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As the world becomes increasingly connected through the internet and social media platforms, generational gaps become more evident. One platform, in particular, has left older generations scratching their heads – TikTok. With its own unique language and fast-paced trends, TikTok has introduced a whole new set of words and phrases that can leave many adults feeling out of touch.
To find the most confusing Gen Z word, a new study by language education website Anna Spanish analyzed Google data to find out which TikTok phrases are searched online for their meanings. Researchers compiled a list of over 150 trending slangs and ranked the top 24 with the most searches. They then analyzed the number of searches for each slang combined with terms like “Slang meaning”, “what does Slang mean”, “what does Slang stand for” and “Slang definition”.
‘Pookie’ turned out to be the most confusing Gen Z word with 465,480 searches seeking its meaning. On TikTok and other social media platforms, ‘pookie’ is often used as an affectionate nickname or term of endearment for a loved one, such as a romantic partner, friend, celebrity, or pet.
Some other words that made the list include ‘simp,’ ‘rizz,’ ‘ick,’ and ‘mid’ just to name a few. Here’s the full list of the most trending/confusing Gen-Z slang words and phrases along with their meanings and search volume:
- Pookie (465, 480) – A nickname which you call your best friend or someone you really love
- Gyat (264,500) – Short term for goddamn
- Simp (220,880) – It is when a male is overly submissive to a female and gains nothing from it
- Rizz (201,000) – Short for charisma. Another word for spitting game/how good you are with pulling and sustaining women
- Coquette (157,900) Coquette is mainly an aesthetic based on reclaiming girlhood and embracing a fun-loving, bubbly personality
- Preppy (102,250) – A preppy girl is a girl who wears the “preppy aesthetic” style, this includes wearing roller rabbit, love shack fancy, sassy shortcake, american eagle, etc.
- Yeet (95, 890) – To violenty throw an object that you deem to be worthless, inferior or just plain garbage
- NPC (88,400) – Short for non-playable character, it means the opposite of a main characters, usually a background character in your life that does not have a significant importance
- Moots (61,940) – Short for mutuals. It’s when you follow someone and they follow you back
- No cap/capping (56,420) – The use of the phrase “no cap” is meant to convey authenticity and truth
- Ick (50,100) – Something someone does that is an instant turn-off for you, making you instantly hate the idea of being with them romantically
- GRWM (49,550) – A GRWM video is a vlog where you film everything that you do in your morning, night, ETC routine
- Delulu (49,500) – A delusional fangirl/boy who believes they can/will end up with their favorite idol or celebrity and invest an unhealthy amount of time and energy into said idol
- Cheugy (42, 870) – The opposite of trendy
- Bussin (34,720) – What you would say if something was really good
- Opps (30,300) – Anyone in competition or against you
- Sus (22,570) – Giving the impression that something is questionable or dishonest, short for suspicious
- PFP (22,280) – Short for profile picture
- OOMF (22,200) – Short for “one of my followers”, usually used on X and TikTok to talk about one of your followers without mentioning their name
- Beige flag (18,100) – Something that’s neither good or bad but makes you pause for a minute when you notice it and then you continue on, something odd
- Sheesh (10,160) – A word used as a substitute to “Daaaaamn”
- OK Boomer (9,890) – A slang term used as a response to a statement made by a person from the baby boomer generation
- Heather (8,250) – When someone says you’re Heather, they mean that everybody can’t help but like you
- Mid (8,210) – Used to insult or degrade an opposing opinion, labeling it as average or poor quality
Anna Latorra, founder of Anna Spanish commented on the findings:
“Language is always on the move, adapting and evolving. It mirrors the shifts in our lives, our culture, our experiences, and the flow of time. Though many languages exist, slang changes particularly fast. Every generation comes up with its own set of slang terms. However, keeping up with the latest slang can be tough, more so with social media’s power to turn phrases into overnight sesnations. On the other hand, this is also good because signs of a healthy language include new words being created , words being borrowed from other languages and new meanings being given to existing words.”
How do you feel about these words/phrases? How many of them are familiar? Will you be adding them to your lingo? Let us know in the comments!