As the mom of two Gen Alpha kids, I pride myself on knowing what they’re into. Coquette fashion ? Love it. Taylor Swift and Imagine Dragons? I’ve got them on repeat. But when my 9-year-old daughter started using a slew of phrases I had never heard of, I knew I was out of my league. Delulu? Sigma? Ohio? As people back my day used to say…”What the actual F?” And, so, after getting flushed down the rabbit hole that is Skibidi toilet, I just had to dig deeper. Here's all the slang Gen Alpha is using, explained in full for your befuddled parent brain.
1. Skibidi (toilet)
It’s hard to pin down a definition for this one since my impression is that it’s just a total nonsense word that can be used in a wide range of contexts. For example, it can mean “cool” or “bad,” and can also be used to describe someone who’s obsessing over some unimportant thing. Gen Alpha also uses it to start and end conversations. The most important thing to know is that it comes from a viral meme and a series of animated videos that took YouTube and social media by storm, which feature the heads of grown men singing from…a toilet bowl. (This video is something you cannot unsee—be warned.) Needless to say, Gen Alpha leaned into the absurdity, and I have to give them credit for inventing a word that kinda means anything. If you’re interested in adding the phrase to your vocabulary, there’s really no wrong way to do so.
In a Sentence:
“I don’t know how to use this skibidi slang in a skibidi sentence because it’s more of a weird verbal tic than an actual word.”
2. Rizz
Rizz can be a verb or an adjective, and in both cases it’s used to describe a kind of charisma. In fact, it’s believed to have started off as an abbreviation of the word cha ris ma and now all the cool Gen Alpha kids use it to describe anyone who’s either turning on the charm or just inherently alluring. When it comes to using rizz, you have options—namely because it’s been adapted as a noun, too. So if you hear the word rizzler , just know it’s a close cousin of rizz.
In a Sentence:
“She’s got so much rizz that I just couldn’t (rizzist?)”
“He was definitely turning on the rizz the other night.”
3. Sus
A Gen Alpha abbreviation of the widely known dictionary words suspicious and suspect, sus is frequently bandied about by today’s youth to describe anything questionable or dishonest. In other words, it’s used to denote any situation that you’re wary of. And let’s just say that Gen Alpha is wary of a lot of things, to the point that I’m not so sure they actually understand what it means to be legitimately suspicious.
In a Sentence:
“Hey, let’s check out that new restaurant tomorrow.” “Nah, that place looks totally sus.”
4. Flex
Much like flexing your muscles, this slang term is used to call out another person for showing off or boasting. According to Dictionary.com , it doesn’t have the most positive connotation, as it’s associated with power moves, arrogance and insincerity. For example, I’m totally flexing my knowledge of tween slang right now.
In a Sentence:
“Those shoes are such a flex—you’re just going to grow out of them in two months anyway.”
“Stop flexing your parents’ car—it’s not like you’re driving it, bro.”
5. Sigma
Here, an adjective to describe a dude who’s even cooler than your typical alpha male. If this is all Greek to you, allow me to explain: A sigma male is basically some bro who has all the power of an alpha male but a more subdued ego. As such, it’s commonly used to describe a popular boy who has that casual-cool thing going on (Go patriarchy!) but it can also just mean cool, on its own.
In a Sentence:
“He’s got so much sigma male energy (*swoon*).”
“Crocs and socks is sigma.”
6. Mewing
This one is oddly specific…and physiological. My sources tell me that mewing (a subset of looksmaxxing ) refers to the act of pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth—an action that makes your jawline more prominent and boasts the added benefit of making it impossible for you to utter ridiculous slang words. As such, mewing may happen in response to someone asking you a question or raising a topic that you don’t want to discuss. It can also be used as a compliment for someone who has a strong, sexy jawline. The exercise itself can also be done in private and, according to the highly unscientific TikTok videos that gave birth to the trend, it might boost your facial aesthetic. (For what it’s worth, I’m biting my tongue, not mewing right now.)
In a Sentence:
“I asked him where he was at lunch yesterday, but he just stood there mewing.”
“He’s been mewing since he was born, I swear!”
7. Aura points
Aura points is more or less Gen Alpha’s version of ‘cool factor.’ And by describing it that way, I’m sure I just lost some. You can score aura points by doing, wearing or saying something cool. These points can be referred to in a non-specific way or given an actual numerical value—either way it’s a quantification of how cool you are, and is closely linked to how your personal successes and failures affect your overall vibe.
In a Sentence:
“Her celebration dance after that match had massive aura.”
“Just spilled my water glass in the cafeteria. How many aura points do you think I lost?”
8. Delulu
This one’s a slang abbreviation for delusional that has the same meaning. You could call me delulu for thinking that writing this story could win me aura points with Gen Alpha. My tween daughter is delulu for thinking I can afford to buy her Taylor Swift tickets. You get the idea, right?
In a Sentence:
“If she thinks that TikTok is going to go viral, she’s delulu.”
9. Baka
This Japanese word meaning “crazy,” “foolish” and “dumb” has caught on with Gen Alpha, particularly among those who have an interest in anime and manga. Although it’s considered a swear word in its country of origin, it’s generally just used as a playful insult stateside (sometimes along the aforementioned “sus”), or as a standalone expression of irritation with oneself a la “god dammit!” In other words, this one is a mostly harmless way to call someone (or yourself) an idiot.
In a Sentence:
“You don’t know how to tie your shoes? Baka!”
“My teacher is a total sussy baka.”
10. Fanum Tax
‘Fanum tax’ is a term first coined by an American streamer by the name of (you guessed it) Fanum. It went viral, became a meme and the rest is history. As for its definition and usage, this phrase refers very specifically to playful food theft between friends.
In a Sentence:
“Hey! You don’t get another bite—you already got your Fanum tax.”
“I disappeared his fries while he was in the bathroom. He had to pay his Fanum tax.”
11. Ohio
Reddit says this one started with a series of memes that showed weird, random things—originally happening in Ohio, but soon just…anywhere. It then transitioned to meaning weird, dumb or creepy in general. It’s cringe. It’s not good. (Sorry if you live in Cincinnati.)
In a Sentence:
“Could anything be more Ohio that a 35-year-old woman trying to define 9-year-old slang?”
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