{"id":105608,"date":"2020-09-09T10:25:58","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T17:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"\/blogs\/?p=105608"},"modified":"2025-08-20T04:41:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T11:41:00","slug":"can-you-decode-your-teens-texting-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/can-you-decode-your-teens-texting-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Decode Your Teen\u2019s Texting Language?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s hard to believe, right, parents? In just a blink or two, you went from\u00a0<em>being<\/em>\u00a0the teenager dropping cool phrases like \u201crad\u201d and \u201cgnarly\u201d to\u00a0<em>monitoring<\/em>\u00a0a teenager texting words like \u201clowkey,\u201d \u201cIRL\u201d and \u201cCD9\u201d into her smartphone non-stop.*<\/p>\n<p>For generations, teens have been crafting terms to differentiate themselves from other age groups. The difference today is that smartphone texting has multiplied the scope of that code to include words, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/consumer\/teen-texting-slang-and-emojis-parents-should-know\/?hilite=%27slang%27\">emojis<\/a>, numbers, and hashtags.<\/p>\n<p>The times have changed, fo\u2019 sho.\u2019<\/p>\n<h2>Digital Deciphering<\/h2>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to speak your child\u2019s language (please don\u2019t). However, with new terms and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/consumer\/family-safety\/internet-safety-for-kids-a-refresher-for-homebound-families\/?hilite=%27online%27%2C%27safety%27%2C%27refresher%27\">risks emerging online<\/a> each day, it\u2019s a good idea to at least understand what they are saying.<\/p>\n<p>Since kids have been spending more time online due to the pandemic, we thought we might discover a few new and interesting terms. We were right. We found stories of teens referring to the Coronavirus as \u201cMiss Rona\u201d and \u201cRona,\u201d and abbreviating quarantine to \u201cQuar.\u201d A \u201cCorona Bae\u201d is the person you would only plan to date during a lockdown.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the coded language kids use is meant to be funny, sarcastic, or a quick abbreviation. However, there are times when a text exchange can slip into risky territory. Seemingly harmless, text exchanges can spark consequences such as bullying, sextortion, privacy violations, and emotional or physical harm.<\/p>\n<h2>Stay Connected<\/h2>\n<p>To help kids avoid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/consumer\/family-safety\/internet-safety-for-kids-a-refresher-for-homebound-families\/\">dangerous digital situations<\/a>, we recommend three things:\u00a0<strong>1)<\/strong>\u00a0Talk early and often with your kids about digital risk and behavior expectations,\u00a0<strong>2)<\/strong>\u00a0Explore and use\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-us\/parental-controls\/mcafee-safe-family.html\"><u>parental monitoring software<\/u><\/a>, and\u00a0<strong>3)<\/strong> Know your child\u2019s friends and communities online and in real life.<\/p>\n<p>Note: Context is everything. Many of these terms are used in jest or as casual banter. Be sure to understand the context in which a word is used.<\/p>\n<h2>A Few Terms You May See **<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Flex.<\/strong> This term means showing off. For example, \u201cLook at her trying to flex with her new car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Crashy.<\/strong> Description of a person who is thought to be both crazy and trashy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Clap back.<\/strong>\u00a0A comeback filled with attitude.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cringey.<\/strong>\u00a0Another word for embarrassing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hop off.<\/strong>\u00a0Mind your own business.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Spill tea or Kiki.<\/strong>\u00a0Dishing gossip.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sip tea.<\/strong>\u00a0Listening to gossip.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Salty.<\/strong>\u00a0Mad, angry, jealous, bitter, upset, or irritated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe gave me a salty look in class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Extra.<\/strong>\u00a0Over the top or unnecessarily dramatic.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Left on read.<\/strong>\u00a0Not replying to someone\u2019s message.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ghosting.<\/strong> Ending a friendship or relationship online with no explanation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Neglext.\u00a0<\/strong>Abandon someone in the middle of a text conversation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ok, Boomer.<\/strong>\u00a0Dismissing someone who is not up to date enough.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(Throw) shade.<\/strong>\u00a0Insult or trash talk discreetly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Receipts.<\/strong>\u00a0Getting digital proof, usually in the form of screenshots.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THOT.<\/strong>\u00a0Acronym for That H__ Over There.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thirsty.<\/strong>\u00a0A term describing a person as desperate or needy. \u201cLook at her staring at him \u2014 she\u2019s so thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thirst trap.<\/strong>\u00a0A sexy photograph or message posted on social media.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dis.<\/strong>\u00a0Short for showing blatant disrespect.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Preeing.<\/strong>\u00a0A word that describes stalking or being stalked on Facebook.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Basic.<\/strong> Referring to a person as mainstream, nothing special. Usually used in a negative connotation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Chasing Clout.\u00a0<\/strong>A negative term describing someone trying too hard to get followers on social media.<\/p>\n<p><u><\/u><strong>9, CD9, or Code9, PAW, POS.<\/strong>\u00a0Parents are around, over the shoulder.<\/p>\n<p><strong>99.<\/strong> All clear, the parents are gone. Safe to resume texting or planning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KPC.<\/strong>\u00a0Keeping parents clueless.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cheddar, Cheese, or Bread.<\/strong>\u00a0These are all terms that mean money.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cap.\u00a0<\/strong>Means to lie as in \u201cshe\u2019s capping.\u201d Sending the baseball cap emoji expresses the same feeling.\u00a0<strong>No capping<\/strong>\u00a0means \u201cI\u2019m not lying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hundo P. <\/strong>Term that is short for &#8220;hundred percent;&#8221; absolutely, for sure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Woke.<\/strong>\u00a0Aware of and outspoken on current on political and social issues.<\/p>\n<p><strong>And I oop.<\/strong>\u00a0Lighthearted term to describe a silly mistake.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Big oof.<\/strong>\u00a0A slightly bigger mistake.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Yeet.<\/strong>\u00a0An expression of excitement. For example, &#8220;He kissed me. Yeeeet!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Retweet.<\/strong>\u00a0Instead of saying, \u201cyes, I agree,\u201d you say, \u201cretweet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Canceled.\u00a0<\/strong>Absurd or foolish behavior is \u201ccanceled.\u201d For example, \u201cHe was too negative on our date, so I canceled him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Slap or Snatched.\u00a0<\/strong>Terms that mean fashionable or on point. For instance, \u201cThose shoes are slap\u201d or \u201cYou look snatched.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And just for fun, here\u2019s a laugh out loud video from comedian Seth Meyer\u2019s on teen Coronavirus slang you\u2019ll enjoy on <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Tkg6O1pnZiM\">YouTube<\/a>.<\/u><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em>* lowkey (a feeling you want to keep secret), IRL (In Real Life), CD9 also Code9 (Adult Alert used to hide secretive activity). <\/em><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em>** Terms collected from various sources, including NetLingo.com, UrbanDictionary.com, webopedia.com, and from tweets and posts from teens online. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s hard to believe, right, parents? In just a blink or two, you went from\u00a0being\u00a0the teenager dropping cool phrases like&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":642,"featured_media":105632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[75,3949,6394,100,2205,4222,321,5355,6396,5227],"coauthors":[3359],"class_list":["post-105608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-safety","tag-cyberbullying","tag-cybersafety","tag-digital-slang","tag-facebook","tag-protecting-kids-online","tag-social-media","tag-social-networking","tag-teen-slang","tag-texting-acronyms","tag-texting-slang"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Can You Decode Your Teen\u2019s Texting Language? | McAfee Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s hard to believe, right, parents? In just a blink or two, you went from\u00a0being\u00a0the teenager dropping cool phrases like \u201crad\u201d and \u201cgnarly\u201d Technology and language move fast and teens are leading the charge when it comes to emerging slang that communicates a range of expression. Here are just a few phrases parents may want to become familiar with.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can You Decode Your Teen\u2019s Texting Language? | McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s hard to believe, right, parents? 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In just a blink or two, you went from\u00a0being\u00a0the teenager dropping cool phrases like \u201crad\u201d and \u201cgnarly\u201d Technology and language move fast and teens are leading the charge when it comes to emerging slang that communicates a range of expression. 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