(WSYR-TV) — If you’ve been on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest or X, formally known as Twitter, you might have come across the terms Rizz, Coquette and Pookie and thought, “What does that even mean?”
These Gen Z slang words are leaving older generations confused about their meanings, so the language education website Anna Spanish released a new study to help.
The new study dug through Google data to discover that Pookie is the most confusing Gen Z slang word, with 465,480 searches seeking its meaning.
One platform that these slang words tend to circulate on is TikTok, which is an app that older generations don’t seem to understand as it has introduced a whole new set of words and phrases that can leave many adults feeling out of touch.
“Language is always on the move, adapting and evolving. It mirrors the shifts in our lives, our culture, our experiences, and the flow of time,” said Anna Latorra founder of Anna Spanish. “Though many languages exist, slang changes particularly fast. Every generation comes up with its own set of slang terms. However, keeping up with the latest slang can be tough, more so with social media’s power to turn phrases into overnight sensations.”
Out of all the popular Gen Z slang trending on Google, Coquette (157,900), Preppy (102,250), Yeet (95,890), NPC (88,400) and Moots (61,940) are the most confusing.
If you’re wondering what these terms mean, here’s a list of the most trending/confusing Gen-Z slang, along with their meanings from Urban Dictionary.
How to speak Gen Z: Slang words explained
| Slang | Urban Dictionary Meaning | Search Volume |
| Pookie | A nickname which you call your best friend or someone you really love | 465,480 |
| Gyat | Short term for goddamn | 264,500 |
| Simp | It is when a male is overly submissive to a female and gains nothing from it | 220,880 |
| Rizz | Rizz actually comes from the word charisma, where in southern Baltimore they’ve started to shorten it, to “rizzma” (the noun replacing charisma) and to “rizz” (the action of showing charisma), through Twitch live streamerKai Cenat’seditor, a resident of south Baltimore | 201,000 |
| Coquette | Coquette is mainly an aesthetic based on reclaiming girlhood and embracing a fun-loving, bubbly personality. | 157,900 |
| Preppy | A preppy girl is a girl who wears the “preppy aesthetic” style, this includes wearing Roller Rabbit, Love Shack Fancy, Sassy Shortcake, American Eagle, etc. | 102,250 |
| Yeet | To violently throw an object that you deem to be worthless, inferior or just plain garbage | 95,890 |
| NPC | Short for non-playable character, it means the opposite of a main character, usually a background character in your life that does not have a significant importance | 88,400 |
| Moots | Short for mutuals. It’s when you follow someone and they follow you back | 61,940 |
| No cap/capping | The use of the phrase “no cap” is meant to convey authenticity and truth | 56,420 |
| Ick | Something someone does that is an instant turn-off for you, making you instantly hate the idea of being with them romantically. | 50,100 |
| GRWM | A GRWM video is a vlog where you film everything that you do in your morning, night, ECT routine | 49,550 |
| Delulu | A delusional fan girl/boy who believes they can/will end up with their favourite idol or celebrity and invest an unhealthy amount of time and energy into said idol | 49,500 |
| Cheugy | The opposite of trendy | 42,870 |
| Bussin | What you would say if something was really good. | 34,720 |
| Opps | Anyone in competition or against you | 30,300 |
| Sus | Giving the impression that something is questionable or dishonest, short for suspicious. | 22,570 |
| PFP | Short for profile picture | 22,280 |
| OOMF | Short for “one of my followers”, usually used on X and TikTok to talk about one of your followers without mentioning their name | 22,200 |
| Beige flag | Something that’s neither good nor bad but makes you pause for a minute when you notice it and then you just continue on, something odd | 18,100 |
| Sheesh | A word used as a substitute to “Daaaaamn” | 10,160 |
| OK Boomer | A slang term used as a response to a statement made by a person from the baby boomer generation | 9,890 |
| Heather | When someone says that you’re Heather, they mean that everybody can’t help but like you. | 8,250 |
| Mid | Used to insult or degrade an opposing opinion, labeling it as average or poor quality. | 8,210 |
Methodology
Anna Spanish analyzed Google data to find out which TikTok phrases are searched online for their meanings. Researchers compiled a list of over 150 trending slang words and ranked the top 24 with the most searches.
They then analyzed the number of searches for each slang combined with terms like “Slang meaning”, “what does Slang mean”, “what does Slang stand for” and “Slang definition.”
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