What does 'no cap' mean? What does rizz mean? A guide to Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang
What are the kids even saying these days?
It can be difficult to keep track of all the new words Gen Z and Gen Alpha say on a consistent basis. Cap? Rizz? Sometimes it can feel like your child, teenager or even young adult are speaking a different language.
Boomers, Gen X and millennials have no fear because here is a compiled list of the most popular slang words used by Gen Z and Gen Alpha and their definitions according to Merriam-Webster, Urban Dictionary and other experts like middle school teachers. You won't feel old anymore after understanding this new and hip vocabulary.
The definitions of Gen Z slang
Aura: noun, the unquestionable confidence of a person.
Based: noun, a word used when you want to recognize someone for being themselves and not caring what others think.
Bet: noun, another meaning for "OK"
Bussin: adjective, Extremely good, excellent
Cap/No Cap: noun, a lie/an expression to show someone is not lying.
Cooked: adjective, describing something in a negative way.
Drip: noun, clothing or accessories that are fashionable
Gyat: noun, short for "god-damn" used to describe someone with a curvaceous figure
Ick: noun, a feeling of disgust at something unpleasant or offensive.
Let them cook: give them space to do something they are good at.
Lit: noun, used to describe when something is cool or exciting
Mid: noun, used to insult or degrade an opposing opinion, labeling it as average or poor quality.
NPC: noun, a non-playable character in a video game, referring to a person who is predictable and follows along.
Opps: noun, anyone in competition or against you, an enemy.
Red Flag: noun, someone's negative qualities
Rizz: noun, short for charisma, romantic appeal or charm
Tea: noun, the best kind of gossip, shared between friends.
Slaps: adverb, describing something to be excellent or amazing
Sus: adjective, giving the impression that something is questionable or dishonest, short for suspicious.
Other Gen Alpha terms
Other slang terms and phrases that are more commonly used by today's teenagers and children can be a little more complicated to understand.
Some of these words have very little meaning at all, and it can be difficult to trace their background.
Some teenagers use the word skibiddi in many contexts where no one definition fits the word, but Know Your Meme blog says it comes from a series of YouTube videos from 2023.
One middle school teacher Philip Lindsay, who even went on USA TODAY to describe some Gen Alpha terms, helped break down the term Sigma in a video on TikTok where he says the term is a way to describe a successful male. He says his students sometimes use the term to say when something is the best.
Other terms like mewing or mogging are used to describe the looks of a person. Lindsay says the essence of the word mog or mogging is to appear more superior to someone in a physical or ascetic way. Lindsay helps break down mewing, which is an actual exercise that is suppose to strengthen your jawline, but his students practice the act of mewing when asked question they do not want to answer a question
Then there's fanum tax which is a phrase that comes from a Twitch streamer that he uses before he snatches a portion of their food.
Who knows what new terms and phrases develop from memes and influencers in the future, but for now hopefully you can better understand your child or student when they try talking to you with all the new slang.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang terms explained from bussin to sus