1.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]Do you find that you don’t understand the slang words young people use today? Maybe that’s what they want! Slang isn’t supposed to be understood by everyone — it’s used to help people know who’s part of a group, and who isn’t. But it can be useful to know the meanings of some of these words![/responsivevoice]
2.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]Many people in the age group known as Generation Z — or Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012 — communicate in a very different way from older generations.[/responsivevoice]
3.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]Some Gen Z slang words, like “slay,” have been used as slang before. Saying, “You slayed it” used to be a way to say someone had done a great performance.[/responsivevoice]
4.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]But now it means that something is great or cool — and it can be used as an adjective. So if you like someone’s clothes, you could say: “That’s so slay!” It also works on its own: if you think something is great you could just say, “Slay!”[/responsivevoice]
5.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]Something that’s not so good could be described as “mid.” That might come from “middle,” but it means below average — for example, a disappointing restaurant meal could be called “mid.”[/responsivevoice]
6.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]On the other hand, the slang word “rizz” is short for “charisma.” It might be used to talk about someone who is charming and popular — “He’s got rizz!”[/responsivevoice]
8.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]And if you think you could now use those words yourself, just say “bet.” That means “yes,” “cool,” or just that you agree. It probably comes from “you bet,” which means a similar thing and has been used for years.[/responsivevoice]
9.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]Slay! You can now speak like Gen Z — but be careful, slang doesn’t stay popular for long![/responsivevoice]
Phonetic Chart
