From “beta” and “cap” to “gyatt” and “rizz,” the children of Generation Alpha, kids born after 2010, are embracing new words — and the slang appears to be here to stay.
Natalie Boe, a mom of two teen boys, notices her sons and their friends seem to use new words and phrases on a weekly basis.
“I’m hearing different slang words, whether it’s leaving the football field or a new song that they’re playing, or I’ll catch them maybe singing a lyric or repeating it or just in conversation on the phone with their friends, as well as when kids are at my house,” she told ABC’s Good Morning America.
In her sons’ school and community in Lighthouse Point, Florida, “sus,” short for something that’s suspicious or open to question, may be on its way out, but “that slaps” — something that is excellent — could just be picking up steam.
Meanwhile in New York City, Peter Shankman, the dad of an 11-year-old, has noticed a similar trend with his sixth-grade daughter. One of her top terms is “sus,” and an occasional “rizz” as well.
Boe said she’s noticed her sons tend to pick up new slang from school and friends primarily and then social media, TV shows and music tend to be secondary influences, whereas Shankman said the new words he hears his daughter adopt tend to originate from YouTube and online sources.
According to a survey conducted by Morning Consult, about 29% of parents say they don’t understand their kids’ Gen Alpha slang, including some of the most popular terms, such as “bet” (another word for “OK” or “sure,”) “GOAT” (short for “greatest of all time”), “sus,” “bussin'” (another term for excellent or delicious) and “cap” (“to lie or brag” or refer to something as fake).