How to tell rizz from sigma and why the GOAT hits different: Your guide to decoding Generations Z and Alpha

Does your granddaughter keep calling you bruh? Is your son insistent that you “ate and left no crumbs” when there isn’t a foodstuff in sight?

When spending time with Gen Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – and Generation Alpha – born from 2010 – it can feel as if you are conversing in two different languages.

In this age of social media, trends spread quickly, and disappear just as fast. This results in an ever-evolving plethora of slang terms and phrases being drip-fed into young vocabularies from places like TikTok.

Noël Wolf, a linguistic and cultural expert at leading language learning platform, Babbel, explained how the way our language evolves has changed through the generations.

“We are witnessing a fundamental shift in how slang is formed, circulated and replaced,” said Noël.

“Where Baby Boomers had ‘groovy’ and Gen X had ‘whatever’, Gen Z and Alpha use terms like ‘slay’, ‘rizz’, or ‘no cap’, often birthing and burying slang on social media in a matter of weeks. Older generations picked up slang from music, films or face-to-face peer groups, but Gen Z and Alpha are immersed in what we call ‘platform-mediated orality’ – conversations shaped by algorithms, memes and micro-celebrity cultures.”

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Learn the lingo

Rizz

Essentially a shortened form of charisma, but most often used in a romantic setting to describe someone’s ability to attract or charm others – eg He is trying to rizz her up.

Flex

The same idea as flexing muscles, but meant in the sense of showing off and boasting about material possessions, achievements or skills. Can be used as a noun or a verb – eg He is flexing is new car, or her new watch is a flex.

Cap / no cap

A cap refers to a lie or an exaggeration, and no-cap emphasises truthfulness. E.g. This new restaurant is amazing, no cap.

Bussin’

Used to describe something that is exceptionally good, especially food or experiences – eg This pizza is bussin’.

Ate

If someone ‘ate’, they did something very well, perhaps exceeding expectations. Extra brownie points if they ‘ate and left no crumbs’ – eg She ate that performance.

Sigma

A male who is successful and popular, but also self-reliant and a bit of a lone wolf, living outside of conventional hierarchies – eg You don’t see many sigmas at our parties.

Drip

Refers to someone’s overall look, including accessories and outfit. Implies a confident and trendy appearance – eg You have some serious drip tonight.

GOAT

Not meant as an insult, but an acronym for Greatest Of All Time. Used to express praise and support – eg Michael Jordan is the GOAT of basketball.

Aura points

Can be awarded for doing something cool, or taken away for doing something cringe or awkward – eg He lost some serious aura points when he tripped over that kerb.

Ohio

Not just a US state. Used to describe people, situations or things that are weird, awkward or cringe-worthy – eg That new TV show is so Ohio.

Skibidi

Inherently has no meaning. Used as a filler word to mean cool, bad, weird, or stupid, depending on the context. Originated from an online series called Skibidi Toilet which featured animated human heads in toilets – eg This film is so skibidi, I can’t stop laughing.

Hits different

Has an unique or especially strong emotional impact. Usually meant in positive sense – eg A cold beer on a hot day hits different.

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The nature of the fast-paced pop culture means you might be feeling up to speed with your slang one week, and back feeling lost the next.

Noël said: “New slang now moves at the speed of the scroll. A phrase like ‘bet’ [used to signal agreement] can spread globally overnight, often without users knowing its origins. This speed often leads to ‘semantic bleaching’ – where words lose their original meanings due to overuse or context-shifting.”

She added: “Semantic bleaching is one of the most fascinating – and telling – phenomena in contemporary youth language. In the current digital environment, this process has accelerated dramatically. Consider how ‘literally’ is now deployed for emphasis, even in non-literal contexts – ‘I literally can’t even’. Words like ‘iconic’ or ‘dead’ are similarly eroded through constant use, detached from their original referents and repurposed as expressive signals rather than descriptors.

“This is not linguistic decay – it’s evolution, and it reflects the role of digital media in reshaping how meaning is created and circulated. Phrases aren’t just spoken – they’re captioned, stitched, memed and remixed. The same word can carry earnest admiration in one context and ironic detachment in another, depending entirely on platform-specific norms and community tone.”

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Something that hasn’t changed, and likely never will, is that fitting in is often at the forefront of a young person’s mind, steering the choices they make. Their use of slang is just another method of finding their people.

“Slang functions act as a social password,” said Noël. “It marks inclusion, humor, irony and status. When a 13-year-old says something is ‘mid’ (mediocre), they’re not just commenting – they’re signaling belonging to a specific group, showing they understand current trends and expressing identity in a way that sets them apart from others.”

The frequent use of slang might appear to indicate a sheep-like trend-following culture but, according to Noël, is actually a sign of creativity. It doesn’t only differ between generations, but between social groups within them.

“The use of slang by young people is far from trivial,” she said. “It’s a sophisticated, adaptive tool – an index of cultural agility. When a young person calls a moment ‘a serve’ [a bold, impressive display of something], they’re not just describing; they’re curating mood, aesthetic, and social positioning.

“Slang encodes peer-group belonging, emotional nuance and even subcultural allegiance, often in ways that evade adult or institutional understanding. Today’s slang isn’t uniform. It’s deeply fragmented, shaped by niche online spaces. This decentralisation means that fluency in youth slang now requires not just linguistic creativity but also digital literacy – the ability to read, respond to and innovate within context-specific cultures.

“Slang is creative – but more than that, it’s performative, strategic and socially meaningful. It allows young people to assert identity and demonstrate cultural competence in a media environment that moves faster than ever before.”

Though it may seem like it, not all the words the young people in your life are coming out with are new. They might even demonstrate a reach back into pop culture history.

“We often see retro recycling,” said Noël. “Gen Z has revived terms like ‘slay’, ‘serve’ and even ‘ate’ [meaning performed exceptionally well] from queer ballroom culture of the 1980s and ’90s – language with deep cultural roots being recontextualised in mainstream youth speech. This reflects how digital communities allow younger generations to reach back into subcultures that older generations may not even know existed.”

Next time a child, grandchild or colleague uses a word with ease that stops you in your tracks, instead of dismissing it as youth drivel, use it to learn more about them. “If you’re a parent or grandparent trying to keep up, the best approach isn’t to use the slang, but to be curious about it,” said Noël.

“Ask your kids what a word means and where they heard it. That opens up not just a language lesson, but a window into their world. Understanding their slang isn’t just about decoding words; it’s about glimpsing how this generation is writing its own rules for meaning, one phrase at a time.”