10 Slang Words You Need To Know in 2022
All you need to understand what’s going on online!
Before we get started guys, these are all informal — very informal. So like I always say — be very careful about when you use them, ok?
Another thing to mention is that most of these words originate from AAVE (African-American Vernacular English), which is a common informal dialect of English spoken mostly by working and middle-class black Americans.
As the words have been picked up by popular culture and modern media, what once were words only used by this particular group of people have slowly developed into slang words used by people outside of this group too (as you’ll see by some examples below with white US speakers using the words).
If you’d like to know more about this, you can see here:
➡️ Why saying “Periodt, sis” is not bad English
Let’s get started!
1. To do someone dirty
To be unfair or betray someone, usually when they’re already your friend/family member. And not only that — to do it on purpose too.
- I thought I could trust him but he did me dirty.
- She did him so dirty when she left him for his brother.
You might know the phrase, “to do someone wrong”. This is basically the same meaning.
Note: people can use this to talk about other people, but they can also talk about an object doing them dirty too.
For example, when your autocorrect on your phone changes to something you really didn’t want just before you send the message… Well, you can complain that the autocorrect did you dirty — it betrayed you!
2. Lit
“Lit” is an adjective to describe when something’s amazing, exciting, high-energy, or otherwise great. It’s a positive word, full of energy and optimism. It can alternatively mean intoxicated or drunk.
- Adjective for something awesome: “The party last night was lit.”
- To describe a state: “I was way too lit last night.”
3. Cap/ no cap
To “cap” is to lie about something, whereas “no cap” means to tell the truth. It’s used more commonly as a comment by itself, rather than a verb. You can just state your opinion, or what you want to say, then follow this with, “cap” or “no cap”.
For example:
- “I promise you he said that, no cap.”
Or, you can use “to cap” as a verb, for example:
- “All you do is cap, I’ve had enough.”
The verb form is not in the dictionary — it’s an informal verb that was created from a slang word.
There are others like this, the most used probably being “to lol”.
Before, the acronym LOL (laugh out loud) was used to express the fact that you found something funny, and then people took it and turned it into a verb, “to lol”.
Example:
- “That movie made me lol so hard”.
I find it so cool how language changes like this!
4. Shade/shady/to throw shade
The word “shade” can be used by itself to refer to a situation where someone has been a little bit sneaky, or passive-aggressive, or kind of mean but they’re trying to look like they’re not being mean…
So for example, a comment like:
“Oh yes, she’s really beautiful when she makes an effort”.
You see how that was actually an insult kind of disguised by a compliment? That’s shade — it’s a shady thing to say. And you know, the tone of your voice plays a big part in shade too.
So when I said that, I threw shade at the person. Not cool.
5. Low key/ high key
These phrases both started as off adjectives.
So, for example, if someone asks if you’re going to have a party for New Year, you might respond with, “No, this year, we’re just going to have a quiet one. Just something low-key”.
It means kind of calm, quiet, and something that doesn’t draw attention. And high-key was used in the opposite way.
Nowadays, they are still kind of used as adjectives but the meaning has changed a little. Lowkey can also now mean or quietly or secretly, discretely…
For example,
- “I lowkey love 90 Day Fiancé…”
90-Day Fiancé is this terrible trash tv show from the US.
In this case, I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that, so I’m kind of saying that I secretly or very quietly love it 😀
It’s the opposite of “highkey,” for when you’re really sincere or very open and loud about something.
For example:
- “I highkey want that shirt!”
You’re declaring that you want the shirt, you love it, and there is no shame or secrecy attached to it!
6. Extra
To be “extra” means to be really dramatic and “ove- the-top”. It’s when someone is just too extreme or excessive with their behaviour, when it’s not necessary. It can even be really inappropriate.
For example, let’s imagine that you steal a fry off your friend's plate and they just start getting really angry and shouting at you and making a huge scene. You might say, “Oh my god, stop! It’s just a fry, why are you being so extra?”
You can also just refer to someone as “extra” too like it’s a quality or a characteristic.
- “He’s so extra…”
Means: he’s just a dramatic and over-the-top person in general.
7. Periodt
“Periodt” is a word used at the end of a sentence, which is meant to say, “that’s the end of the discussion, there’s nothing more to add; I’ve made a point and there is nothing you can say that will change how valid my point is”.
It comes from “period” which is a word used in the same way by both UK and US speakers, except ‘period’ is standard English and periodt is AAVE/now more modern slang.
- “All billionaires should pay tax. Periodt.”
8. Snatched
The word “snatched” has two common definitions. The first refers to when someone is wearing something that is very fashionable or has a look that looks really good.
- “Oh wow, you’re looking snatched today!”
You can even refer to someone’s body as looking snatched, which means they look toned and slim and really good.
- “I go to the gym every day because I want to look snatched by summer”.
There’s also a third meaning, which is when
9. Goat 🐐
Do you ever see this word GOAT or just an emoji of a goat??
Don’t worry, we’re not all obsessed with goats (well, maybe I am, I love goats). It's actually an acronym that has now just turned into its own word.
So GOAT stands for:
Greatest Of All Time
We use it to talk about someone who is the greatest at what they do in their field.
So for example, you might consider Eminem to be the GOAT of modern rap.
And Muhammad Ali was considered the GOAT when it came to boxing.
But now it’s turning into a more general term to express that you love, admire, or just like someone.
10. A fit
In British English, “fit,” which means attractive or REALLY HOT🔥… and people use it regularly.
But in the US, a “fit” is just the shortened version of outfit.
So, for example:
- “I like your fit.”
- “What do you think of my fit?”
You’ll probably see these words everywhere now you know them — in songs, on social media, in popular culture… but now, you can recognize them, and know what they mean! Yay!
