TikTok Slang 2022: A Complete Guide for Brands
How well do you know TikTok slang? Abbreviations, colloquialisms, and emojis are have a different meaning when it comes to this platform. It has a huge influence from Gen Z speak.
Let’s start with some stats:
- 63% of Gen Z use TikTok on a daily basis
- TikTok has 1 billion users and counting
- 50% of Americans admit to using slang without knowing what it means…we don’t want to be part of this statistic
Abbreviations:
- ASL – If you were around in the wild West of Myspace and messengers, ASL meant Age Sex Location. On TikTok, it’s a shortened TikTok phrase for “as hell”.
IB – Don’t forget to give credit where it’s due (or the comments will come after you. IB means “inspired by.” You will usually see a user tagged next to this abbreviation. - TfW – This means “That Feeling When.” It is often referring to a particular emotion that people find relatable.
- #xyzbca – No one fully knows what this abbreviation or set of letters is for. It is used in a similar way to #fyp and #foryou.
Descriptions/Names/Labels:
- CEO – On TikTok, CEO still means chief executive officer, but it’s said as a way to say someone is the absolute best at something.
- Cheugy – It’s a word that refers to people or objects that are out of touch, not trendy, or trying too hard.
- Mid – Basically it means something is mediocre.
- Cap / No Cap – “Cap” means “lie”. So “no cap” means “no lie.”
- Slay – To “slay” means you’re killing it. It’s used as a term of encouragement and is particularly prevalent among the Drag community.
- Yeet – This was originally meant throwing something at high speed. On TikTok, it’s become a new word for “Yay!”
Emojis:
- ✨ _ ✨ – Used to emphasise a word or phrase. It’s often done in a slight tongue in cheek humorous way.
- 💀/⚰️ – Gen Z now communicates that they are “dying/dead/deceased” from laughter if they found something funny.
- 🤡 – The clown emoji is used to signify foolishness or feeling dumb.
- 👁👄👁 – This emoji combo is meant to express shock or surprise.
- 👉 👈️ – This shows hesitation or shyness.
We could only a couple of each phrase in here, so check out the full slang guide from FanBytes for dozens MORE TikTok terms (plus a WHOLE bunch of challenge types).
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