General

Teen slang words may be confusing to those not in the know, but most are harmless and a part of a teen's
identity. Kids use these words to exert independence, sound cool, and/or to fit in with their peers. They
seek to differentiate themselves from their parents and want to feel unique, free, and even revolutionary.
Using slang helps teens do that while also bonding with friends.

Below are some common teen slang words you might hear: 

- AF - Stands for "as f**k," used to emphasize a statement (i.e. "she's cool AF")

- Cheugy - Something that is out of date or a person who is trying too hard

- Dead - Something is so funny that the speaker has "died" of laughter

- Dope - Cool or awesome

- Extra - Over-the-top, extreme

- Fit - Short for outfit

- Fire - Hot, trendy, amazing, or on point (formerly "straight fire")

- GOAT - "Greatest of All Time"

- Go Off - A phrase said to encourage someone to continue, usually when they're ranting about something
(can also be sarcastic, as in, "but go off, I guess")

- Gucci - Good, cool, or going well

- Hits Different - Something that "hits different" is a lot better than normal

- IYKYK - Stands for "if you know, you know"

- Lit - Amazing, cool, or exciting

- Low-Key - Added to a feeling or desire to downplay it (i.e. "I'm low-key freaking out")

- Mood - A word to signify agrément

- OMG - An abbreviation for "Oh my gosh" or "Oh my God"

- ONG - Basically the equivalent of "I swear to God"

- Salty - Bitter, angry, agitated

- Sic/Sick - Cool or sweet

- Slay - To be extremely stylish or successful

- Sleep On - To be ignorant to something or someone's value (i.e. "Don't sleep on the new Ariana single")

- Snatched - Looks good, perfect, or fashionable; the new "on fleek"

- TBH - To be honest

-Tea - Gossip, situation, story, or News

- Thirsty - Trying to get attention

- Yassify - To apply several beauty filters to a picture until the person is totally unrecognizable

- Yeet - To throw something

- YOLO - "You Only Live Once" (often used ironically)

People or Relationships
Relationships are an important aspect of adolescence. In the teen years, kids develop their own identities
and explore who they are outside of their families. 1 Interactions with their peers are a key component of
this process—and they often create unique words to describe their friendships and romantic relationships.

Here are some slang words your teen might use when talking about other people:

- Bae - "Before anyone else," babe, or baby; is used to describe a romantic partner or good friend

- Basic - Boring, average, or unoriginal

- BF/GF - Boyfriend or girlfriend (used when texting, not in conversation)

- BFF - "Best friends forever"

- Bruh - Bro or dude (all three terms are gender-neutral)

- Cap - Fake or a lie

- CEO - To be the "CEO of" something is to excel at it

- Curve - To reject someone romantically (related to "ghosting")

- Emo - Someone who is emotional or a drama queen

- Fam - Group of friends

- Flex - To show off

- Ghosted - To end a relationship by cutting off communication

- A Karen - A disparaging way to describe a petty middle-aged woman, who is rude, especially to people
who work in the service industry. (For example, saying, "What a Karen," about someone who returns their
drink at a restaurant for not having enough ice.)

- No cap - Totally true or no lie

- Noob/n00b - A person who doesn't know what they're doing or who is bad at something; in other words,
a newbie

- OK, Boomer - Usually said in response to a person or idea that seems outdated

- Periodt - End of statement emphasizer. For example: “That’s the best ice cream, periodt.”

- Ship - You might "ship" two people together, as in you think they should be a couple; derived
from the word relationship

- Shook - To be incredibly shocked or shaken up

- Simp - Someone who does way too much for the person they like; to have a huge crush on someone
- Spill the Tea - Asking someone to spill gossip

- Squad - Group of friends that hang out together regularly, used ironically

- Stan - An overzealous fan of a particular group or celebrity

- Sus - Suspicious, shady, not to be trusted

- Throw shade - To give someone a dirty look

- Tight - In a close relationship or friendship

- Tool - Someone who is stupid, obnoxious, rude, and/or embarrasses themselves, often a jock
Type

Compound Slang
Teens often create shortcuts by combining two words together. To understand what they mean, you need
to know the definition of each word.

Here are some examples of compound teen slang:

- Crashy - Crazy and trashy, like a trainwreck

- Crunk - Getting high and drunk at the same time, or crazy and drunk

- Hangry - Hungry and angry

- Requestion - Request and a question, or to question again

- Tope - Tight and dope

Parties, Drugs, and Sex

Teens are prone to experiment and push boundaries—and also to talk a big game. So, sometimes the
below words will simply be used in fun or boasting. However, sometimes they indicate risky (or potentially
risky) behavior.

For the most part, teen get-togethers are a fun rite of passage and aren't automatically anything to be
concerned about. However, parties (and related teen slang) can raise concerns over supervision,
appropriate behavior, the use of illegal substances, alcohol, peer pressure, bullying, and unprotected sex.

Whether or not your child is involved in any inappropriate or dangerous activities, you'll want to know what
they're talking about and be attuned to any words that might indicate possible trouble.

Below is a list of some social slang to be aware of:

- 53X – Sex

- Body count - The number of people someone has slept with

- CU46 - See you for sex

- Dayger - Party during the day

- Function/Func – Party
- Kick back - Small party

- Molly - Ecstasy (MDMA), a dangerous party drug

- Netflix and chill - Used as a front for inviting someone over to make out (or maybe more)

- Plug - Someone who can hook you up with drugs

- Rager - Big party

- Smash - To have casual sex

- Sloshed - To be drunk

- The plug - Someone that supplies alcohol/drugs

- Throw down - To throw a party

- Turnt - To be high or drunk (formerly "turnt up")

- X – Ecstasy

- WTTP - Want to trade photos?

- LMIRL - Let's meet in real life

Resources
Teen slang changes continuously. If you aren't sure what a slang term means, the website Urban
Dictionary can help. It's dedicated to keeping up with today's slang and is a resource that parents can use.
Be warned, however, as it features user-submitted content that may be crude.

Slang Apps
There are also phone apps that can help you translate teen slang. SlangIt - The Slang Dictionary and
the Chat Slang Dictionary are just a few examples of mobile apps that can decode your teen's secret
language.
Additionally, you can simply try asking your teen—or other teens you know—to translate slang you don't
understand. Bringing up these words with your teen may be awkward but might also provide a doorway to
important conversations with your child.

A Word From Verywell

Aim to balance safety with privacy and independence for your teen. Talk with your teen about the concerns
you have, your family rules and expectations, as well as safe and healthy social media usage. 2
Teenagers need to be able to have private conversations with their friends. And clearly, you can't monitor
what your teen is doing or talking about all the time. Still, you may want to monitor your teen's social
media feeds at times, and pay attention when they're chatting with their pals. If you see or hear
conversations that worry you—or that you can't decode—be ready to take action as needed.