TikTok is the largest single producer of new English slang on Earth. The For You algorithm rewards short, repeatable, soundbite-able phrases — which means new vocabulary surfaces in days and dies in months. This glossary is what's actually in circulation as of mid-2026, sorted by recency. The words at the top are still cresting; the ones at the bottom are nearly retired.
For background on how TikTok ingests and exports slang from other platforms, see where slang is born now.
Just emerging (peak 2026)
- aurapilled — to become aware of energetic vibes; usually self-aware-ironic.
- cortisol-coded — wellness-aesthetic descriptor for stress-inducing content/spaces.
- lookmaxxing (regional spelling shift from looksmaxxing) — fitness-pilled self-optimization.
- NPC behavior — used pejoratively for going-through-the-motions content. Replacing "cringe."
- ai slop — low-effort AI-generated content. Spreading fast.
Currently peaking
- skibidi — generic intensifier, originally from the YouTube series.
- sigma — "cool / unbothered." Used by everyone, mostly ironically.
- fanum tax — taking a piece of someone else's food.
- aura — vibes / energy. Quantified as a number on TikTok ("+1000 aura").
- vibe coding — building software intuitively.
- canon event — an unavoidable formative moment.
Algospeak (mature)
These started as content-moderation workarounds and are now standard TikTok vocabulary. See algospeak explained for the full backstory.
- unalive — die / kill (mental health adjacent).
- seggs — sex.
- le dollar bean — lesbian.
- panda — police.
- SA / SH — sexual assault / self-harm.
- spicy — explicit content.
- corn / corn star — porn / porn star.
Saturated (still used, mostly ironic)
- rizz — charisma. Brand campaigns have flattened it.
- mid — mediocre. Universally understood now.
- delulu — delusional.
- demure — modest, often ironic. The Jools Lebron format ran its course.
- main character energy — protagonist behavior.
- girl dinner / girl math — TikTok-coded relatability content tropes.
Aesthetics ("-cores" and "-coded")
TikTok's contribution to fashion vocabulary is the ever-expanding suffix system:
- cottagecore, dark academia, kidcore, weirdcore, traumacore
- coquette, balletcore, regencycore
- quiet luxury, old money aesthetic, stealth wealth
- mob wife aesthetic, Y2K, twee
- "-coded" attaches to anything: Chappell-coded, autumn-coded, villain-coded
Already dated as of 2026
Mostly safe to skip; using these unironically reads as having absorbed TikTok one cycle late.
- "Roman Empire" (the format)
- "core memory" (overused)
- "era" as a generic suffix ("my soft launch era")
- "slay" earnestly (still ironic)
Why this glossary will be obsolete by next year
See the lifecycle of a slang word: each entry above is somewhere on a 4-stage arc from incubation to mainstream death. Most things in the "currently peaking" section will be in the "already dated" section by mid-2027.
For the longer-form retirement forecast, see words to retire in 2027.