Decoding the Gen-Z English Slanguage
A look inside the jargon of the TikTok Generation
“Sheesh.” You’re probably some old head looking for a clear translation of what these Tik-Tok-Teenagers are trying to say. I get it, sometimes it sounds like a lot of nonsensical froth coming out of a Gen-Zer; well, that’s because it is. A good portion of our slang is internet-based irony at best, while some of it is used in daily conversation. Make no mistake, there are some of us epic Gen-Zers who use most of this slang unironically, but that is not all of us. Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat have been key proponents of these words. Anyways, E-Boys and E-Girls buckle up, because this finna be a ride, no cap. Let’s get it.
A is for “@ Me” (at me)
“At me” is an expression derived from the at sign as seen on social media and email addresses. When you “at” someone you are directing your message or words towards them. This would typically be used if someone indirectly “throws shade” or says something about another person publicly. Telling someone else to “at you”, means to be direct and name-drop them when they speak about you.
B is for Bet, Bop, Boujee, Bread, Bruh, Bussin’
Bet is an affirmative statement meaning good, great, that works, got it.
My Friend says, “I have just finished my exam and I am on my way.” I reply with, “Bet.”
Bop or interchangeably, a “banger,” is just a good song. “This new Billie Eilish song is a bop.”
Boujee means fancy, over the top, extravagant.
“This hotel room is boujee, it even has a hot tub in each room.”
Bread is not what Gen-Zers eat, but instead, it is our currency. Nevermind, that’s DogeCoin but it is what we call money!
“I work 40 hours this week, I'm about to get this bread.” or “I’m breaded-up right now, I can pay for your dinner.” or even “I’ll throw bread towards getting a new couch.”
Bruh Similar to bro, but we do not call people Bruh that often. It is used commonly as a reaction to something bad or crazy. For example, a Gen-Z drops their sandwich and it sticks to the ground, they would just look at it and say, “Bruh.”
Bruh Moment.
Bussin’ just means great, delicious, or awesome. Can be used for foods or even if something is fun. Made famous by TikTok.
“This potato salad is bussin’, no cap!”
C is for Cap, CEO, Clout
Cap means to lie, or on the contrary, “no cap” means you’re telling the truth.
“I’m not even capping, I just won the lottery.”
CEO is used as a nickname for someone who defines something well.
Example: If I am great at doing trickshots, someone might call me the CEO of trickshots.
Clout is a term for social status or fame.
“She’s constantly posting herself on Instagram, she is such a clout chaser.”
D is for Drip
Drip is just a really nice outfit someone is wearing.
“I’m wearing that streetwear drip right now.”
E is for E-boy and E-Girl, Extra
E-Boys and E-Girls are Gen-Zers who typically dress up in black, oversized clothes with a grunge aesthetic akin to that of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s emo or punk fashion. They were made popular by TikTok and a lot of people are hopping on the trend.
Extra is used when somebody or something is being over-the-top or doing more than everybody else wants them to do.
“This teacher is really giving us homework over break, he’s being extra right now.”
F is for F, Flex, Finna, Finesse
F is used as a reaction for when something really bad happens. Literally just the letter “F.”
Example: You: “My dog just died.” Your friend: “F.”
Flex is to show off. Someone may flex by posting pictures of their new car or their money.
Finna means going to, it is similar to the word gonna.
“I’m finna brush my teeth real quick.”
Finesse can mean to pull something off seamlessly, trick someone, or even steal.
“I just finessed 200 bucks for fixing my neighbor’s WiFi, all I had to do was turn it back on, it was the easiest 200 dollars I have ever made.”
G is for Gas, Ghost, Glow up
Gas is a term similar to lit or fire, used as a way to describe something great or cool.
“This new chicken sandwich is gas.”
Ghost means to vanish or disappear from somebody else, usually achieved by ignoring somebody with the intention of it being forever.
“My ex ghosted me, one day I just never heard or saw from her again.”
Glow Up is similar to growing up but you improve greatly whether in looks or in skill.
“Wow, I really looked like that before? Thank goodness for the glow-up.”
H is for Highkey, Hip, Hype
Highkey means that something is very clear and very present to everyone around
“Manny has 37 pairs of shoes, he is high-key rich.”
Hip is a response for when you agree with something or you are already aware of a subject.
“Did you see that Ryan Kerrigan was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles?” “I’m hip, I saw it already.”
J is for Jawn
Jawn is a term used to describe literally anything without actually saying its proper name.
“I’m gonna return that jawn to the store, it does not work.”
L is for L, Low Key
L is a negative slang-term directed at someone you dislike who has done something seen as a loss.
“Aaron Rodgers just took an L, the Packers will not trade him.”
Lowkey means something is not obvious or apparent to everybody.
“That photo is lowkey kind of tough, too bad nobody noticed it.”
M is for Mood
Mood is used for when something is relatable.
“That’s a mood.”
O is for OOF, OG, OTW
Oof is a popular saying for when something bad happens, Gen-Zers derive it from other Gen-Zers who adapted it from the hit video game Roblox. OOF!
OG means something is original or cool
“He’s my OG, we’ve been best friends for years.”
OTW is a popular acronym meaning “on the way.” Used for when you are heading towards somebody.
“Just finished my exam, I am otw.”
P is Period/Periodt
Period or Periodt is a response of agreement, someone says something you find relatable or true, you respond, “Periodt.”
S is for Sheesh, Sheesh, Shook, Slaps, Stan, Sus
Secure the Bag means to acquire money or whatever objective one is trying to achieve.
“I just secured the bag, my stimulus check came in.”
Sheesh is a catchphrase we use that was popularized by TikTok, its a loud screech sound Gen-Z makes when they see something crazy.
“Sheeeeeshhhh!”
Shook means something crazy just happened and you’re shocked.
“I’m shook”
Slaps is used when something tastes good or is awesome.
“This sandwich slaps!”
Stan is used to describe someone who is a super fan of something.
“She is such a Lizzo stan.”
Sus means something is suspicious, popularized by the hit 2020 video game, Among Us.
“Lock your doors, that person is very sus walking around like that!”
T is for Tea, Throwing Shade, Trolling, Tweaking
Tea means gossip.
“Spill the tea, I want to hear what happened.”
Throwing Shade is a subtle way of showing disdain for someone you don’t like.
“He threw shade towards her over Twitter.”
Trolling is an activity of messing or joking with somebody else at their expense for your entertainment.
“I just epicly trolled that guy with a prank call!”
Tweaking is a word used when somebody is over-reacting or freaking out.
“That Karen is tweaking right now because her food is ‘too cold.’”
W is for Whip
Whip just means car or even driving.
“I’ll whip over to your place.”
This is a fairly comprehensive list of the average Gen-Z wheelhouse of slang. It goes to show how versatile the English language is and that new words are constantly being added. Thanks to social media, a plethora of slang words are birthed each and every day.