Confused by the words kids are using today? You’re not the only one. It’s like they speak their own language and we’re struggling to keep up. Some words are definitely more popular than others, and a new report from Unscramblerer.com analyzes Google searches to find the top slang terms of the year.
These are the top slang terms that helped shape our language in 2024
- “Demure” - Number one with 260-thousand searches, it exploded in popularity on TikTok and inspired a fashion trend of women dressing “very cutesy,” but reserved. It was also Dictionary.com’s word of the year.
- “Sigma” - It’s not just a Greek letter anymore! Sigma now refers to something popular and cool, and a “lone wolf who doesn’t subscribe to traditional societal roles.” It racked up 220-thousand searches this year.
- “Skibidi” - Gen Alpha loves this one, which comes from YouTube videos about a race of “Skibidi” human-toilet hybrids taking over the world. It was searched 205-thousand times.
- “Hawk Tuah” - Made famous by Hailey Welch, now known as the Hawk Tuah Girl after making the phonetic sound on camera when describing a sex act in a man-on-the-street interview. It saw 180-thousand searches in 2024.
- “Sobriquet” - A French term for a nickname or descriptive title of someone or something, it had 105-thousand searches.
- “Schmaltz” - This one has been around for a while, but it’s making a comeback with the young people. It’s a Yiddidsh term that refers to “anything highly melodramatic or sentimental” and had 65-thousand searches this year.
- “Sen” - It’s a slang term for self and was searched 50-thousand times.
- “Katz” - Means anything fun or entertaining and had 34-thousand searches.
- “Oeuvre” - Another French-based word, this one “refers to the repertoire of a musician, artist or writer,” and was searched 25-thousand times.
- “Preen” - Slang for a kid that acts or wears clothes like a teenager, which was searched 20-thousand times.
Source: NY Post