Slang Hub
Say what?
53 terms your teen uses, decoded: how to say it, what it means, and what to do about it.
53 terms
- Say it: six seven
6-7
Your teen just answered your completely reasonable question with 'six seven!' and laughed like they'd won. You didn't…
Read the briefing → - Say it: AL-fuh / BAY-tuh / SIG-muh
Alpha / beta / sigma
Your teen just called someone a 'beta' and thought it was the funniest thing ever said. It's a borrowed hierarchy: al…
Read the briefing → - Say it: OR-uh
Aura
Your teen just did something smooth and someone yelled 'plus a thousand aura.' Congratulations: you've witnessed the…
Read the briefing → - Say it: BAY-bee gronk
Baby Gronk
Your teen just dropped 'Baby Gronk' into a football conversation and you assumed it was a position. Nope: it's a kid.…
Read the briefing → - Say it: ball-uh-REE-nuh cap-oo-CHEE-nuh
Ballerina cappuccina
Your teen just said 'Ballerina cappuccina' like it's a real Italian phrase, and Google Translate would like you to kn…
Read the briefing → - Say it: bayzh flags
Beige flags
Your teen just called something you do a 'beige flag,' and you don't need to be offended. It comes from the flag syst…
Read the briefing → They'll have new ones by Friday. We'll explain those too.
Lowkey explains what’s new every week, free, in five minutes.
Bet
Your teen just replied to your text with a single word: 'bet.' They are not gambling. 'Bet' is the Swiss Army knife o…
Read the briefing →Bop
Your teen just said 'this song is a bop' and you're safe: that's the fun version, meaning catchy and good. But 'bop'…
Read the briefing →Boy math
Your teen just announced 'boy math' after someone made a spectacularly illogical decision. It's the counterpart to 'g…
Read the briefing →- Say it: BRAYN-rot
Brainrot
Your teen just described their feed as 'brainrot' with real affection, and no, it's not a diagnosis. Brainrot is the…
Read the briefing → - Say it: BUS-in
Bussin
Your teen just took one bite of dinner and declared it 'bussin.' Take the compliment: it means extremely good, especi…
Read the briefing → - Say it: cap / noh cap
Cap / no cap
Your teen just called someone's story "cap" and then tagged their own story with "no cap." Nobody's wearing hats: it'…
Read the briefing → - Say it: chopt
Chopped
Your teen saw a photo and said "chopped." That's not a cooking verdict: it's a roasting verdict. Chopped means bad-lo…
Read the briefing → - Say it: KRON-ik-lee on-LYNE
Chronically online
Your teen just said something is "chronically online" and you braced for a screen-time lecture. Relax: this one's usu…
Read the briefing → - Say it: cookt
Cooked
Your teen walked out of an exam and said "I'm cooked." Nobody needs to call an ambulance: they're done for, in the dr…
Read the briefing → Crashout
Your teen said they almost "crashed out" and you pictured an ambulance. It's not a medical event: it's a meltdown. Cr…
Read the briefing →- Say it: CUF-ing SEE-zun
Cuffing season
Your teen mentioned "cuffing season" and you thought it sounded like a crime drama. It's actually fall. Cuffing seaso…
Read the briefing → - Say it: duh-LOO-loo
Delulu
Your teen said they're being "delulu" about their crush and you considered calling a professional. Don't: it's a feat…
Read the briefing → - Say it: DOOM-skroh-ling
Doomscrolling
Your teen meant to check one headline and fell into the abyss. That's doomscrolling: scrolling through bad news, disa…
Read the briefing → Fanum tax
Your teen just swiped a fry off your plate and announced 'Fanum tax!' Congratulations: you've been taxed. The joke co…
Read the briefing →- Say it: FIN-stuh
Finsta
Your teen has a second Instagram account and you're wondering what they're hiding. Relax: sort of. A finsta ("fake In…
Read the briefing → - Say it: girl DIN-er
Girl dinner
Your teen called a plate of crackers, cheese, and pickles "girl dinner" and you wondered if you'd missed a parenting…
Read the briefing → Girl math
Your teen just explained that returning a sweater means she basically made money. Welcome to girl math: the joking ar…
Read the briefing →- Say it: glayz / GLAY-zing
Glaze / glazing
Your teen told someone to "stop glazing" and it sounded like a cake instruction. It's fandom slang for over-the-top p…
Read the briefing → - Say it: GOH-tid
GOATED
Your teen just called your lasagna goated. Before you start planning your cooking show, know this: goated doesn't mea…
Read the briefing → - Say it: gee ar double-yoo em; get ready with me
GRWM
Your teen just announced she's filming a GRWM. Translation: 'get ready with me.' It's the video format where someone…
Read the briefing → - Say it: gyat, rhymes with cat
Gyatt
Your teen just yelled 'GYATT!' at the screen. Deep breath. The word is a mangled, meme-ified version of 'goddamn': or…
Read the briefing → - Say it: ik
Ick
Your teen just announced she got 'the ick' from the guy she liked yesterday. Welcome to the most fragile emotion in t…
Read the briefing → - Say it: ih-TAL-yun BRAYN-rot
Italian brainrot
Your teen just showed you a shark wearing sneakers and said 'tung tung tung sahur.' You've entered Italian brainrot:…
Read the briefing → - Say it: left on dih-LIV-erd
Left on delivered
Your teen just sighed that they've been 'left on delivered since lunch.' Translation: the message got through, but no…
Read the briefing → - Say it: LIV-ee dun
Livvy Dunne
Your teen just dropped 'Livvy Dunne' into a sentence that wasn't about gymnastics. Livvy Dunne (Olivia Dunne) is a re…
Read the briefing → - Say it: lok in
Lock in
Your teen just declared they're about to 'lock in.' Nobody's touching a deadbolt. Locking in means focusing: getting…
Read the briefing → - Say it: LOOKS-mak-sing
Looksmaxxing
Your teen just said someone's 'looksmaxxing.' The -maxxing suffix means maximizing, so looksmaxxing is the project of…
Read the briefing → - Say it: MYOO-ing
Mewing
Your teen just traced their jawline, put a finger to their lips, and refused to talk. They're not being dramatic: the…
Read the briefing → Mid
Your teen just called the movie 'mid.' Translation: it wasn't bad, it wasn't good: it was aggressively fine. Mid is t…
Read the briefing →- Say it: mogd / MOG-ing
Mogged / mogging
Your teen just stood next to the good-looking friend in the group photo and said they got 'mogged.' Mogging is gettin…
Read the briefing → - Say it: en pee see
NPC
Your teen just called someone an NPC: a 'non-player character.' In video games, NPCs are the background extras: the s…
Read the briefing → - Say it: oh-HY-oh
Ohio
Your teen saw something deeply unhinged and said 'that's so Ohio.' No, they're not talking about Cleveland. 'Only in…
Read the briefing → - Say it: pair-uh-SOH-shul
Parasocial
Your teen just said they're 'parasocial' about a YouTuber. Translation: they've watched so many of this creator's vid…
Read the briefing → - Say it: FOH-toh dump
Photo dump
Your teen just posted a 'photo dump': a big carousel of random pics from the weekend. Don't be fooled by the name: no…
Read the briefing → - Say it: riz
Rizz
Your teen said someone has 'rizz': short for 'charisma.' They're talking about charm, the flirty kind specifically: m…
Read the briefing → - Say it: RIZ-ler
Rizzler
Your teen called someone 'the rizzler.' That's not a job title: it's a nickname for a person with allegedly legendary…
Read the briefing → - Say it: syde kwest
Side quest
Your teen went out for milk and texted 'side quest.' In video games, side quests are the optional adventures off the…
Read the briefing → - Say it: sit-yoo-AY-shun-ship
Situationship
Your teen just said they're in a 'situationship.' Welcome to the grayest zone of teen romance: more than friends, les…
Read the briefing → - Say it: SKIB-ih-dee
Skibidi
Your teen just called something 'skibidi' and you have no idea what happened. That's correct: nobody does. It's a non…
Read the briefing → Slay
Your teen just yelled 'slay!' at a photo of you and you are not, in fact, being murdered. Good news: it's a complimen…
Read the briefing →Stan
Your teen just said 'I stan her' and you pictured Eminem's unhinged fan from the 2000 song. Fair: that's exactly wher…
Read the briefing →- Say it: SUN-day SCARE-eez
Sunday scaries
Your teen was fine all weekend, then at 8 p.m. Sunday they look like they're about to be executed. Those are the Sund…
Read the briefing → - Say it: suss
Sus
Your teen just called something 'sus' and your brain auto-completed 'suspect.' Close enough: sus is short for suspici…
Read the briefing → - Say it: tuch grass
Touch grass
Your teen just told someone to 'go touch grass' and you imagined a lawn. You're basically right. Touch grass means lo…
Read the briefing → - Say it: trah-lah-LEH-roh trah-lah-LAH
Tralalero tralala
Your teen just chanted 'tralalero tralala' at the dinner table and you're wondering if that's real Italian. It's not:…
Read the briefing → - Say it: toong toong toong sah-HOOR
Tung tung tung sahur
Your teen is chanting 'tung tung tung sahur' and doing a dance you don't recognize. Deep breath: it's another brainro…
Read the briefing → - Say it: unk
Unc
Your teen just called you 'unc' and you are now old. It's short for 'uncle': the label for someone who acts older tha…
Read the briefing →
They'll have new ones by Friday. We'll explain those too.
Lowkey explains what’s new every week, free, in five minutes.