state.pxd
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from ...typedefs cimport attr_t
 from ...vocab cimport EMPTY_LEXEME
 
 
-cdef inline bint is_space_token(const TokenC* token) nogil:
+cdef inline bint is_space_token(const TokenC* token) noexcept nogil:
     return Lexeme.c_check_flag(token.lex, IS_SPACE)
 
 cdef struct ArcC:
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
     int offset
     int _b_i
 
-    inline __init__(const TokenC* sent, int length) nogil:
+    inline __init__(const TokenC* sent, int length) noexcept nogil:
         this._sent = sent
         this._heads = <int*>calloc(length, sizeof(int))
         if not (this._sent and this._heads):
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
     inline __dealloc__():
         free(this._heads)
 
-    inline void set_context_tokens(int* ids, int n) nogil:
+    inline void set_context_tokens(int* ids, int n) noexcept nogil:
         cdef int i, j
         if n == 1:
             if this.B(0) >= 0:
@@ -131,14 +131,14 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
             else:
                 ids[i] = -1
 
-    inline int S(int i) nogil const:
+    inline int S(int i) noexcept nogil const:
         if i >= this._stack.size():
             return -1
         elif i < 0:
             return -1
         return this._stack.at(this._stack.size() - (i+1))
 
-    inline int B(int i) nogil const:
+    inline int B(int i) noexcept nogil const:
         if i < 0:
             return -1
         elif i < this._rebuffer.size():
@@ -150,19 +150,19 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
             else:
                 return b_i
 
-    inline const TokenC* B_(int i) nogil const:
+    inline const TokenC* B_(int i) noexcept nogil const:
         return this.safe_get(this.B(i))
 
-    inline const TokenC* E_(int i) nogil const:
+    inline const TokenC* E_(int i) noexcept nogil const:
         return this.safe_get(this.E(i))
 
-    inline const TokenC* safe_get(int i) nogil const:
+    inline const TokenC* safe_get(int i) noexcept nogil const:
         if i < 0 or i >= this.length:
             return &this._empty_token
         else:
             return &this._sent[i]
 
-    inline void map_get_arcs(const unordered_map[int, vector[ArcC]] &heads_arcs, vector[ArcC]* out) nogil const:
+    inline void map_get_arcs(const unordered_map[int, vector[ArcC]] &heads_arcs, vector[ArcC]* out) noexcept nogil const:
         cdef const vector[ArcC]* arcs
         head_arcs_it = heads_arcs.const_begin()
         while head_arcs_it != heads_arcs.const_end():
@@ -175,23 +175,23 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
                 incr(arcs_it)
             incr(head_arcs_it)
 
-    inline void get_arcs(vector[ArcC]* out) nogil const:
+    inline void get_arcs(vector[ArcC]* out) noexcept nogil const:
         this.map_get_arcs(this._left_arcs, out)
         this.map_get_arcs(this._right_arcs, out)
 
-    inline int H(int child) nogil const:
+    inline int H(int child) noexcept nogil const:
         if child >= this.length or child < 0:
             return -1
         else:
             return this._heads[child]
 
-    inline int E(int i) nogil const:
+    inline int E(int i) noexcept nogil const:
         if this._ents.size() == 0:
             return -1
         else:
             return this._ents.back().start
 
-    inline int nth_child(const unordered_map[int, vector[ArcC]]& heads_arcs, int head, int idx) nogil const:
+    inline int nth_child(const unordered_map[int, vector[ArcC]]& heads_arcs, int head, int idx) noexcept nogil const:
         if idx < 1:
             return -1
 
@@ -215,22 +215,22 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
 
         return -1
 
-    inline int L(int head, int idx) nogil const:
+    inline int L(int head, int idx) noexcept nogil const:
         return this.nth_child(this._left_arcs, head, idx)
 
-    inline int R(int head, int idx) nogil const:
+    inline int R(int head, int idx) noexcept nogil const:
         return this.nth_child(this._right_arcs, head, idx)
 
-    inline bint empty() nogil const:
+    inline bint empty() noexcept nogil const:
         return this._stack.size() == 0
 
-    inline bint eol() nogil const:
+    inline bint eol() noexcept nogil const:
         return this.buffer_length() == 0
 
-    inline bint is_final() nogil const:
+    inline bint is_final() noexcept nogil const:
         return this.stack_depth() <= 0 and this.eol()
 
-    inline int cannot_sent_start(int word) nogil const:
+    inline int cannot_sent_start(int word) noexcept nogil const:
         if word < 0 or word >= this.length:
             return 0
         elif this._sent[word].sent_start == -1:
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
         else:
             return 0
 
-    inline int is_sent_start(int word) nogil const:
+    inline int is_sent_start(int word) noexcept nogil const:
         if word < 0 or word >= this.length:
             return 0
         elif this._sent[word].sent_start == 1:
@@ -248,20 +248,20 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
         else:
             return 0
 
-    inline void set_sent_start(int word, int value) nogil:
+    inline void set_sent_start(int word, int value) noexcept nogil:
         if value >= 1:
             this._sent_starts.insert(word)
 
-    inline bint has_head(int child) nogil const:
+    inline bint has_head(int child) noexcept nogil const:
         return this._heads[child] >= 0
 
-    inline int l_edge(int word) nogil const:
+    inline int l_edge(int word) noexcept nogil const:
         return word
 
-    inline int r_edge(int word) nogil const:
+    inline int r_edge(int word) noexcept nogil const:
         return word
 
-    inline int n_arcs(const unordered_map[int, vector[ArcC]] &heads_arcs, int head) nogil const:
+    inline int n_arcs(const unordered_map[int, vector[ArcC]] &heads_arcs, int head) noexcept nogil const:
         cdef int n = 0
         head_arcs_it = heads_arcs.const_find(head)
         if head_arcs_it == heads_arcs.const_end():
@@ -277,28 +277,28 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
 
         return n
 
-    inline int n_L(int head) nogil const:
+    inline int n_L(int head) noexcept nogil const:
         return n_arcs(this._left_arcs, head)
 
-    inline int n_R(int head) nogil const:
+    inline int n_R(int head) noexcept nogil const:
         return n_arcs(this._right_arcs, head)
 
-    inline bint stack_is_connected() nogil const:
+    inline bint stack_is_connected() noexcept nogil const:
         return False
 
-    inline bint entity_is_open() nogil const:
+    inline bint entity_is_open() noexcept nogil const:
         if this._ents.size() == 0:
             return False
         else:
             return this._ents.back().end == -1
 
-    inline int stack_depth() nogil const:
+    inline int stack_depth() noexcept nogil const:
         return this._stack.size()
 
-    inline int buffer_length() nogil const:
+    inline int buffer_length() noexcept nogil const:
         return (this.length - this._b_i) + this._rebuffer.size()
 
-    inline void push() nogil:
+    inline void push() noexcept nogil:
         b0 = this.B(0)
         if this._rebuffer.size():
             b0 = this._rebuffer.back()
@@ -308,32 +308,32 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
             this._b_i += 1
         this._stack.push_back(b0)
 
-    inline void pop() nogil:
+    inline void pop() noexcept nogil:
         this._stack.pop_back()
 
-    inline void force_final() nogil:
+    inline void force_final() noexcept nogil:
         # This should only be used in desperate situations, as it may leave
         # the analysis in an unexpected state.
         this._stack.clear()
         this._b_i = this.length
 
-    inline void unshift() nogil:
+    inline void unshift() noexcept nogil:
         s0 = this._stack.back()
         this._unshiftable[s0] = 1
         this._rebuffer.push_back(s0)
         this._stack.pop_back()
 
-    inline int is_unshiftable(int item) nogil const:
+    inline int is_unshiftable(int item) noexcept nogil const:
         if item >= this._unshiftable.size():
             return 0
         else:
             return this._unshiftable.at(item)
 
-    inline void set_reshiftable(int item) nogil:
+    inline void set_reshiftable(int item) noexcept nogil:
         if item < this._unshiftable.size():
             this._unshiftable[item] = 0
 
-    inline void add_arc(int head, int child, attr_t label) nogil:
+    inline void add_arc(int head, int child, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         if this.has_head(child):
             this.del_arc(this.H(child), child)
         cdef ArcC arc
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
             this._right_arcs[arc.head].push_back(arc)
         this._heads[child] = head
 
-    inline void map_del_arc(unordered_map[int, vector[ArcC]]* heads_arcs, int h_i, int c_i) nogil:
+    inline void map_del_arc(unordered_map[int, vector[ArcC]]* heads_arcs, int h_i, int c_i) noexcept nogil:
         arcs_it = heads_arcs.find(h_i)
         if arcs_it == heads_arcs.end():
             return
@@ -367,13 +367,13 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
                     arc.label = 0
                     break
 
-    inline void del_arc(int h_i, int c_i) nogil:
+    inline void del_arc(int h_i, int c_i) noexcept nogil:
         if h_i > c_i:
             this.map_del_arc(&this._left_arcs, h_i, c_i)
         else:
             this.map_del_arc(&this._right_arcs, h_i, c_i)
 
-    inline SpanC get_ent() nogil const:
+    inline SpanC get_ent() noexcept nogil const:
         cdef SpanC ent
         if this._ents.size() == 0:
             ent.start = 0
@@ -383,17 +383,17 @@ cdef cppclass StateC:
         else:
             return this._ents.back()
 
-    inline void open_ent(attr_t label) nogil:
+    inline void open_ent(attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         cdef SpanC ent
         ent.start = this.B(0)
         ent.label = label
         ent.end = -1
         this._ents.push_back(ent)
 
-    inline void close_ent() nogil:
+    inline void close_ent() noexcept nogil:
         this._ents.back().end = this.B(0)+1
 
-    inline void clone(const StateC* src) nogil:
+    inline void clone(const StateC* src) noexcept nogil:
         this.length = src.length
         this._sent = src._sent
         this._stack = src._stack
diff --git a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/arc_eager.pyx b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/arc_eager.pyx
index bedaaf9fe..cccd51fca 100644
--- a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/arc_eager.pyx
+++ b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/arc_eager.pyx
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ cdef GoldParseStateC create_gold_state(
     return gs
 
 
-cdef void update_gold_state(GoldParseStateC* gs, const StateC* s) nogil:
+cdef void update_gold_state(GoldParseStateC* gs, const StateC* s) noexcept nogil:
     for i in range(gs.length):
         gs.state_bits[i] = set_state_flag(
             gs.state_bits[i],
@@ -239,12 +239,12 @@ def _get_aligned_sent_starts(example):
         return [None] * len(example.x)
 
 
-cdef int check_state_gold(char state_bits, char flag) nogil:
+cdef int check_state_gold(char state_bits, char flag) noexcept nogil:
     cdef char one = 1
     return 1 if (state_bits & (one << flag)) else 0
 
 
-cdef int set_state_flag(char state_bits, char flag, int value) nogil:
+cdef int set_state_flag(char state_bits, char flag, int value) noexcept nogil:
     cdef char one = 1
     if value:
         return state_bits | (one << flag)
@@ -252,27 +252,27 @@ cdef int set_state_flag(char state_bits, char flag, int value) nogil:
         return state_bits & ~(one << flag)
 
 
-cdef int is_head_in_stack(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) nogil:
+cdef int is_head_in_stack(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) noexcept nogil:
     return check_state_gold(gold.state_bits[i], HEAD_IN_STACK)
 
 
-cdef int is_head_in_buffer(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) nogil:
+cdef int is_head_in_buffer(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) noexcept nogil:
     return check_state_gold(gold.state_bits[i], HEAD_IN_BUFFER)
 
 
-cdef int is_head_unknown(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) nogil:
+cdef int is_head_unknown(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) noexcept nogil:
     return check_state_gold(gold.state_bits[i], HEAD_UNKNOWN)
 
-cdef int is_sent_start(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) nogil:
+cdef int is_sent_start(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) noexcept nogil:
     return check_state_gold(gold.state_bits[i], IS_SENT_START)
 
-cdef int is_sent_start_unknown(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) nogil:
+cdef int is_sent_start_unknown(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int i) noexcept nogil:
     return check_state_gold(gold.state_bits[i], SENT_START_UNKNOWN)
 
 
 # Helper functions for the arc-eager oracle
 
-cdef weight_t push_cost(const StateC* state, const GoldParseStateC* gold) nogil:
+cdef weight_t push_cost(const StateC* state, const GoldParseStateC* gold) noexcept nogil:
     cdef weight_t cost = 0
     b0 = state.B(0)
     if b0 < 0:
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ cdef weight_t push_cost(const StateC* state, const GoldParseStateC* gold) nogil:
     return cost
 
 
-cdef weight_t pop_cost(const StateC* state, const GoldParseStateC* gold) nogil:
+cdef weight_t pop_cost(const StateC* state, const GoldParseStateC* gold) noexcept nogil:
     cdef weight_t cost = 0
     s0 = state.S(0)
     if s0 < 0:
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ cdef weight_t pop_cost(const StateC* state, const GoldParseStateC* gold) nogil:
     return cost
 
 
-cdef bint arc_is_gold(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int head, int child) nogil:
+cdef bint arc_is_gold(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int head, int child) noexcept nogil:
     if is_head_unknown(gold, child):
         return True
     elif gold.heads[child] == head:
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ cdef bint arc_is_gold(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int head, int child) nogil:
         return False
 
 
-cdef bint label_is_gold(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int child, attr_t label) nogil:
+cdef bint label_is_gold(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int child, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
     if is_head_unknown(gold, child):
         return True
     elif label == 0:
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ cdef bint label_is_gold(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int child, attr_t label) no
         return False
 
 
-cdef bint _is_gold_root(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int word) nogil:
+cdef bint _is_gold_root(const GoldParseStateC* gold, int word) noexcept nogil:
     return gold.heads[word] == word or is_head_unknown(gold, word)
 
 
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ cdef class Shift:
     * Advance buffer
     """
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         if st.stack_depth() == 0:
             return 1
         elif st.buffer_length() < 2:
@@ -349,11 +349,11 @@ cdef class Shift:
             return 1
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         st.push()
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <const GoldParseStateC*>_gold
         return gold.push_cost
 
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ cdef class Reduce:
         cost by those arcs.
     """
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         if st.stack_depth() == 0:
             return False
         elif st.buffer_length() == 0:
@@ -386,14 +386,14 @@ cdef class Reduce:
             return True
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         if st.has_head(st.S(0)) or st.stack_depth() == 1:
             st.pop()
         else:
             st.unshift()
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <const GoldParseStateC*>_gold
         if state.is_sent_start(state.B(0)):
             return 0
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ cdef class LeftArc:
         pop_cost - Arc(B[0], S[0], label) + (Arc(S[1], S[0]) if H(S[0]) else Arcs(S, S[0]))
     """
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         if st.stack_depth() == 0:
             return 0
         elif st.buffer_length() == 0:
@@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ cdef class LeftArc:
             return 1
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         st.add_arc(st.B(0), st.S(0), label)
         # If we change the stack, it's okay to remove the shifted mark, as
         # we can't get in an infinite loop this way.
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ cdef class LeftArc:
         st.pop()
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef inline weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef inline weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <const GoldParseStateC*>_gold
         cdef weight_t cost = gold.pop_cost
         s0 = state.S(0)
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ cdef class RightArc:
         push_cost + (not shifted[b0] and Arc(B[1:], B[0])) - Arc(S[0], B[0], label)
     """
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         if st.stack_depth() == 0:
             return 0
         elif st.buffer_length() == 0:
@@ -488,12 +488,12 @@ cdef class RightArc:
             return 1
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         st.add_arc(st.S(0), st.B(0), label)
         st.push()
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef inline weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef inline weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <const GoldParseStateC*>_gold
         cost = gold.push_cost
         s0 = state.S(0)
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ cdef class Break:
     * Arcs between S and B[1]
     """
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         if st.buffer_length() < 2:
             return False
         elif st.B(1) != st.B(0) + 1:
@@ -538,11 +538,11 @@ cdef class Break:
             return True
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         st.set_sent_start(st.B(1), 1)
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* state, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <const GoldParseStateC*>_gold
         cdef int b0 = state.B(0)
         cdef int cost = 0
@@ -785,7 +785,7 @@ cdef class ArcEager(TransitionSystem):
         else:
             return False
 
-    cdef int set_valid(self, int* output, const StateC* st) nogil:
+    cdef int set_valid(self, int* output, const StateC* st) noexcept nogil:
         cdef int[N_MOVES] is_valid
         is_valid[SHIFT] = Shift.is_valid(st, 0)
         is_valid[REDUCE] = Reduce.is_valid(st, 0)
diff --git a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/ner.pyx b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/ner.pyx
index e4312bd2f..439c97d84 100644
--- a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/ner.pyx
+++ b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/ner.pyx
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ cdef void update_gold_state(GoldNERStateC* gs, const StateC* state) except *:
 cdef do_func_t[N_MOVES] do_funcs
 
 
-cdef bint _entity_is_sunk(const StateC* state, Transition* golds) nogil:
+cdef bint _entity_is_sunk(const StateC* state, Transition* golds) noexcept nogil:
     if not state.entity_is_open():
         return False
 
@@ -347,21 +347,21 @@ cdef class BiluoPushDown(TransitionSystem):
 
 cdef class Missing:
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         return False
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* s, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* s, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         pass
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         return 9000
 
 
 cdef class Begin:
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         cdef int preset_ent_iob = st.B_(0).ent_iob
         cdef attr_t preset_ent_label = st.B_(0).ent_type
         if st.entity_is_open():
@@ -400,13 +400,13 @@ cdef class Begin:
             return True
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         st.open_ent(label)
         st.push()
         st.pop()
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <GoldNERStateC*>_gold
         b0 = s.B(0)
         cdef int cost = 0
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ cdef class Begin:
 
 cdef class In:
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         if not st.entity_is_open():
             return False
         if st.buffer_length() < 2:
@@ -475,12 +475,12 @@ cdef class In:
             return True
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         st.push()
         st.pop()
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <GoldNERStateC*>_gold
         cdef int next_act = gold.ner[s.B(1)].move if s.B(1) >= 0 else OUT
         cdef int g_act = gold.ner[s.B(0)].move
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ cdef class In:
 
 cdef class Last:
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         cdef int preset_ent_iob = st.B_(0).ent_iob
         cdef attr_t preset_ent_label = st.B_(0).ent_type
         if label == 0:
@@ -535,13 +535,13 @@ cdef class Last:
             return True
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         st.close_ent()
         st.push()
         st.pop()
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <GoldNERStateC*>_gold
         b0 = s.B(0)
         ent_start = s.E(0)
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ cdef class Last:
 
 cdef class Unit:
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         cdef int preset_ent_iob = st.B_(0).ent_iob
         cdef attr_t preset_ent_label = st.B_(0).ent_type
         if label == 0:
@@ -609,14 +609,14 @@ cdef class Unit:
             return True
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         st.open_ent(label)
         st.close_ent()
         st.push()
         st.pop()
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <GoldNERStateC*>_gold
         cdef int g_act = gold.ner[s.B(0)].move
         cdef attr_t g_tag = gold.ner[s.B(0)].label
@@ -646,7 +646,7 @@ cdef class Unit:
 
 cdef class Out:
     @staticmethod
-    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef bint is_valid(const StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         cdef int preset_ent_iob = st.B_(0).ent_iob
         if st.entity_is_open():
             return False
@@ -658,12 +658,12 @@ cdef class Out:
             return True
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef int transition(StateC* st, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         st.push()
         st.pop()
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) nogil:
+    cdef weight_t cost(const StateC* s, const void* _gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil:
         gold = <GoldNERStateC*>_gold
         cdef int g_act = gold.ner[s.B(0)].move
         cdef weight_t cost = 0
diff --git a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/nonproj.pyx b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/nonproj.pyx
index 9e3a21b81..016b8b487 100644
--- a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/nonproj.pyx
+++ b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/nonproj.pyx
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ cdef bool _has_head_as_ancestor(int tokenid, int head, const vector[int]& heads)
     return False
 
 
-cdef string heads_to_string(const vector[int]& heads) nogil:
+cdef string heads_to_string(const vector[int]& heads) noexcept nogil:
     cdef vector[int].const_iterator citer
     cdef string cycle_str
 
diff --git a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/transition_system.pxd b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/transition_system.pxd
index 04cd10d88..74fd48961 100644
--- a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/transition_system.pxd
+++ b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/transition_system.pxd
@@ -15,22 +15,22 @@ cdef struct Transition:
 
     weight_t score
 
-    bint (*is_valid)(const StateC* state, attr_t label) nogil
-    weight_t (*get_cost)(const StateC* state, const void* gold, attr_t label) nogil
-    int (*do)(StateC* state, attr_t label) nogil
+    bint (*is_valid)(const StateC* state, attr_t label) noexcept nogil
+    weight_t (*get_cost)(const StateC* state, const void* gold, attr_t label) noexcept nogil
+    int (*do)(StateC* state, attr_t label) noexcept nogil
 
 
 ctypedef weight_t (*get_cost_func_t)(
     const StateC* state, const void* gold, attr_tlabel
-) nogil
+) noexcept nogil
 ctypedef weight_t (*move_cost_func_t)(
         const StateC* state, const void* gold
-) nogil
+) noexcept nogil
 ctypedef weight_t (*label_cost_func_t)(
     const StateC* state, const void* gold, attr_t label
-) nogil
+) noexcept nogil
 
-ctypedef int (*do_func_t)(StateC* state, attr_t label) nogil
+ctypedef int (*do_func_t)(StateC* state, attr_t label) noexcept nogil
 
 ctypedef void* (*init_state_t)(Pool mem, int length, void* tokens) except NULL
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ cdef class TransitionSystem:
 
     cdef Transition init_transition(self, int clas, int move, attr_t label) except *
 
-    cdef int set_valid(self, int* output, const StateC* st) nogil
+    cdef int set_valid(self, int* output, const StateC* st) noexcept nogil
 
     cdef int set_costs(self, int* is_valid, weight_t* costs,
                        const StateC* state, gold) except -1
diff --git a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/transition_system.pyx b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/transition_system.pyx
index e035053b3..d7cf95c8c 100644
--- a/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/transition_system.pyx
+++ b/spacy/pipeline/_parser_internals/transition_system.pyx
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ cdef class TransitionSystem:
         action = self.lookup_transition(move_name)
         return action.is_valid(stcls.c, action.label)
 
-    cdef int set_valid(self, int* is_valid, const StateC* st) nogil:
+    cdef int set_valid(self, int* is_valid, const StateC* st) noexcept nogil:
         cdef int i
         for i in range(self.n_moves):
             is_valid[i] = self.c[i].is_valid(st, self.c[i].label)
diff --git a/spacy/pipeline/transition_parser.pxd b/spacy/pipeline/transition_parser.pxd
index 7ddb91e01..62c2bfb56 100644
--- a/spacy/pipeline/transition_parser.pxd
+++ b/spacy/pipeline/transition_parser.pxd
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ cdef class Parser(TrainablePipe):
         StateC** states,
         WeightsC weights,
         SizesC sizes
-    ) nogil
+    ) noexcept nogil
 
     cdef void c_transition_batch(
         self,
@@ -27,4 +27,4 @@ cdef class Parser(TrainablePipe):
         const float* scores,
         int nr_class,
         int batch_size
-    ) nogil
+    ) noexcept nogil
diff --git a/spacy/pipeline/transition_parser.pyx b/spacy/pipeline/transition_parser.pyx
index 9a278fc13..24a5bc1d9 100644
--- a/spacy/pipeline/transition_parser.pyx
+++ b/spacy/pipeline/transition_parser.pyx
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ cdef class Parser(TrainablePipe):
 
     cdef void _parseC(
         self, CBlas cblas, StateC** states, WeightsC weights, SizesC sizes
-    ) nogil:
+    ) noexcept nogil:
         cdef int i
         cdef vector[StateC*] unfinished
         cdef ActivationsC activations = alloc_activations(sizes)
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ cdef class Parser(TrainablePipe):
         const float* scores,
         int nr_class,
         int batch_size
-    ) nogil:
+    ) noexcept nogil:
         # n_moves should not be zero at this point, but make sure to avoid zero-length mem alloc
         with gil:
             assert self.moves.n_moves > 0, Errors.E924.format(name=self.name)
diff --git a/spacy/tokenizer.pyx b/spacy/tokenizer.pyx
index 6ca170dd4..77718a75b 100644
--- a/spacy/tokenizer.pyx
+++ b/spacy/tokenizer.pyx
@@ -867,11 +867,11 @@ cdef extern from "<algorithm>" namespace "std" nogil:
                         bint (*)(SpanC, SpanC))
 
 
-cdef bint len_start_cmp(SpanC a, SpanC b) nogil:
+cdef bint len_start_cmp(SpanC a, SpanC b) noexcept nogil:
     if a.end - a.start == b.end - b.start:
         return b.start < a.start
     return a.end - a.start < b.end - b.start
 
 
-cdef bint start_cmp(SpanC a, SpanC b) nogil:
+cdef bint start_cmp(SpanC a, SpanC b) noexcept nogil:
     return a.start < b.start
diff --git a/spacy/tokens/doc.pxd b/spacy/tokens/doc.pxd
index d9719609c..454166056 100644
--- a/spacy/tokens/doc.pxd
+++ b/spacy/tokens/doc.pxd
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ from ..typedefs cimport attr_t
 from ..vocab cimport Vocab
 
 
-cdef attr_t get_token_attr(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) nogil
-cdef attr_t get_token_attr_for_matcher(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) nogil
+cdef attr_t get_token_attr(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) noexcept nogil
+cdef attr_t get_token_attr_for_matcher(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) noexcept nogil
 
 
 ctypedef const LexemeC* const_Lexeme_ptr
diff --git a/spacy/tokens/doc.pyx b/spacy/tokens/doc.pyx
index 4d6249569..0a90a67d1 100644
--- a/spacy/tokens/doc.pyx
+++ b/spacy/tokens/doc.pyx
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ cdef int bounds_check(int i, int length, int padding) except -1:
         raise IndexError(Errors.E026.format(i=i, length=length))
 
 
-cdef attr_t get_token_attr(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) nogil:
+cdef attr_t get_token_attr(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) noexcept nogil:
     if feat_name == LEMMA:
         return token.lemma
     elif feat_name == NORM:
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ cdef attr_t get_token_attr(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) nogil:
         return Lexeme.get_struct_attr(token.lex, feat_name)
 
 
-cdef attr_t get_token_attr_for_matcher(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) nogil:
+cdef attr_t get_token_attr_for_matcher(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) noexcept nogil:
     if feat_name == SENT_START:
         if token.sent_start == 1:
             return True
diff --git a/spacy/tokens/token.pxd b/spacy/tokens/token.pxd
index f4e4611df..3252fcdeb 100644
--- a/spacy/tokens/token.pxd
+++ b/spacy/tokens/token.pxd
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ cdef class Token:
     cpdef bint check_flag(self, attr_id_t flag_id) except -1
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef inline attr_t get_struct_attr(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) nogil:
+    cdef inline attr_t get_struct_attr(const TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name) noexcept nogil:
         if feat_name < (sizeof(flags_t) * 8):
             return Lexeme.c_check_flag(token.lex, feat_name)
         elif feat_name == LEMMA:
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ cdef class Token:
 
     @staticmethod
     cdef inline attr_t set_struct_attr(TokenC* token, attr_id_t feat_name,
-                                       attr_t value) nogil:
+                                       attr_t value) noexcept nogil:
         if feat_name == LEMMA:
             token.lemma = value
         elif feat_name == NORM:
@@ -99,9 +99,9 @@ cdef class Token:
             token.sent_start = value
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef inline int missing_dep(const TokenC* token) nogil:
+    cdef inline int missing_dep(const TokenC* token) noexcept nogil:
         return token.dep == MISSING_DEP
 
     @staticmethod
-    cdef inline int missing_head(const TokenC* token) nogil:
+    cdef inline int missing_head(const TokenC* token) noexcept nogil:
         return Token.missing_dep(token)