What do these Gen Z slang words mean? 24 popular terms explained

(WSYR-TV) — If you’ve been on TikTok, Instagram or X, you might have come across the terms “Rizz,” “Coquette” and “Pookie” and thought, “What does that even mean?”

On TikTok, a favorite among US teens, it’s not hard to encounter the slang.

But which terms are people most confused by? Language education resource Anna Spanish recently dug through Google search data to find the most searched-for words.

The study found that “Pookie” is the most confusing Gen Z slang word, with 465,480 searches seeking its meaning.

“Though many languages exist, slang changes particularly fast. Every generation comes up with its own set of slang terms,” said Anna Latorra, founder of Anna Spanish. “Keeping up with the latest slang can be tough, however, [and even] more so with social media’s power to turn phrases into overnight sensations.”

Out of over 150 trending Gen Z slang words on Google, other top-searched terms are “Gyat” (264,500 searches), “Simp” (220,880), “Rizz” (201,000), and “NPC” (88,400).

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

Word	Urban Dictionary meaning	Search volume
Pookie	A nickname you call your best friend or someone you really love	465,480
Gyat	Short term for “g–damn”	264,500
Simp	It is when a man is overly submissive to a woman and gains nothing from it. Example: “Guys simp in her Instagram replies and she doesn’t even notice them.”	220,880
Rizz	“Rizz” comes from the word “charisma.” In southern Baltimore they’ve started shortening it, using “rizzma” (the noun replacing “charisma”) and to “rizz” (the action of showing charisma)	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. This person is usually a background character in your life that doesn’t have significant importance	88,400
Moots	Short for “mutuals.” It’s when you follow someone on social media and they follow you back	61,940
No cap/capping	The use of the phrase “no cap” is meant to convey authenticity and truth. Example: “No cap, ‘Barbie’ is the movie of the year.”	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. Example: “His cargo shorts gave me the ick.”	50,100
GRWM	A “GRWM” video is a vlog where you film everything that you do in your morning, night, ECT routine. Acronym for “Get Ready With Me.”	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. Enemies	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. Similar to “red flag” (a bad sign) and “green flag” (a good sign)	18,100
Sheesh	A word used as a substitute to “Daaaamn!”	10,160
OK Boomer	A slang term used as a response to someone from the Baby Boomer generation. Example: Boomer: “When I was your age I already owned a home.” Gen Z: “OK Boomer. Houses cost like $12,000 back then.”	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 something you don’t like, labeling it as average or poor quality. Example: “Personally, I thought ‘Barbie’ was mid.”	8,210