Teen Slang Decoder
Type a word, acronym or emoji and get what it actually means, how concerned to be, and the context that decides which. It covers 73 terms - 23 rated as worth a conversation, 13 as worth noticing, and 34 that are ordinary and included so you can rule them out.
The list deliberately includes deliberate misspellings such as unalive, seggs and corn. These exist precisely because they slip past automated moderation, which is also why they slip past parents.
Examples: unalive - kill or die, spelled this way to dodge moderation on TikTok and YouTube. LMIRL - "let's meet in real life", the single acronym most worth knowing if it comes from someone met online. ana / mia - anorexia and bulimia personified, shorthand used in pro-eating-disorder communities. Enable JavaScript to search all 73 terms.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server and nothing is saved.
How to read the severity ratings
A rating is about what the term signals, not how rude it is. Terms marked as worth a conversation are ones where a plausible reading involves self-harm, sexual contact or meeting a stranger. Terms marked as worth noticing are usually ordinary but change meaning with context.
The ordinary terms matter as much as the alarming ones. Most slang a parent encounters is harmless, and being able to confirm that quickly is what stops one confusing message turning into a confrontation over nothing.
One term is not evidence
Almost every entry here has an innocent use. "KMS" after a failed test is hyperbole; the same three letters in a pattern alongside withdrawal and sleep changes are not. What matters is repetition, tone, and who the message is to - not a single hit.
If something here worries you, the useful next step is usually to ask directly and without the phone in your hand. Leading with a search result rarely goes well.
Frequently asked questions
What does unalive mean?
Kill, die, or suicide. It is a deliberate substitution used to avoid automated moderation on TikTok and YouTube, which flag the direct words. It is current and widespread, and appears in both genuine distress and ordinary dark humour.
What does LMIRL mean?
"Let's meet in real life." It is the acronym most worth recognising, because the risk is entirely about who is asking - unremarkable between school friends, and a serious concern coming from someone your child met online.
Why do teenagers misspell words like seggs and corn?
To get past automated content moderation. Platforms filter on exact words, so communities adopt phonetic substitutions that humans read normally and filters do not catch. That same property is why the terms are unfamiliar to adults.
Should I confront my child about a term I found?
Usually not immediately, and rarely by leading with the search. A single term is weak evidence, and an interrogation tends to move the conversation somewhere you cannot see it. Look for a pattern first, then ask directly and calmly.
Is the list kept up to date?
Slang moves quickly and any list of it is a snapshot. This one focuses on terms with staying power and on moderation-dodging spellings, which change more slowly than fashion words.
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