Most parents these days are millennial, and we millennial are very much familiar with digital transitions. Cell phones enable us to send instant messages to people and communicate effectively. Today, people are more comfortable texting rather than making phone calls.
If your child is always texting, you need to be alert. They might be sexting or using false language with their peers. The lingo kids use these days is very different from what parents use in their teenage years. Most short slangs teens use are harmless, but some contain dark meanings.
If you’re a parent of teens, understanding the acronym they use in texting is very important for you.
Most Common Slang Terms Used By Teenagers
Here is a comprehensive dictionary for parents to understand the terms and acronyms used by their teens. Get familiar with these terms to take appropriate action when the time comes.
AF — as f**k
AFK — away from the keyboard, meaning the person is unavailable
And I oop — surprise, shock or embarrassment
And that’s on [something] — to show something is final and needs no further discussion
Anime – TV shows and movies inspired by Japanese animation
ASL — age/sex/location
Awks — short for awkward
Bae — before anyone else; a significant other or term of endearment (like babe)
Basic — used to describe someone or something mainstream or unoriginal
Bet — an affirmative reply: “Wanna hang out?” “Bet.”
BF/BFF — boyfriend / best friend forever
Bih — abbreviation of b*tch
Body count — number of people someone has slept with
Boujee — aspiring to have higher social status
Breadcrumbing — sending occasional flirtatious messages to someone without putting in much effort
Bruh — another way of saying bro; used to address someone
Bussin’ — when something is really good
Cake — another word for bottom
Cappin’ — lying
CEO of [something] — someone is the best at something
Cheugy — someone who is uncool or trying too hard to be trendy
Clout — a person’s follower count or influencer status
Code 9 — warning that parents are around
Cursed — something that is creepy or unsettling
Curve — to reject someone romantically
CU46 — see you for sex
Crashy — crazy
Cringe — someone or something that makes you feel awkward or embarrassed
Crunk — getting high and drunk at the same time
Daddy — a dominant (usually older) man who conveys a sense of power
Dayger — having a party during the day
DEAD — Something is so funny that the speaker has “died” of laughter
Ded — something really funny or outrageous
Dope — cool or awesome
Drip / Dripping — as in dripping with money, style or confidence
DTF — down to f**k, meaning someone is willing to have a short-term sexual relationship
E-boy / E-girl — young men and women who spend a lot of time online
Emo — someone emotional
Enby — short for non-binary
Extra — trying too hard, being over-dramatic
Facts — agreed
Fam — close friends
FBOI — f**k boy, a male looking for sex
Finsta — fake Instagram account (sometimes hidden from parents)
Fit — short for outfit
FOMO — fear of missing out
Fire — amazing or exciting
Flex — show off
Function/Func — party
FWB — friends with benefits
Gas — marijuana; or to describe something great
Ghosting — when someone ignores you for no apparent reason
Goals — something desirable that you want or aspire to
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”)
GTG — got to go
Gucci — fashionable or cool
Hangry — hungry and angry at the same time
Hentai — graphic anime pornography (Japanese cartoon characters having sex)
High key — intense and out in the open (the opposite of low key)
Hits different — when something is better than normal due to different circumstances
ILY — I love you
I’m dead — something that’s so funny you could die laughing
In my feels — a strong emotional reaction to something
IRL — in real life
ISO — in search of
IYKYK — if you know, you know (implying there’s an inside joke)
JK — just kidding
Juul — vape device that’s small and discreet
Karen — demanding or entitled woman
Kickback — small party
KMS — kill myself
KYS — kill yourself
Left on read — when someone has read but not replied to a message
Lit — exciting or excellent; can also mean being drunk
LMAO — laughing my ass off
LMIRL — let’s meet in real life
LMP — like my picture, like my post or like my profile
LOL — laughing out loud
Low key — have a low profile or keep something secret
Meal — someone who looks attractive and appealing
Mood — relatable feeling or situation
Molly — Ecstasy (MDMA), a very dangerous drug
Mutuals — people who follow and engage with each other on social media
Netflix and chill — euphemism for sexual activity
NGL — not going to lie
No cap — saying that someone isn’t lying
Noob / n00b — A person who doesn’t know what they’re doing or who is bad at something; in other words, a newbie
NP — no problem
NSA — no strings attached
Okurrr — ok, but with more sassiness
OFC — of course
Ok, boomer — calling out an idea that’s out of touch, like a parent who doesn’t know tiktok slang
OMFG — oh my f**king God
OMG — oh my God
ONG — meaning “ I swear to God”
Periodt (the t is silent) — conversation over, there’s no more to discuss
Plug — someone who can access hard-to-find items such as drugs
PMOYS — put me on your story or put me on your Snapchat
Rager — a big party
Requestion — request and question
ROTFLMAO — rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off
Salty — to be bitter or irritated about something
Same — I feel the same
SH — sh** happens
Shade — an expression of contempt for or disgust with someone
Ship — short for a romantic relationship
Shook — to be in shock
Sick/Sic — cool
Simp — someone who does way too much for the person they like
Sis — short for sister but can be used to address close friends
Skeet — to ejaculate
Slay — to be extremely stylish or successful
Sleep on — to be ignorant of something or someone’s value
Sloshed — to be drunk
Smash — to have sex
SMDH / SMH — shaking my damn head / shaking my head – meaning you don’t approve of something
Snack — an attractive person
Snapstreak — when friends message each other via Snapchat on consecutive days, creating a streak
Snatched — amazing, attractive or well styled
Spam — fake social media accounts or unwanted messages
Squad — a close group of friends
Stan — an excessively devoted fan
STFU — shut the f**k up
Sus — short for suspicious
Swoop — getting a ride from someone
TBH — to be honest
Tea / Spill the tea — gossip
TDTM — talk dirty to me
Thicc — attractive, full-figured body
Tight — in a close relationship
TF — the f**k, used to express disgust or disbelief
Thank you, next — when something useful has passed
Thirsty — need for approval or attention
Thot — that ho over there, often used instead of slut or whore
Throw down — to throw a party
Throw shade — criticize someone
Tool — someone who is stupid
Tope — tight and dope
Totes — totally
Trash — something that is bad or unacceptable
TT2T — too tired to talk
Turnt/Turnt up — excited, wild and crazy, often with the help of drugs or alcohol
V — very
Vibing — chilling and hanging out alone or with others, sometimes listening to music
VSCO girl — a style characterized by crop tops, scrunchies and white Vans, an avid user of the VSCO photo editing app
WAP — wet-ass p*ssy
Woke — politically or socially conscious
WTF — what the f**k?
WTTP — want to trade photos?
WYA — where (are) you at?
WYD — what (are) you doing?
X — Ecstasy
Yaaasss — a very definite yes
Yassify — to apply several beauty filters to a picture until the person is unrecognizable
Yeet — exclamation of excitement or approval, or to throw something very hard and fast
YK – you’re kidding
YOLO — an acronym for “you only live once.”
Zaddy — attractive, fashionably-dressed man
420 — marijuana
53X — sex
Staying vigilant is better than regretting. Cell phones have become a necessity, and taking access to mobile phones from kids is not a good idea. Instead, parents can monitor their text messages and make themselves aware of the text acronyms and slang kids use while texting. If you want 24/7 alerts of their SMS activity, you can use the PegSpy app and monitor the text messages your child sends or receives.
