Oh, word?
The top ten slang terms of the year have been revealed — are you prepared to feel old?
The Google search-based findings, gathered by Unscramblerer.com, reference notorious memes from 2024 — alongside lots of other terminology that will mostly sound like gibberish to non-Gen Alpha and Gen Z readers.
“The English language is ever changing. Every year new slang words are created. Many slang words are born through trending topics and viral videos on social media,” a representative for the online word game said.
Simply put, if you’ve finally figured out the meaning of the term “rizz,” abandon hope — it’s not even in the newly released top ten.
Here are the terms that helped to change the language this year.
10. Preen
A slang term for a child that acts or wears clothes like a teenager. It was searched 20,000 times.
9. Oeuvre
This French-based word, searched 25,000 times, refers to the repertoire of a musician, artist, or writer.
8. Katz
Sadly not a reference to the iconic Lower East Side deli, the word, searched 34,000 times, now means anything fun or entertaining.
7. Sen
A slang term for self — searched 50,000 times.
6. Schmaltz
Here’s a word older types will know — and it’s making a comeback among the young. For those who don’t know, it’s a Yiddish term referring to anything highly melodramatic or sentimental. It was searched 65,000 times.
5. Sobriquet
Gen Z thinks they’re so fancy. This other French term, which was searched 105,000 times, refers to a nickname or descriptive title of a person or thing.
4. Hawk Tuah
Search on that thang — 180,000 times. Hawk Tuah is the phonetic sound that online sensation Hailey Welch, forever now known as the Hawk Tuah Girl, made on camera when describing a sex act during a man-on-the-street interview.
3. Skibidi
Gen Alpha blows their lids by watching YouTube videos about a race of “Skibidi” human-toilet hybrids taking over the world.
The phase Skibidi — which became a popular Halloween costume — was searched 205,000 times.
2. Sigma
It may be all Greek to you, but sigma has more meaning nowadays. It refers to a lone wolf who doesn’t subscribe to traditional social roles and was searched 220,000 times.
1. Demure
Be extra mindful of this one. The modest meaning word became a worldwide hit on TikTok and led to a fashion trend of ladies dressing “very cutesy” yet gracefully reserved. It was searched 260,000 times.
