A Guide to Teen Lingo and Texting Abbreviations

JK: Short for just kidding (hee hee). “You should totally ask that nerd, Johnny, to prom…JK!

Kill my swag: To ruin someone’s cool image. “The Po-Po”—see letter P—“is killin’ my swag!”

Mackin’: Flirting. “He was mackin’ on her all night.”

Off the hook: Intense or out of control, but in a good way. “Last night’s party was off the hook.”

Po-Po: Police. “I can’t believe I just got pulled over by the Po-Po!”

Queen Bee: A confident, gossipy girl who is the leader of a clique. “Watch your back! The Queen Bee has arrived.”

’Rents: Short for, you guessed it, parents.

Sketch: A dubious or shady situation. “This club is really sketch. Let’s get out of here!”

Totes: Short for the overly lengthy “totally.” “We should totes go to the mall today!”

User: A mooch. “He always calls me for a ride to school. He’s such a user!”

Word: Agreement. “Wasn’t he disrepecting me?” “Word.”

Zaang: The new “awesome.” “That store is zaang!”

[Texting]

Who could your son possibly be texting so much? Does he have a girlfriend you don’t know about? What the heck does ROFL mean? We’re here to help.

ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
LOL: Laugh out loud
TTYL: Talk to you later
BTDUBS/BTW: By the way
Koo: Cool
BAHAHA/TEHEHE: Sounds of laughter
YW: You’re welcome
TY: Thank you
NNL: Not now, later
Den: Then
Dat: That