Do you ever feel like you don’t understand what your child is saying to you? You know they are trying to communicate something, but you’re just not sure what that is.
Believe it or not, I’m not talking about toddlers here. I’m talking about middle schoolers.
Middle schoolers (and teens in general) have their own language. When I started the SC PACE program to get my teaching certificate, one of the lessons we had was on deciphering teen slang. No joke. Honestly, it was probably the most beneficial lesson I had. It allowed me to be able to step into the classroom and know what my students meant when they dropped certain slang words.
Over the past four years, the lingo has only gotten more and more confusing. I’ll get home from work and my eighth grader will talk to me and say something like, “Mom, you won’t believe what happened today. It was so skibidi! Bruh, let me drop the tea. Tyler’s got mad rizz. No cap!”
Skibidi?! Drop the tea?! Mad riz?! No cap?!
What the heck does that even mean???
As a middle school teacher and a mom, I’ve made it my job to figure out exactly what these kids are saying. It’s important I know what’s going on in my classroom and at home. I mean, I don’t want to end up being excited about something a kid says only to find out he was insulting someone. Not really good for a teacher to let a student insult another student. Plus, I need to know what the heck my own kid is talking about on a daily basis!
So, I’ve done some homework and am here to help my fellow middle school parents with deciphering their child’s crazy language. You’re welcome.
Middle School Language Slang Translations
- Cap/Cappin’ – You’re lying
- No cap – Not lying
- Rizz – Someone who’s got game when it comes to romantic interests; charisma. For example, “Joey got that girl’s phone number. He’s got rizz!”
- Sigma/Alpha – Someone who is independent and strong.
- Ate that – You successfully did something. For example, “You ate that math test today.”
- Bet – This means you are agreeing with someone. For example, “Wanna go swimming?” “Bet.”
- Bussin’ – Awesome or cool. For example, “This pizza is bussin’.”
- Mid – Something is average or low quality. For example, “That movie was mid.”
- Cringe – When something is embarrassing or awkward.
- Demure – Referring to a trendy aesthetic or lifestyle. You’ll see this mostly on social media.
- Facts – Acknowledging the truth of someone’s statement.
- Fire – Something is amazing or cool. For example, “That shirt is fire.”
- Hits Different – Something is better than usual because of the circumstances. For example, “This hot chocolate just hits different when it’s mad cold outside.”
- Low Key – Multiple meanings on this one: 1. Keeping something quiet/secret, 2. Something being done in a subtle way. (“We’re having a party tonight but it’s gonna be low key.”)
- Skibidi toilet – An animated video featuring a singing head in a toilet. (Boy, do I wish I was joking about this. But I’m not. See for yourself.)
- Skibidi – Derives from the above. Can mean “cool,” “dumb,” or “bad.”
- Skibidi Ohio/Ohio – Means something is weird. (Apparently Ohio is not just a state anymore. Who knew?)
- Sus – Short for “suspicious”
- Tea – Gossip. For example, “Spill the tea!” (“Give me the gossip!”)
- Yeet – This is a very strong word for “yes.”
- Fit – A shortened way to say “outfit.”
- Motion/Bread – This stands for money. “I got lots of motion.”
While these are some basic slang words, as a parent, you’ll want to also familiarize yourself with slang that refers to sexual topics. There is a lot of that happening as well and we need to be aware of what our children are saying. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources for parents about such things. THIS website is a great one for deciphering slang of all sorts. Urban Dictionary is also helpful. There’s even a site for teachers to help all of us understand what our students are saying. It’s just as important to be aware of sexual slang in the classroom as it is at home.
I hope this helps you out as you try to decipher your teen’s language. And if you want to have fun with them, as you’re sitting around the dinner table talking, say something like, “Your fit is fire today! Why don’t you spill the tea about your day? Also, isn’t this dinner bussin’?” I promise you, the look on their face will be priceless!
