The language learning tool Preply has posted the most common slang words used by teenagers in 2023, and if you have one of those not-so-young ones under your roof, the words won’t be a surprise — even if their definitions are.
The most-used word, according to the site’s survey, is “sus.” Short for and synonymous with “suspicious,” the site describes it as “Giving the impression that something is questionable or dishonest.”
Second place went to “bet.” It’s not a wager in teen parlance, it’s more like “I agree,” but can be used as “good news” and “sure.”
“Yeet” made number three on the top five — to “throw violently” — as in “He yeeted that sus nugget off his plate.”
Fourth place went to “salty,” as in “upset,” as in “Mom is salty my room’s a mess.”
“Cap” rounded out the top five. It’s another word for lie, as in “no cap.”
Other entries included “bussin'” — which means “really good” — and “bougie,” as in “fancy.”
The survey also noted that 50% of parents try to keep up with modern slang to keep their teen safe, while nearly 3 in 5 do so to relate better to their kids.
That same number say they’ve Googled a slang term rather than ask what it means — though 70% are already well acquainted with “salty.” “Bougie” and “sus” are no longer foreign to them, either, by and large.
However, just 9% knew “cheugy” meant uncool — which is rather cheugy — and just 4% knew what “DTB” meant.
DT is “don’t trust,” BTW, and the B either stands for boys or a derogatory term for women, depending on the situation; just 4% of the parents polled knew that.
Survey questions, methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.