(AAVE, slang) What's going on? What's up?.
What's bracking is regional African American slang, especially in West Coast contexts, similar to "what's happening?" or "what's good?" Not concerning, just regional vocabulary. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.
What's bracking is regional African American slang, especially in West Coast contexts, similar to "what's happening?" or "what's good?" Not concerning, just regional vocabulary. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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What's bracking is regional African American slang, prevalent in West Coast contexts, meaning "what's happening?" or "what's up?" Use only in casual AAVE-aware contexts. Formal equivalents: "what's happening?" "what's going on?" Common non-native mistake: confusing with similar regional greetings. The phrase has specific West Coast cultural associations. Read or listen to the word in context several times before trying it yourself; the right register is harder to learn than the dictionary meaning.
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