AAVE glossary
AAVE — African American Vernacular English — has been the largest single source of new American English vocabulary for at least a century. Cool, hip, jive, dig, chill, fly, dope, fresh, def, phat all came from it before the internet existed. The current TikTok-era vocabulary continues that lineage; many words that read as 'Gen Z slang' are decades-old AAVE that recently broke wider.
This glossary collects AAVE-tagged terms with attribution where we have it. For more on the lineage, see the longform AAVE piece in /learn.
The AAVE lexicon · 290 terms
Bottom line
Crediting Gen Z or TikTok for AAVE words is an inaccuracy that erases the actual origin. We try to put that right in etymology where we can.
FAQ
What is AAVE?+
African American Vernacular English — a complete dialect of English spoken primarily in Black American communities, with its own grammar, vocabulary, and history. It has been the largest single source of new mainstream English vocabulary for over a century.
Where does AAVE come from?+
From the linguistic descendants of West African and Caribbean English varieties brought to North America, shaped over centuries by community use, hip-hop, and Black media. It is not 'broken English' or slang — it is a fully systematic dialect.
Why are so many 'Gen Z slang' words actually AAVE?+
Because Gen Z (and TikTok generally) scales words that originated in Black American communities decades earlier — slay, periodt, finna, woke, on fleek all predate their viral moments by 20+ years.
Is using AAVE words appropriation?+
Context-dependent. Using a word that's crossed fully into mainstream English (cool, hip) is unremarkable. Adopting AAVE grammar or speech patterns selectively while in non-Black contexts can read as performative; using slurs is a separate issue. The dictionary tracks the words; the cultural use is the speaker's call.
Related hubs
Every Gen Z slang term we track on Slangora — slay, no cap, bussin', situationship, rizz, brat, demure — defined, ranked, and dated.
New York City slang — bodega, brick, deadass, ratchet, heard — defined and dated. Includes both old-school and current Bronx/Brooklyn/Queens pickups.
The slang that defined the 2010s — on fleek, lit, savage, bae, lowkey, basic, ratchet, finsta, Netflix and chill, OK boomer, TikTok early days.
Yas, slay, serve, read, throwing shade, the tea, kiki, mother — the AAVE and Latin queer vocabulary that built drag, ballroom, and (eventually) mainstream pop.