Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock Language is constantly evolving, but when you get to be of a–let’s say parental–age, it sure feels like it starts evolving a lot faster than it used to. Add in the instantaneous speed and informational overload of online culture, and it becomes a whole lot to keep up with. It might even start to feel like you need a translator to be able to engage with your kid. And that’s exactly why Spokeo created a guide to current online and offline slang. That’s not to say you should try to deploy this slang too much if you’re over a certain age, but a little fluency definitely helps if you want to be part of the conversation–especially if you’re a parent. Gen Z Slang Some slang is a whole lot more online, and some of it is a whole lot more cutting-edge, but before diving into the deep end of current teenage slang phrases, let’s start with some of the more general slang you might hear from Gen Z nowadays. This is the part where we’re supposed to make a cute joke using Gen Z slang, but we’ll spare you and get to it. Here goes: Bae: from “baby,” significant other Basic: vanilla or boring, garden variety Bet: a form of “yes,” or a confirmation Cap: A lie, e.g. “no cap,” meaning “no lie” CEO: technically, this still means “Chief Executive Officer,” but in a teenage slang phrase like “[person] is the CEO of [thing],” it means that person is the boss or the master of something Cheugy: dated or uncool, especially in regard to millennial culture. e.g. “This article is cheugy” Cringe: weird or off-putting behavior, often refers to trying too hard Cook: the verb “to cook” means that someone is preparing something good. See also: “let them cook,” which translates to “hold on, let’s see what they’re going to do” Dead: a state of being used to exaggerate or emphasize a reaction, usually to something funny. e.g. “I’m dead”, simply “dead,” or some variation of
What are your kids saying on the internet: Your guide to current internet slang
