Keep it Real: 7 Popular Slang Words and Phrases When we say “slang” we usually refer to a language that is rather of a spoken form than of a written one, and it is usually regarded as an informal language used by certain groups, such as, for example, teenagers. In today’s fast-paced world, the gap between the younger and older generations is ever growing resulting in the development of new forms of slang by as faster as ever before. In order for teenagers to communicate without the interference of their parents, creating new words comes as a natural solution. Thanks to the rise of the social media networks and the development of all sorts of online communication systems, new slang words are quickly becoming viral and catchy. We can argue whether these new forms of a language are degrading it, or whether they are just enabling us to communicate faster and more effectively. You can love them or hate them, but you cannot escape them. New slang terms that are constantly created are finding their way into every aspect of our lives as they tend to be used in everyday communication and are sometimes even popularized by celebrities. If you are not familiar with some of the most popular terms, you might not grasp the meaning of some messages as it all might seem gibberish. New slang terms can be created by abbreviating the existing words, making it easier to get your message across faster. In other cases, new and more popular meanings can be added to existing words thus enabling us to use them in completely new contexts. We have entire online resources devoted to slang words, such as Urban Dictionary, which defines the word “slang” as “the only reason Urbandictionary.com exists”. To keep you on track of the newest trends, here are some popular slang words and phrases you should familiarize yourself with. Bae The word “bae” serves as a shorter form of the word “baby” (though not significantly shorter) and you can use this word to refer to your significant other or any person that you hold dear. We have also witnessed the expansion of its meaning as it now can be used for anything that you deem as good or awesome. Doe “Doe” is another popular word that can stand for several different terms. Among other things, it refers to the simplified form of the word “though” reflecting its pronunciation and used when you want to emphasize something important. Another alternative meaning is that the word “doe” is an acronym of the expression “depends on experience”. Yas You can use the word “yas” if you want to express that you are extremely happy of satisfied because you have achieved something great. As with many trendy slang words, we can find the origin of this term in popular culture. The story goes that when Lady Gaga’s fan met her pronounced the word “yes” as “yas” due to emotional reaction. This word now celebrates anything that you may find pleasing. Slay The word “slay” referring to a violent kill has been around for some time now. However, these days we come across the new meaning added to the existed meanings of this word. If you say that someone “slayed” something it means that they did an amazing job. On fleek We are constantly finding new ways to express our admiration towards someone’s flawless appearance. Thus the term “on fleek” was born thanks to social media and it is denoting that something or someone looks completely perfect from head to toes. Fomo This is another example of a popular acronym which stands for “fear of missing out”. There is always this one situation, such as a certain social gathering, that we don’t want to leave or we weren’t able to go to thus giving rise to the fear that you will miss out on something great. Zero chill In addition to other phrases with the word “chill”, such as “take a chill pill”, denoting a state of relaxation, there is a newly coined term “zero chill”. So what does it mean? When you’ve come to that point in your life when you don’t care what others think of your actions and do what you want, that’s when you’ve reached “zero chill”. Every era has its unique slang terms that were fashionable to use at that particular time. Can’t wait to see what new popular slang words the future will bring us!