The glossary
Speak fluent internet
55 words you’ll see in the group chat, what they mean, and where they came from. A huge share of internet slang started in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and in Black and LGBTQ+ ballroom culture. Knowing that is part of being culturally intelligent.
55 terms
6-7
Nothing. Kids yell 'six seven' with a see-saw hand motion. That's the joke.
“What's 3 plus 4? …6-7!”
Origin: Skrilla's song 'Doot Doot (6 7)' and basketball edits. Dictionary.com's Word of the Year for 2025.
Ate (and left no crumbs)
Absolutely nailed it.
“Her Met Gala look? Ate and left no crumbs.”
Origin: Black and LGBTQ+ slang, made huge by stan Twitter.
Aura
Your coolness level, scored in points.
“Tripping on stage is minus 1,000 aura.”
Origin: TikTok and Gen Z slang, around 2024.
Aura farming
Doing something to look effortlessly cool.
“He's not reading that book, he's aura farming.”
Origin: Went viral in 2025 thanks to a kid dancing on a racing boat in Indonesia.
Bet
Okay, deal, I'm in.
“Pick you up at 8? Bet.”
Origin: AAVE.
Brain rot
Low-effort content that melts your brain, or the state of having watched too much of it.
“Three hours of Skibidi Toilet? That's brain rot.”
Origin: Oxford's Word of the Year for 2024.
Brat
Messy, confident and unbothered.
“It's brat summer, I'm not answering emails.”
Origin: Charli XCX's 2024 album Brat. Collins Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2024.
Bussin'
Really, really good. Usually about food.
“This jollof is bussin'.”
Origin: AAVE. Went mainstream on TikTok around 2020.
Cap
A lie, or lying.
“You saying you've read all seven books is cap.”
Origin: Black slang, spread through Atlanta rap. Often shown as the 🧢 emoji.
Chronically online
So online it warps your idea of what normal people care about.
“Only a chronically online person would be mad about that.”
Origin: Internet slang, early 2020s.
Crash out
To lose control and do something reckless because you're upset.
“Don't crash out over a group-chat argument.”
Origin: Black slang, huge online in 2024 and 2025.
Deadass
Seriously. For real.
“I'm deadass never eating there again.”
Origin: New York slang.
Delulu
Delusional, usually in a hopeful way.
“Delulu is the solulu.”
Origin: K-pop fandoms, for fans convinced they'll date their idol.
Demure
Modest and put-together. Usually said jokingly.
“I only cried a little at work. Very demure.”
Origin: Jools Lebron's 2024 'very demure, very mindful' TikToks. Dictionary.com's Word of the Year for 2024.
Drip
A stylish outfit.
“Check the drip.”
Origin: Rap slang.
Era
A phase of your life.
“I'm in my going-to-bed-early era.”
Origin: Pop-star album eras. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour made it universal.
Ether
To destroy someone in an argument or diss.
“He got ethered in the replies.”
Origin: Nas's 2001 diss track 'Ether', aimed at Jay-Z.
Fanum tax
Taking a bite of a friend's food.
“Hand over the fries, it's Fanum tax.”
Origin: Streamer Fanum, who steals bites of his friends' food on Kai Cenat's streams.
Finna
About to.
“I'm finna sleep.”
Origin: AAVE, from 'fixing to'.
Glazing
Over-praising someone.
“Stop glazing him, he's not that good.”
Origin: Internet slang, big around 2024.
GOAT / goated
Greatest of all time / really, really good.
“This burger is goated.”
Origin: Muhammad Ali called himself The Greatest. LL Cool J's 2000 album G.O.A.T. made the acronym a rap staple.
It's giving
It has the vibe of…
“This outfit is giving 2007 Paris Hilton.”
Origin: Black and LGBTQ+ ballroom slang.
Looksmaxxing
Trying to maximize how attractive you look.
“He's been looksmaxxing since summer.”
Origin: Online forums, then TikTok.
Lowkey / highkey
Quietly or secretly / openly and obviously.
“I lowkey want to leave early.”
Origin: AAVE.
Main character
Acting like you're the star of the movie.
“Walking in the rain with headphones in is main-character behavior.”
Origin: TikTok, around 2020.
Mid
Mediocre. Overhyped.
“Everyone loved the sequel but it was mid.”
Origin: Older slang that blew up online around 2021.
Mother
An icon who influenced everyone after her.
“Mother is releasing a new album.”
Origin: Ballroom culture, where 'house mothers' led the houses. Adopted by stan Twitter.
No cap
No lie. For real.
“That was the best show I've ever seen, no cap.”
Origin: Black slang, spread through Atlanta rap. 'Cap' means a lie.
NPC
Someone who acts like a background character with no original thoughts.
“Stop repeating whatever's trending, you sound like an NPC.”
Origin: Video games, where non-player characters repeat the same lines.
Ohio
Weird or cursed.
“A dog driving a car? Only in Ohio.”
Origin: A 2022 meme. It has nothing to do with the actual state.
Opp
An opponent or enemy.
“Don't tell him anything, he's the opp.”
Origin: Street and drill slang, especially Chicago.
Periodt
End of discussion. An extra-emphatic 'period'.
“Beyoncé is the greatest performer alive, periodt.”
Origin: Black Southern slang. The 't' is for emphasis.
Plug / tapped in
Someone who can get you something / being connected and in the know.
“He's the plug for concert tickets. Totally tapped in.”
Origin: AAVE. Also the name of this site.
Rage bait
Content made to make you angry so you engage with it.
“Don't quote it, it's rage bait.”
Origin: Oxford's Word of the Year for 2025.
Ratio
When a reply gets more likes than the original post, which means the post was bad.
“That take got ratioed in an hour.”
Origin: Twitter, mid-2010s.
Receipts
Proof, usually screenshots.
“Don't argue with her, she has receipts.”
Origin: Black slang that took over social media in the 2010s. See Taylor vs Kanye.
Red flag / green flag / beige flag
A warning sign / a good sign / a harmless but boring quirk.
“Beige flag: he only eats plain pasta.”
Origin: Dating TikTok. 'Beige flag' went viral in 2023.
Rent free
Something you can't stop thinking about.
“That song has been living in my head rent free.”
Origin: Internet slang.
Rizz
Charm, especially when flirting.
“He has unspoken rizz. He didn't even say anything.”
Origin: Short for charisma. Popularized by streamer Kai Cenat. Oxford's Word of the Year for 2023.
Say less
Got it, no need to explain.
“You need a ride? Say less.”
Origin: AAVE.
Shade
A subtle insult. 'Throwing shade.'
“Did she just throw shade at my shoes?”
Origin: Ballroom culture, famously explained in the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning.
Sigma
A 'lone wolf' type. Mostly used ironically.
“He ate lunch alone. Sigma behavior.”
Origin: Online self-help culture, then turned into a Gen Alpha joke.
Simp
Someone who does way too much for a crush.
“He drove three hours to bring her soup. Simp.”
Origin: Old slang revived online around 2019.
Situationship
More than friends, less than a relationship, and nobody's defined it.
“We're not dating, it's a situationship.”
Origin: Dating slang that took off in the late 2010s.
Skibidi
A nonsense word that can mean good, bad or nothing.
“That's so skibidi.”
Origin: The YouTube series Skibidi Toilet (2023).
Slay
To do something amazingly well.
“She slayed that presentation.”
Origin: Black LGBTQ+ ballroom culture.
Slop
Low-quality content, often AI-generated, flooding your feed.
“My For You page is all AI slop now.”
Origin: Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year for 2025.
Stan
A superfan, or to support someone hard.
“I stan a talented queen.”
Origin: Eminem's 2000 song 'Stan', about an obsessive fan.
Sus
Suspicious.
“You disappeared right when the cake went missing. Sus.”
Origin: Old slang, made everywhere by the game Among Us in 2020.
Tea
Gossip. 'Spill the tea' means share it.
“Okay, spill the tea. What happened at the party?”
Origin: Black drag culture, where 'T' meant truth.
The ick
A sudden turn-off you can't come back from.
“He ran after a bus and I got the ick.”
Origin: Popularized by the UK's Love Island around 2017.
Touch grass
Go outside. You're too online.
“You've been arguing about anime for six hours. Touch grass.”
Origin: Gaming and internet culture.
Unc
Someone acting old. Short for uncle.
“You still use Facebook? That's unc behavior.”
Origin: Black slang, everywhere online in 2025.
Understood the assignment
Nailed exactly what the moment needed.
“The bride's sister understood the assignment.”
Origin: Black Twitter, then everywhere around 2020.
W / L
A win / a loss.
“Free food at work? Massive W.”
Origin: Gaming and sports slang.