Who doesn’t love a good bit of internet slang? Well, I say ‘internet’ but the words of the web have become so popular that we now incorporate them into everyday life, probably without realising. There may have been many occasions when you have heard someone use a phrase and have either A) had to ask them what it is and have them explain it multiple times until you finally understood it or B) not asked them what it means because it sounds like a really cool phrase that all the kids use and you would rather just save yourself the embarrassment. Well, you will have to do neither of those things any longer as I am on hand to help!
I am about to take you through the beginners guide to Internet slang and abbreviations. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that there are more than too many internetty words flying around at the moment for me to keep up with and there are some which I absolutely refuse to ever use, as just the thought of them makes me cringe or feel slightly uncomfortable, but here are all the definitions you need to be down with today's teens. I definitely didn't know what half of these meant myself…
Bae
Technically an alternative to 'babe' and used as a term of affection instead of words such as 'sweetie.' Sometimes stands or 'Before Anyone Else' and is often used in a jokey manner.
EG: A girl posts a selfie on Instagram with her boyfriend and captions it "chilling with the bae."
Goals
Used when referring to a certain thing or person which you admire and your goal is to have that thing or look like that person because you think they are attractive. Can technically be used in any context so here are a few examples:
EG: Leg goals if someone has nice legs, relationship goals if you think a couple are cute and you want a relationship like theirs, life goals if someone has been really successful, outfit goals if someones outfit is really nice, an so on.
On fleek / on point
I have grouped these two together as, from what I understand, they are pretty much the same thing. Used to describe something that is perfect and meet a person's standards.
EG: Outfit on point, eyebrows on fleek.
AF
An acronym that stands for 'As F**k* and can be used in a variety of ways.
EG: I am tired AF, that dinner was good AF, Harry Styles is hot AF, and so on.
IRL
Stands for 'In Real Life' and can be used in two ways. One, when talking on the Internet and referring to something in the real world or two, when differentiating between things. Just used whenever you would use the words 'in real life,' really.
EG: 1) I totally hate that guy IRL! 2) She doesn't live in New York IRL.
SMH
Also known as 'Shaking My Head' and is similar to 'facepalm.' Used to show disapproval or disappointment in something stupid someone has done.
EG: Person 1: "Totally just walked into a glass door because I thought it was open." Person 2: "SMH"
TBT / FBF
'Throwback Thursday' and 'Flashback Friday.' Posted with a hashtag (#TBT #FBF) usually on Instagram. People use these when they post an old photo, can be very old or not so old, either on a Thursday or a Friday.
EG: Teenager posts a photo of themselves at a party when they were in primary school with the caption '#TBT.'
IDK
Stands for 'I Don't Know.' This makes it very confusing when someone asks you in a text "what does IDK mean?" and your answer is "I don't know." See the problem? Can be used any time you would say 'I don't know!"
EG: "What time do you want to meet?" "IDK its up to you."
OTP
'One True Pairing,' refers to two people who you think work well together, usually in a romantic relationship. However, people tend to have more than ONE OTP.
EG: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are my OTP.
Shipping
When you believe that two people should be together either in a relationship or friendship, you 'ship' them. The relationship that you ship can be a real couple or two people who may have even never met yet you think they would be good together.
EG: I ship Larry Stylinson.
WCW
Means 'Woman Crush Wednesday' and occurs on Wednesdays when people post images of a female, celebrity or not, on social media who they are attracted to and have a crush on and believe to be worth celebrating.
EG: My WCW is Taylor Swift.
MCM
Similar to WCW but instead means 'Man Crush Monday' and is when people post about men who they crush on and believe are worth talking about, you guessed it, it's done on Mondays!
EG: My MCM is Zac Efron.
OOTD
'Outfit Of The Day' is used when people post a photo of the outfit they are wearing that day to show it off, simple really! OOTN also means 'Outfit Of The Night.'
EG: Someone posts a photo on Instragram with the caption '#OOTD.'
FOTD
Similar to OOTD but instead stands for 'Face Of The Day' and is when people post a close up photo of the make-up they are wearing to show off the products that are on their face that day.
EG: Someone Tweets a photo wearing make-up that they like and uses '#FOTD' in the Tweet.
IKR?
Stands for 'I Know Right' and is pretty self explanatory really! Just used instead of having to type out all three words.
EG: "OMG her dog is so cute!" "IKR?!"
IDC
Means 'I Don't Care' and, just like IDK, it can be difficult when someone asks you what it means in a text.
EG: "Wonder where she got her dress from?" "IDC."
Turnt
Not one I use myself but it is used when people are referring to a really good time when they were either drunk or just really hyped up.
EG: "The party was so turnt!"
Mom
One that I see constantly but refuse to use! From what I can gather, it is used as a weird form of compliment to other women and you call them 'Mom' when you think they are attractive and you clearly want them to be your Mother...
EG: Ashley Benson posts a photo on Instagram and people comment 'MOM!' followed by lots of heart eyes Emoji.
Doe
Basically just another way of saying 'though' and is used for emphasis or to draw someone's attention to something.
EG: Her hair doe!
Hella
More of an American term but one which is used by many people. Basically, it is just a substitute for 'really' or 'very.'
EG: "It is hella hot outside!"
Basic
One of my personal favourites. Used to describe any person, activity, item or place which are devoid of defining characteristics that might make them interesting or extraordinary.
EG: OMG Shannon only wears Ugg Boots and leggings, she's so basic.
Shade
Who doesn't love this one? This is basically a subtle insult which is delivered in a casual manner, not always directly to the person and, sometimes, the person it is about may not even realise that they are being insulted. You may also here the phrase “throwing shade”, which is the act of the underhanded insult being delivered.
EG: She just threw so much shade at me and thought I wouldn't realise.
YAS!
Pretty much just the same as 'YES!' but with a different vowel in the middle. Used to express high levels of approval and show excitement, usually drawn out for emphasis.
EG: OMG Beyonce's outfit! YAAASSSS!
Giving me life
Another fave. This is used to show that something excites you or impresses you greatly.
EG: The new Little Mix album gives me so much life!
Aesthetic
From what I can gather, it is used to describe something that someone finds visually pleasing or beautiful
EG: Harry Styles' long hair is my aesthetic.
Squad
Pretty self explanatory, a word used to describe your group of friends or clique. You may often hear the words 'squad goals' which is used to describe a group of friends which someone aspires to be like because they are either super cool or cute.
EG: Just chilling with the squad.
Dead
Describes a current state of amusement or infaturaion. Could describe when you are laughing so hard at something that it figuratively kills you or you find someone so attractive that you physically cannot cope with their beauty.
EG: OMG she is so gorgeous I'm dead, DEAD!
No chill
Not one I personally used, but describes when people have lost their ability to be calm or rational, can describe when someone is being reckless.
EG: OMG my Mum is yelling at me so loud she has no chill.
Or nah
Used when asking someone to either confirm or deny something.
EG: Are you going to finish that cake or nah?
FOMO
Stands for 'Fear Of Missing Out' and is used when you are scared that you will miss out on a great time if you don't got to an event or feel like someone is doing fun stuff without you.
EG: I have to go to that party, my FOMO is insane right now.
Lit
Another internet word I cannot stomach! 'Lit' describes someone who is severely intoxicated or high or can also describe something that was turned up or popping.
EG: That party was lit last night!
Fam
'Fam' describes someone who is close to you, who can be your actual family but usually describes your friends who are so close to you that you consider them to be like family.
EG: Hey fam! What's up?
Stan
Yet another one I cannot grasp but 'stan' refers to a hardcore fan. If you 'stan' someone, it also means you love them and are a die-hard fan.
EG: I stan Fifth Harmony so hard!
Slay
When someone is absolutely killing it at something or doing something really well, they are said to be 'slaying.'
EG: Selena Gomez's new music video slayed me!
I am not sure how qualified I am to have been writing this post considering I am totally not cool enough to use half of these words, but perhaps you learnt something anyways!
What Internet slang words do you use constantly? <3
Love, Emily :) xx
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