The Oxford University Press named “rizz” the Word of the Year in 2023, and a TikTok creator named Kai Cenat is largely responsible for it. “Rizz,” short for charisma, exploded into mainstream English from a single twitch stream and now appears in headlines, ad copy, and your aunt’s Facebook posts about her cat. TikTok slang phrases are quietly reshaping the way an entire generation actually communicates online — and the speed at which the phrases jump from the For You Page into everyday English is unlike any linguistic shift the internet has seen before.
Some of these phrases are funny, some are confusing, and a few have been lifted out of context so completely that the original meaning has been lost. Here’s the rundown of the slang TikTok actually launched and what each phrase really means.
“Rizz” — From Twitch Stream to Dictionary
Kai Cenat, a streamer with over 14 million Twitch followers, popularized “rizz” in 2021 to describe a person’s ability to attract a romantic interest through charm. The word is short for “charisma” — specifically the middle syllable. Within a year, it had spread from streaming subcultures to mainstream TikTok and then everywhere else.
The Oxford University Press picking “rizz” as Word of the Year in 2023 cemented its place in formal English. The word now appears in everything from late-night TV monologues to product marketing. There’s even a “Rizz” dating app that launched in 2024 and reached 2 million downloads in its first six months.
Variations have followed: “unspoken rizz” describes pulling a romantic interest without saying anything, while “negative rizz” means actively repelling someone. The vocabulary keeps multiplying, and language experts are still trying to keep up.
“Delulu” Is Now Officially in Cambridge Dictionary
“Delulu” — short for delusional — was added to Cambridge Dictionary in 2024 after years of dominating TikTok. The word is used affectionately to describe someone holding a wildly optimistic belief, especially in romance or career manifestation. The phrase “delulu is the solulu” went so viral it was printed on coffee mugs by Etsy sellers within weeks.
Originally born in K-pop fan communities to describe fans convinced their favorite idol was secretly in love with them, the word migrated to general TikTok around 2022. It’s now used to describe everything from manifestation TikToks to people refusing to accept rejection from a job interview.
The word’s success comes from its tonal flexibility. It can be a self-roast (“I’m so delulu thinking he’d text back”), a compliment (“girl, your delulu energy got you the job”), or an insult (“touch grass, you’re being delulu”).
What Does “Cooking” Actually Mean Now?
“Cooking” no longer just means making food on TikTok. The phrase “let him cook” or “she’s cooking” means letting someone do their thing because they’re producing impressive results, particularly in creative fields. The slang originated in NBA Twitter around 2019 to describe a player on a hot streak and crossed over to general use through TikTok.
By 2024, the phrase had completely escaped its sports origins. It’s used in music (“Drake’s been cooking lately”), fashion (“she’s cooking with these outfits”), and even corporate contexts. Brands have adopted it for ad copy, which TikTok users have ruthlessly mocked when it doesn’t land.
The opposite, “stop cooking,” is also widely used to ask someone to stop being annoyingly impressive — usually with affection. It’s the same family as “spill” (share gossip) and “gag” (be shocked) — phrases that can flip meaning based entirely on tone.
The “Mid” Comeback Nobody Saw Coming
“Mid” — meaning average, mediocre, or unimpressive — was largely a 2010s rap term until TikTok revived it in 2022. Now it’s one of the most common dismissive phrases on the platform, applied to everything from movies to restaurants to romantic interests.
The phrase “this is so mid” has become shorthand for the kind of vague dissatisfaction that’s hard to articulate but easy to feel. It’s also become a meme format — videos where creators dramatically dismiss things they actually love by calling them “mid” with a smirk.
The word’s reach is now global. “Mid” appears in TikTok comments in dozens of languages, often left untranslated because the meaning is universally understood. Few internet phrases have crossed cultural and linguistic borders this efficiently. We covered how the internet rallies around viral debates, and modern slang spreads through the same exact mechanism.
“Brain Rot” Is Now an Official Concept
Oxford University Press named “brain rot” the Word of the Year in 2024 — the term refers to the supposed mental decline from consuming too much low-quality online content. TikTok creators describe their own viewing habits as “rotting” their brains, often with affection rather than alarm.
The phrase has spawned an entire genre of “brain rot” content — surreal, fast-cut videos of bizarre AI imagery, repetitive sounds, and meme references stacked on each other. Creators like ImAllexx and entire subreddits like r/BrainRotJokes have built audiences around the concept.
Educators and parents have started using the term to describe what they see in younger students, but Gen Z and Gen Alpha treat it as a badge of honor. Like most internet slang, it’s taken on opposite meanings depending on who’s saying it.
One Last Slang Phrase About to Take Over
Watch for “mogging” — used to describe someone dramatically outshining others in their friend group, especially in photos. It originated in fitness and looksmaxxing communities and is in the early stages of crossover into general TikTok. Within a year, expect to hear it everywhere from beauty content to memes about awkward family pictures.
What’s the TikTok slang phrase you’ve found yourself using without realizing it? Drop your most-used word in the comments — bonus points if you can identify exactly which video taught it to you.