Parents, Here's the 2025 Teen Slang You Need to Know

Teens in each generation develop a unique set of slang words of their own. After all, language is something people use in order to communicate, but also to show that we belong.

Over the years, parents have heard terms ranging from "outta sight" and "phat," to things like "sick" and "gag me with a spoon." Every decade has been marked by its special phrases, but there's more to these words than just their direct meaning. Language has history, and the current teen "slang" phrases of Gen Z and Gen Alpha in 2025 are no different.

Why Kids Use Slang

Trying to figure out what teens are saying is increasingly challenging, as the explosion of social media, memes, digital communication, and the ever-present cell phone means teen slang is evolving faster than ever. Once you think you've mastered a few slang words, you're probably already out of touch again.

Of course, slang isn't unique to teenagers—humans of all ages gravitate toward language that allows them to feel part of a group. But as teens are developing their identities and trying to figure out who they are, the tendency to lean into "slang" words might feel stronger.

It's important to keep in mind that many phrases you hear from your teens have origins in Black culture, as well as Black queer culture. Lots of popular terms that have become mainstream, including "slay," "extra," "period," "cap," and more, are derived from African American Vernacular English (AAVE).

To categorize these words as solely Gen Z or Gen Alpha slang would be to misrepresent their history, and would also over-simplify the way in which language evolves and grows. These words aren't created by today's teens, but they have become embedded in youth culture all the same.

With that in mind, here are some slang words you might be hearing your teen saying around the house—and what they mean.

General Slang

Below are some common words you might hear: 

• AF - Stands for "as f**k," used to emphasize a statement (i.e. "she's cool AF")
• Ate - To succeed at something. "She ate..." as in "ate that up"
• Brat Summer - A reference to Charli XCX's 2024 album Brat, and generally refers to an aesthetic of partying and being effortlessly cool
• Bussin' - Extremely cool or awesome
• Cap - Something that is not true or a lie
• Canon Event - Refers to a pivotal moment in someone's life
• Cheugy - Something that is out of date or a person who is trying too hard
• Cringe - Word to describe embarrassing or awkward behavior
• Cursed - To describe something unsettling or extremely weird
• Dead - Something is so funny that the speaker has "died" of laughter
• Do it for the Plot - A phrase of encouragement, telling yourself or a friend to go for it
• Dope - Cool or awesome
• Extra - Over-the-top, extreme
• Fit - Short for outfit
• Fire - Hot, trendy, amazing, or on point (formerly "straight fire")
• GOAT - "Greatest of All Time"
• Go Off - A phrase said to encourage someone to continue, usually when they're ranting about something (can also be sarcastic, as in, "but go off, I guess")
• Gucci - Good, cool, or going well
• Hits Different - Something that "hits different" lands differently than usual
• IRL - In real life, as opposed to online
• IYKYK - Stands for "if you know, you know"
• Lit - Amazing, cool, or exciting
• Low-Key - Added to a feeling or desire to downplay it (i.e. "I'm low-key freaking out")
• Mood - A word to signify agreement or a specific vibe
• OMG - An abbreviation for "Oh my gosh" or "Oh my God"
• ONG - Basically the equivalent of "I swear to God"
• Preppy - High end and stylish, connoting wealth. Can also go negative, as in conformist, with "Preppy Nation"
• Rizz - Short for charisma. Someone who's charming, or has "game"
• Salty - Bitter, angry, agitated
• Sic/Sick - Cool or sweet
• Sigma - A male who is popular, but is also a loner who separates himself from the crowd
• Slay - To be extremely stylish or successful
• Sleep On - To be ignorant to something or someone's value (i.e. "Don't sleep on the new Ariana single")
• Snatched - Looks good, perfect, or fashionable; the new "on fleek"
  
• TBH - To be honest
• Tea - Gossip, situation, story, or news
• Thirsty - Trying to get attention
• Vanilla - Boring/Beige
• Yassify - A dramatic makeover, or to apply several beauty filters to a picture until the person is totally unrecognizable
• Yeet - To throw something in anger
• YOLO - "You Only Live Once" (often used ironically)

People or Relationships

Relationships are an important aspect of adolescence, and thus, a crucial category of teen slang.

In the teen years, kids develop their own identities and explore who they are outside of their families. Interactions with their peers are a key component of this process—and they often create unique words to describe their friendships and romantic relationships.

Here are some slang words your teen might use when talking about other people:

• Bae - "Before anyone else," babe, or baby; is used to describe a romantic partner or good friend
• Basic - Boring, average, or unoriginal
• Beige Flag - A quirky characteristic about someone
• BF/GF - Boyfriend/girlfriend
• BFF - "Best friends forever"
• Big Yikes - Extra cringe
• Bruh - Bro or dude (all three terms are gender-neutral)
• Cap - Fake or a lie
• CEO - To be the "CEO of" something is to excel at it
• Curve - To reject someone romantically (related to "ghosting")
• Drip - Having great style
• Emo - Someone who is emotional or a drama queen
• Fam - Group of friends
• Flex - To show off
• Ghosted - To end a relationship by cutting off communication
• It's giving - a comparison "It's giving 80s vibes..."
• A Karen - A disparaging way to describe a petty middle-aged woman, who is rude and entitled. (For example, saying, "What a Karen," about someone who returns their drink at a restaurant for not having enough ice)
• No cap - Totally true or no lie
• Noob/n00b - A person who doesn't know what they're doing or who is bad at something; in other words, a newbie
• OK, Boomer - Usually said in response to a person or idea that seems outdated
• Periodt - End of statement emphasizer. For example: “That’s the best ice cream, periodt.”
• Pop Off - To react angrily
• Ratio'd - From social media, more negative feedback than positive
• Serving - Looking good
  
• Ship - You might "ship" two people together, as in you think they should be a couple; derived from the word relationship
• Shook - To be incredibly shocked or shaken up
• Simp - Someone who does way too much for the person they like; to have a huge crush on someone
• Spill the Tea - Asking someone to spill gossip
• Squad - Group of friends that hang out together regularly, used ironically
• Stan - An overzealous fan of a particular group or celebrity
• Sus - Suspicious, shady, not to be trusted
• Throw shade - To disrespect or trash-talk someone
• Tight - In a close relationship or friendship
• Tool - Someone who is stupid, obnoxious, rude, and/or embarrasses themselves, often a jock type

Compound Slang

New slang words are sometimes created by combining two other words together. To understand what they mean, you need to know the definition of each word.

Here are some examples of compound teen slang:

• Crashy - Crazy and trashy, like a trainwreck
• Crunk - Getting high and drunk at the same time, or crazy and drunk
• Hangry - Hungry and angry
• Requestion - Request and a question, or to question again
• Tope - Tight and dope

Parties, Drugs, and Sex Slang Words

Teens are prone to experiment and push boundaries—and also to talk a big game. So, sometimes slang words will simply be used in fun or boasting. However, sometimes they may indicate risky (or potentially risky) behavior.

For the most part, teen get-togethers are a fun rite of passage and aren't automatically anything to be concerned about. However, parties (and related teen slang) can raise concerns over supervision, appropriate behavior, the use of illegal substances, alcohol, peer pressure, bullying, and unprotected sex.

Whether or not your child is involved in any inappropriate or dangerous activities, you'll want to know what they're talking about and be attuned to any words that might indicate possible trouble. Below is a list of some social slang words to be aware of:

• 53X - Sex
• Body count - The number of people someone has slept with
• CU46 - See you for sex
• Dayger - Party during the day
• Function/Func - Party
• Gyat - Big butt, as "Girl, your *ss thick" or the reaction, "goddamn"
• Kick back - Small party
• Molly - Ecstasy (MDMA), a dangerous party drug
• Netflix and chill - Used as a front for inviting someone over to make out (or maybe more)
• Plug - Someone who can hook you up with drugs
• Rager - Big party
• Smash - To have casual sex
• Sloshed - To be drunk
• Trap phone - AKA a burner phone. Basically an older-style smartphone that kids might hide or sell to one another.
• Throw down - To throw a party
• Turnt - To be high or drunk (formerly "turnt up")
• X - Ecstasy
• WTTP - Want to trade photos?
• LMIRL - Let's meet in real life