A parent’s guide to surviving the fast paced slang shifts of 2026

If you recently tried to compliment your teenager by calling their outfit “demure” or your son by suggesting they have “rizz,” I have some devastating news — you are tragically behind the curve.

In the time it took you to master the art of “slay,” Gen Z (and their chaotic younger siblings, Gen Alpha) have already gathered those words, placed them in a metaphorical cardboard box, and shoved them into the attic of linguistic history alongside “on fleek” and “talk to the hand”.

But according to social media expert Tama Leaver, the constant evolution of slang is not only normal — it’s a sign everything is working exactly as it should.

“We can safely say it’s a really healthy sign that young people are playing with language and having some fun with words,” Mr Leaver said.

“I think if we didn’t see that happening, we should probably worry that our young people are losing their creative urges. So I think it’s a very healthy part of youth.”

From cryptic in-jokes to viral catchphrases, today’s slang is often born online before spilling into schoolyards and social settings.

But as quickly as it arrives, it can just as quickly lose its appeal — especially when older generations try to join in.

“As soon as something hits a saturation level where it goes into mainstream culture and the parent generation starts to try and use the slang, it’s immediately outdated,” Mr Leaver said.

“Because one of the things about slang that makes it so appealing to youth is it’s a bit like developing their own bits of language and their own understanding that’s shared amongst a their own age group.

“The ‘6-7’ thing is a good example of slang that has not only persisted, but done that terrible thing of entering into adult culture where adults try and make jokes on the basis of young people slang and it all gets a little bit awkward and cringy.

“You know, any self-respecting kid will not be doing ‘6-7’ except probably to make fun of adults who think they know what it means.”

Trending slang is a cycle as old as language itself — only now, it’s playing out at lightning speed.

“TikTok and platforms like that allow a joke to get inserted into culture very, very quickly and so it’s hardly a surprise that when a particular piece of slang enters into that space it can be global within a day,” Mr Leaver said.

“But it also means that the shelf life of that can be pretty short because unless it’s incredibly compelling, it can die off and something else will take its place.”

The long-standing teenage tradition is not expected to fold anytime soon — if anything, Mr Leaver said he can only see it amplifying.

“Inventing words as part of youth culture has been with us for hundreds and hundreds of years,” he said.

“So it’s both something that has been with us forever, but also something that is probably louder and faster than ever before because of digital affordances.”

The speed of the trend cycle is perhaps best captured by how quickly celebrities get dragged into it.

One clip of the uber famous Alix Earle casually “mogging” exploded on TikTok with more than 972,000 likes.

Meanwhile, Hailey Bieber — Justin Bieber’s other half — has become the unofficial face of “clock that tea” as she recorded herself repeatedly doing the viral hand motion.

To save you from further social suicide at the dinner table, we’ve compiled a temporarily definitive 2026 Slang Dictionary.

What’s “in” (for the next five minutes):

Unc

Short for “Uncle,” but don’t be flattered. If a teenager calls you “Unc,” it’s a charismatic way of saying you are ancient and void of all cool qualities you may have once had.

Mog

To mog someone is to physically outshine them. If you stand next to someone and you are taller, more stylish, or more attractive, you are mogging them.

Clock that tea

The tea is the gossip, but to clock it is to notice it. It’s often accompanied by a specific hand gesture where your middle finger repeatedly taps your thumb.

Aura farming

Aura is your vibe, your coolness, your ‘it’ factor. Aura farming is the act of doing things specifically to increase your coolness points. Tripping over a flat surface in public? Minus 10,000 Aura.

Chat

Chat is how kids now address a group of people. It comes from livestream culture where streamers talk directly to their live feed — known as the chat. Young people use it in everyday life as a joke to address friends or sometimes no one at all, e.g. “Chat, is this normal?”

Brain rot

This is used to describe the specific brand of mental fog that comes from consuming too much low-quality internet content.

Chopped

When someone is looking particularly rough, tired, or just plain unattractive that day, they are described as chopped.

Touch Grass

This a literal plea for someone to go outside and reconnect with the physical world. If someone is being too intense or acting chronically online, they are told to go and touch grass.

What’s “out”:

6-7

The once crown jewel of teen code, officially crossed into parent usage territory. What was once clever and cryptic is now the linguistic equivalent of a dad joke.

Demure

Briefly the internet’s favourite personality trait, “demure” described a soft, modest, ultra-composed vibe that burned bright and fast.

Stan

To “stan” someone was to be their ultimate fan. While still understood, it’s no longer cutting-edge.

Cap

Meaning “lie,” this one had serious staying power. But after years of overuse, calling something “cap” is officially outdated.

Rizz

Short for charisma, and once unavoidable, “rizz” has lost its charm. Saying it unironically in 2026 suggests you’re algorithm is falling behind.

Mid

Once the ultimate insult. Calling something “mid” meant it was aggressively average. Now, ironically, the term itself has become exactly that.

Slay

A long-time staple of online hype, “slay” meant someone did something exceptionally well. It’s still alive in some circles, but broadly, it’s giving 2020.

Sigma/Skibidi

Two words that once dominated completely different corners of the internet — and somehow ended up lumped together. Both had their moment, both were relentlessly overused, and now both signal the same thing: you’re quoting the internet from at least a year ago — which, in teen time, is basically ancient history.

Delulu

Short for delusional, but cuter. “Delulu” was all about romanticising unrealistic fantasies. These days, the joke has run its course.