Has your 2024 been katz or have you been plagued by too many skibidi videos? Are you too sigma to care if your preen thinks you're demure? Did any of that make sense to you?
They are just a few of the terms made popular online that make up a list of the most searched for slang words in the U.S. this year, according to an analysis by Unscramblerer.com.
Newsweek has rounded up the most popular from Unscramblerer's list and put the definitions into a quiz, so you can test how up to speed you are with the latest viral slang.
What are Internet Slang Words?
Internet slang words can be entirely new made-up words or words that have been in common parlance for years but have taken on a new meaning online.
For example, "slay" had been used in the English language for centuries, meaning to kill a person or an animal in a violent way, before it was co-opted by Millennials and Gen-Z as a positive term, meaning to be impressive, stylish or successful.
Slang words can be a tell as to which generation you belong to. Examples of Gen Z slang include "yeet," "frfrfr" and "rizz," while Millennials have long used words like "legit," "basic," "bae" and "shook."
Gen Z slang in particular is having a pronounced impact on the lexicon. The word "brat," the name of Charli XCX's sixth studio album has now been named the Collins English Dictionary 2024 Word of The Year. It's defined in the dictionary as "Characterized by a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude."
The Study
Unscramblerer's study analyzed search data from Google Trends from January to October, related to different slang terms.
What are the most popular slang words?
The top ten most searched for slang words in America are:
- Demure – 260,000 searches
- Sigma – 220,000 searches
- Skibidi – 205,000 searches
- Hawk tuah – 180,000 searches
- Sobriquet – 105,000 searches
- Shmaltz – 65,000 searches
- Sen – 50,000 searches
- Katz – 34,000 searches
- Oeuvre – 25,000 searches
- Preen – 20,000 searches
Now you know the words, but do you know what they mean? Take our quiz below to find out if you know your sigma from your skibidi.
If you can't see the interactive quiz, the questions are listed below, and the answers are at the bottom of the article.
| 1. What does Demure mean? | a) To cut off a conversation abruptly, usually when someone overshares b) The act of subtly boosting one's own image on social media without being too overt c) To be considerate, kind and mindful with one's appearance and actions |
| 2. What does Sigma mean? | a) An independent, self-reliant person who exists outside of traditional social hierarchies b) A solo traveler who explores places off the beaten path c) The ultimate multitasker who excels at work and personal projects simultaneously |
| 3. What does Skibidi mean? | a) An online trend involving skipping meetings or obligations last minute b) An internet trend that features surreal, animated videos, used for nonsensical conversations and viral videos c) An internet trend of celebratory dance videos on TikTok move that involves waving one's hands like skis |
| 4. What does Hawk Tuah mean? | a) A show of dominance, like an intense stare or stance, made popular through a reality TV show b) An oral sex tip imitative of a spitting sound, made popular in a viral TikTok c) A term referring to a particularly risky bet or gamble made popular in a rap song |
| 5. What does Sobriquet mean? | a) A generic term for nickname or descriptive name b) A colloquial term for a skincare routine c) A term for a social gathering |
| 6. What does Schmaltz mean? | a) Excessive charisma or charm b) Excessive sentimentality or melodrama c) Excessive volume or energy |
| 7. What does Sen mean? | a) A term used to refer to your significant other b) A term used to refer to your sibling c) A term used to refer to yourself |
| What does Katz mean? | a) Something enjoyable, fun, pleasing and positive, can mean 'yes' b) Something boring, not enjoyable and negative, can mean 'no' c) Something you are ambivalent to, of average entertainment, fine but not unpleasant, can mean 'maybe' |
| 8. What does Oeuvre mean? | a) The complete works produced by an artist b) A large outdoor nature area c) The signature thing someone is known for creating |
| 9. What does Preen mean? | a) A child who tries to act like a teenager b) A teenager who tries to act like a child c) An adult who tries to act like a teenager |
How Does Social Media Create Trends Out of Words?
"Once authentic conversations and personal interactions began to feature on the internet and in messaging and on microblogging platforms, language novelties, slang and faddish usages crossed over from a private realm into the global public domain," Tony Thorne, Director of the Slang and New Language Archive at King's College London, told Newsweek in an email.
"The latest slang and new language was visible, audible and immediately available to share," he said. "Obscure or exotic terms might quickly catch on and become viral favorites, spreading in some cases across the anglosphere more rapidly than print, broadcast or word-of-mouth transmission had ever been to achieve in the past."
"The use of this language as an identity marker in an intensely competitive digital ecosystem means that the Gen Alpha cohort now ridicule Gen Z usages as being out-of date, while Gen Z is still deriding millennials for their old-fashioned 'cringe' vocabulary," Thorne explained.
How does internet culture redefine traditional words? "One of the latest features of online wordplay is the elevating of an older concept or cliche into a teasing provocation or pretense at new insights," Thorne said, listing the likes of "delulu" (slang for delusional) and "brat" as examples.
"The current rash of declarations of 'being privileged' - a new version of 'humblebragging' or 'virtue-signaling' - is another example," he said. "In parallel is the ironic celebration of the incoherence or absurdity of much online discourse and of low-quality 'slop' by embracing a culture of 'brainrot' - nonsense memes and vacuous, contagious content."
Thorne said that most of the innovation emanated from the U.S. "It will be interesting to see if other parts of the globe begin to play a part in the evolving online theatre of signs and behaviors, but this doesn't seem to have happened yet," he said.
Answers: 1C, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5A, 6B, 7C, 8A, 9A, 10A, 11A
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