Before 2015, the average person wouldn’t be caught dead using internet slang. To be fair, back then slang was “LOLcopter†and “epic fail.†It’s not that phrases like “Show me. To me, please†are any more comprehensible but, rather, that now enough of us are online to make the inside joke go mainstream — even if we’ll still regret it in five years.
While last year saw the birth of terms as incomprehensible as “rizz†and “skibidi,†it’s 2024 that will be responsible for “hawk tuah†ending up on a 2040 AP U.S. History DBQ.
“Our language is influenced by what we see: The more you see a certain word, the more you’re gonna say it as well,†Adam Aleksic, linguist and author of the forthcoming Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language, says. The internet, however, is creating and changing words faster than ever before, leaving a shorter time frame for them to stick — whether slang remains comes down to two factors, according to Aleksic: “For a word to really work, it needs to be unobtrusive,†Aleksic says. “Then another one is whether it fills a lexical gap.â€
“When it’s treated as a meme, when it’s obtrusive, when it doesn’t fill a gap, then we use the slang word and just discard it,†he says, which is why the internet’s tendency to broadly adopt speech that originated within Black communities can be so harmful. These words reach a broader, unintended audience that “doesn’t understand the context of the original purpose of that word.â€
The most important part of an internet word, however, is that it comes from the people. “If you try to impose a word top down, it doesn’t work,†Aleksic says. To commemorate the end of 2024, a year as rich in words as it was disappointment, we rounded up the terms that were coined, reinvented, or found mainstream success this year and used Aleksic’s criteria to see if they’ll remain in our dictionaries … or fade into brain rot.
Coined:
Hawk tuah (June 23)
The onomatopoeic sound of spitting on a penis as lubrication for a blowjob.
Who says it? Made famous by woman-on-the-street Haliey Welch, the phrase was heartedly adopted by the manosphere as everything from a verb to a rallying cry to what they use to refer to Welch as a person, because they’ve never once remembered a woman’s name.
Was it monetized? Exhaustingly so. There are hats, there are T-shirts, there are Halloween costumes, as well as a whole podcast — Talk Tuah with Haliey Welch — that’s still charting.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Violently obtrusive.
Does it fill a lexical gap? Unfortunately, yes.
Will it stick? I’d be lying to myself and you if I said it wouldn’t.
Mama, a ___ behind you (July 2018, resurrected September 2024)
@nmillz1 @Victoria Paris my millenial queenðŸ˜
♬ original sound - Noah Miller
Used when pointing out something that is either physically behind someone or metaphorically in their present or future.
Who says it? The son of Facebook user Keirra Denee Smith, who shared a video taken by her that accidentally had Smith’s dancing bitmoji in the frame. This prompted her son to warn, “Mama, a girl behind you.†The phrase got new life in September by being made modifiable to any situation.
Was it monetized? No.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Obtrusive — it kind of sounds right but isn’t.
Does it fill a lexical gap? No, because we in truth have plenty of words for “there’s something behind you.â€
Will it stick? No.
Show me. To me, please (December 2022, resurrected summer 2024)
@cryinglawyer when your mom doesn’t care about celebrities just Jesus #celebrityprank #parentparent #christmas #christmasmiracle
♬ original sound - my name’s not rachel
For asking someone to show or give you something.
Who says it? Rachel’s mother, who first used the phrase during a TikTok prank, after hearing a fake headline that Jesus had been spotted. “Show me. To me, please,†she begs. “Send it to me, Rachel.†The phrase was adopted more widely when the video had a resurgence in May of this year.
Was it monetized? No.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Obtrusive.Â
Does it fill a lexical gap? No.
Will it stick? No — people already don’t say it anymore, and if they do, I’d like them to show me to me please.
Two dumb bitches telling each other “exactly†(posted March 2023, mainstreamed in 2024)
Two stupid people coming to an agreement about something that is wrong.
Who says it? Posted in its first iteration by X user @pinkfr1day, the phrase can be used by an outsider describing a conversation or self-referentially by one of two said dumb bitches.
Was it monetized? No.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Unobtrusive. Poetry, in fact.
Does it fill a lexical gap? I’m gonna argue yes! We don’t have a colloquial phrase for two people who believe the same wrong thing talking, unless you count “the 2024 Republican ticket.â€
Will it stick? Yes, but not universally. My mom will never say this.
What’s up, brother? (February 2024)
@watchmojo help i can’t stop saying “What’s up, brother? 👆🤓†#sketch #whatsupbrother #streamer #viral #sports
♬ original sound - watchmojo
A greeting.
Who says it? Sketch, a Twitch streamer known for Madden NFL 24 gameplay. He inadvertently made this his catch phrase when he answered a FaceTime call from fellow Twitch streamer and friend Jynxzi as Jynxzi was streaming. It then became a TikTok trend for girlfriends to film themselves saying the phrase to their boyfriends to see their reactions.
Was it monetized? Yes, as the only piece of merch on Sketch’s website.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Unobtrusive — it’s very fun to say!
Does it fill a lexical gap? No.
Will it stick? Only as an IYKYK for the community.
Reinvented:
Brat (June and July 2024)
Originally a term for spoiled child, now an adult 365 party girl who revels in mess to distract herself from life’s tough questions.
Who says it? Charli XCX, Kamala Harris supporters, and Jake Tapper that one time.
Was it monetized? Within an inch of its life.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Unobtrusive.
Does it fill a lexical gap? Yes.
Will it stick? Yes, but more so as a reference of this time period. Plus, loosely adopting the word as your campaign mantra and losing is pretty brat in and of itself.
Chat (emerged within Twitch culture in the 2010s, more widely noticed by teachers in 2024)
@hitzdotmy Cikgu Gen Z: Chat. Do you use this word every day? 👀 #HITZMorningCrew #HITZCikguGenZ
♬ original sound - HITZ - HITZ
A “fourth person†or “indefinite addressee†like “guys,†but derived from audience members in the chat on livestreams.
Who says it? First streamers, and now anyone addressing an undefined audience.
Was it monetized? No.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Unobtrusive.
Does it fill a lexical gap? I think yes — a version of “y’all†that’s tailored to digital life.
Will it stick? Yes, but what do you think, chat?
Coconut/context (May 10, 2023, popularized summer 2024)
Let’s start with the context of the coconut:
“My mother used to — she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?’ [Laughs.] You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.â€
Who says it? First Kamala Harris, then it evolves into an unofficial slogan and/or mantra by her supporters over the summer.
Was it monetized? Yes, into a billion-dollar presidential campaign.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Obtrusive, because it was her laugh that’s responsible for the phrase first getting attention.
Does it fill a lexical gap? No.
Will it stick? No. Like Hillary Clinton’s use of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,†it’s now a relic of Obamacore 2.0. That’ll teach you to be optimistic!
Me! â˜ï¸ (May 16)
@sobrizzle If the @Four Seasons Hotels is looking for a baby ambassador my niece got you 😂🤣😂🤣😂
♬ Who Wants To Go To Four Seasons Orlando - Stefanie O’Brien
pronoun
What you say when you want to go to the Four Seasons Orlando hotel.
Who says it? Popularized on TikTok by 1-year-old baby Kate, also known as “fully conscious baby,†“me!â˜ï¸â€ can be used by anyone who firmly and enthusiastically volunteers themselves as the answer to a question.
Was it monetized? Not technically, but the family has subsequently been hosted by a number of Four Seasons hotels, from Orlando to Hampshire, England.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? I’d argue the â˜ï¸skews it obtrusive!
Does it fill a lexical gap? No.
Will it stick? No. Since this word in this context already exists, the only thing that differentiates it is the finger movement. That movement, however, doesn’t change the meaning or fill a gap. Better luck next time, Fully Conscious Baby.
Mog (summer 2024)
Originally meaning to “move away†or “decamp,†the word is more modernly used to describe the act of dominating or triumphing over someone physically, intellectually, or aesthetically.
Who says it? Originating in the looksmaxxing community, mog has been adapted into streaming and gaming culture.
Was it monetized? Not yet.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Unobtrusive.
Does it fill a lexical gap? Yes, as an umbrella term that can be used across contexts.
Will it stick? Too early to tell. Now we wait and see if it breaches its Twitch and 4chan origins.
Slop (emerged in 2023, mainstreamed by 2024)
A term for low-quality, obvious AI-generated content or engagement bait.
Who says it? AI skeptics
Was it monetized? No.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Unobtrusive.
Does it fill a lexical gap? Yes.
Will it stick? Yes. The vat of AI slop is ever-expanding.
Stuns (2018, widely popularized by 2024)
PopCrave-based parlance for appearing in a photo.
Who says it? PopCrave, and anyone referencing it.
Was it monetized? Yes in the sense that it is a growing media company.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Unobtrusive.
Does it fill a lexical gap? No, it is in fact often a misuse of a pre-existing word. Does Addison Rae really “stun†with sprinkles in new photo, or does she simply “appear†with them?
Will it stick? Only within the context of PopCrave tweets.
Very demure, very mindful (August 2)
@joolieannie #fyp #demure @OAKCHA @Paul | Fragrance Influencer
♬ original sound - Jools Lebron
The behavior of someone not like you other girls. Or, in the words of creator Jools Lebron: “Your demure is what it means to you,†she told CBS Mornings. “It’s being mindful and considerate of the people around you but also of yourself and how you present to the world.â€
Who says it? Lebron, whose video series spun off a “very demure, very mindful†trend adopted by users and brands alike, and now anyone who sees her on the street.
Was it monetized? Yes, through brand deals, so much so that Lebron can now afford gender-transition surgery.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Unobtrusive.
Does it fill a lexical gap? No.
Will it stick? Only as a catchphrase. Dictionary.com did name it the word of the year, but past words of the year have been “pandemic†and “woman,†so it’s not clear what criteria it’s working with here.
Yapping (1600–1800s, resurrected March 2024)
The word has already transitioned once from the sound of a sharp dog bark to the act of talking at length; it transitioned in March once again to a more positive connotation: to talk in a way that is, yes, perhaps obliviously long-winded but also personally thrilling.
Who says it? Yappers, and those on the receiving end of their yap.
Was it monetized? No.
Obtrusive or unobtrusive? Unobtrusive.
Does it fill a lexical gap? I’m of two minds about this but lean yes. Gabbing is similar but tends to require two people, whereas one can yap, yap, yap — to an audience real or digital — without requiring a response. It also serves as a noun of sorts: “this and yap†when talking about getting espresso martinis at the bar or ordering DoorDash. The girls and gays don’t just want to talk with their friends, they want to yap with them.
Will it stick? If it’s lasted since the 1600s, it’s not going to stop now.