This is the big internet slang test: 60 words, from the chatroom era to this year, alive and dead, with the answer written under each one. Cover the answers if you want to play honestly, count your score at the end, and use the scoring guide to find out whether you are a normal person, a millennial with a Twitter habit, or someone who should log off. The words are in rough chronological order, so the first twenty are easy if you are over forty and the last twenty are easy if you are under twenty.
Scoring: one point for knowing the meaning, one bonus point if you also know whether it is alive or dead in 2026. Maximum 120. Be honest; nobody is watching, which is the only reason anyone was ever honest on the internet.
Part 1: The old web (1990s to 2009)
1. A/S/L
Age, sex, location: the opening line of every 1990s chatroom conversation, and the reason nobody trusted anyone in them. A/S/L is dead; it died with AIM and the chatrooms it lived in, around 2008. Anyone who answers "14/f/cali" as a joke is showing their age.
2. AFK
Away from keyboard. AFK is from the 1990s, was universal in gaming through the 2000s, and is dying now because nobody is ever away from their keyboard; the keyboard is in their pocket.
3. LOL
Laughing out loud, since 1989 on Usenet. LOL is alive, but its meaning has changed: it now signals mild acknowledgement rather than laughter, and actual laughter is expressed with Skull Emoji or "I'm crying".
4. ROFL
Rolling on the floor laughing. ROFL is dying; it belongs to the same era as its own vehicle, the ROFLcopter (2003), and has not been used sincerely since about 2010.
5. Pwned
"Owned", misspelled, meaning defeated or humiliated. Pwned comes from a typo in a Warcraft map around 2000 and is a fossil: known to everyone, used by nobody, except in "have I been pwned", the data-breach checker.
6. Leetspeak
Replacing letters with numbers and symbols (l33t, h4x0r) to signal hacker credentials. Leetspeak is from around 1994 and is a fossil. If you can read it fluently you were on a forum in 2003.
7. n00b
A newcomer, spelled with zeros to mock them. n00b is from around 1999 and is dying; "noob" survives in games, but the zeros are gone.
8. Rickroll
Tricking someone into clicking a link to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" (1987). Rickroll dates from 2007 (via 2006's duckroll on 4chan) and is undead: it comes back every time a new generation discovers it.
9. Lolcat
A cat photo with a misspelled caption ("I can has cheezburger?"). Lolcat is from 2006 and is dead, though its grammar lives on in Doge and every "hooman" post.
10. FAIL
A caption for anything going wrong, often "EPIC FAIL". FAIL is from around 2003 (from a mistranslated Japanese game) and is dead; "epic" itself, in this sense, died around 2012.
11. Epic
Extremely good, in the 2000s sense ("epic win"). Epic (2000s) is dead, and using it sincerely marks you as a person who owned a "Keep Calm" poster.
12. YOLO
You only live once, from Drake's 2011 verse on "The Motto". YOLO was everywhere in 2012 and was dead by 2014. It is now used only ironically, often by parents.
Part 2: The social media decade (2010 to 2019)
13. Swag
Style, confidence, or simply a noise made by teenagers in 2011. Swag is dead, killed by overuse and by being the name of every giveaway tote bag.
14. On fleek
Perfect, flawless (originally of eyebrows). On Fleek is from a 2014 Vine by Kayla Newman and was dead by 2016, having been used by IHOP.
15. Bae
Partner, "before anyone else" (a backronym; it is really just "babe" shortened). Bae peaked in 2014 and is dead.
16. Lit
Exciting, excellent, or intoxicated. Lit had a good run from around 2015 to 2018 and is dead, though it survives in the fire emoji.
17. Yeet
To throw with force, or an exclamation of the same. Yeet comes from a 2014 Vine dance and is dying: still known, only used ironically.
18. Fam
Family, meaning close friends. Fam was big from 2014 to 2017 and is dying, surviving mostly in British usage.
19. Salty
Bitter, upset over a loss. Salty has been in gaming since around 2012 and is alive; it is one of the few 2010s words that simply became English.
20. Savage
Brutally honest or ruthless, admiringly. Savage peaked around 2016 and is dying.
21. Woke
Originally aware of racial injustice (with roots in the 1930s); by around 2016 a general term for progressive, and then an insult. Woke as internet slang is dead; it is now a political word with no slang meaning left.
22. OK Boomer
A dismissal of older people's opinions, from TikTok in 2019. OK Boomer burned out within a year and is dead; the Fellow Kids energy of adults using it did most of the work.
23. Simp
Someone who does too much for a person they are attracted to. Simp is from older hip-hop slang, blew up on TikTok in 2019, and is dying.
24. Cap / No cap
"Cap" is a lie; "no cap" means honestly. No Cap has been in Atlanta rap since the 2010s, was everywhere online in 2019 and 2020, and is dying.
25. Ratio
More replies than likes, meaning a post has been rejected. Ratio is from Twitter around 2017 and is alive; it has become a verb and a noun and a measurement.
26. Based
Admirably true to yourself regardless of opinion; from Lil B around 2010. Based is alive, with a political edge in some circles.
27. Cringe
Second-hand embarrassment, as a noun and an adjective. Cringe has been an internet word since around 2010 and is alive; it is the word everyone on this list is afraid of.
28. IYKYK
If you know, you know. IYKYK is from around 2019 and is alive; it is the hashtag for anything that is an inside joke.
29. NGL
Not gonna lie. NGL is from around 2019 in its current use and is alive.
30. Slay
To do something extremely well; from Black and queer ballroom culture, mainstream online since around 2010. Slay is alive but drifting; adults saying it in meetings have hurt it.
31. Lowkey
Slightly, secretly. Lowkey is from around 2015 and is alive; it has stopped being slang.
32. Bet
Okay, agreed. Bet has been around since 2017 online (much older in speech) and is alive.
Part 3: The pandemic and after (2020 to 2023)
33. Sus
Suspicious, from Among Us in 2020 (and much older). "Sus" is alive as a word, though the Sussy Baka version from 2021 is dead.
34. Sheesh
An exclamation of being impressed, drawn out ("sheeeesh"). Sheesh was a 2020 TikTok sound and is dead.
35. Bussin
Extremely good, of food. Bussin spread on TikTok in 2020 and is dying.
36. Cheugy
Out of date in a try-hard millennial way. Cheugy was coined in 2013 and went viral in 2021, then became cheugy itself. Dead.
37. Mid
Mediocre. Mid is from wrestling promos around 2020 and is alive, having become an ordinary word.
38. Touch grass
Go outside; you have been online too long. Touch Grass is from around 2020 and is alive.
39. Rizz
Charisma, romantic charm. Rizz is from Kai Cenat's streams around 2021 and is dying, having been Oxford's Word of the Year in 2023.
40. Delulu
Delusional, affectionately. Delulu comes from K-pop fandom and reached TikTok around 2022; alive.
41. Ate
Did something perfectly ("she ate that"). Ate, and the longer Ate and Left No Crumbs, are from drag and ballroom slang; the short form is alive, the long form dying.
42. It's giving
It has the energy of (something). It's Giving is from ballroom culture, mainstream since around 2020, and alive.
43. Sigma
A lone-wolf male, then a joke, then a word for "cool" among children. Sigma as slang is dead; it survives only in What the Sigma.
44. Ohio
Weird, cursed, from the running joke that only strange things happen in Ohio. Ohio as slang is from around 2022 and dead.
45. Gyatt
An exclamation at a large backside; from streamers around 2022. Gyatt is dying, and one of the few words on this list that should be.
46. Skibidi
A nonsense word from Skibidi Toilet (2023). Skibidi is dying; alive only among children.
47. Fanum tax
Stealing a bit of someone's food, after the streamer Fanum. Fanum Tax is from 2022 and is dead.
48. Cooked
Doomed, finished. Cooked has been in use since around 2022 and is alive.
49. Brainrot
Low-quality content and the mental state it produces. Brainrot was Oxford's Word of the Year in 2024 and is alive.
Part 4: Now (2024 to 2026)
50. Aura
Coolness measured in points ("+1000 aura"). Aura is from football and anime edits around 2024 and is alive.
51. Aura farming
Doing something purely to look cool. Aura Farming is from 2025 and is alive.
52. Huzz
Girls, from a coarser root; used since around 2023. Huzz is alive.
53. Chopped
Ugly, unattractive. Chopped is from around 2024 and is alive.
54. Six-seven
A meaningless chant with a hand gesture, from a 2024 Skrilla track. Six-Seven was the sound of 2025 and is dead, killed by adverts and a Word of the Year award.
55. Clanker
A slur for robots and AI, from Star Wars, popular since 2025. Clanker is alive.
56. Lock in
Focus completely. Lock In is from around 2024 online and is alive.
57. Crash out
Lose your temper or act recklessly out of frustration. Crash Out is from around 2023 and is alive.
58. Mog
To be better-looking than someone, from Looksmaxxing forums. Mog is from 2023 and is alive.
59. Tuff
Cool, a respelling of "tough". Tuff is from 2024 and alive.
60. Womp womp
A sarcastic "too bad", from the sad trombone sound. Womp Womp is from 2023 and alive.
Scoring guide
Count one point per meaning and one per correct status, out of 120.
0 to 30: You are a normal person with a job and hobbies. Well done. Nothing here will improve your life.
31 to 60: You know the old web or the new one, but not both. If you got Part 1 and 2 and nothing after, you are a millennial; if you got Part 3 and 4 and nothing before, you are the reason they feel old.
61 to 90: You are online. You know what Cringe is and you have avoided it, mostly. You have probably explained a word to a parent this year.
91 to 110: You are very online. You have opinions about the difference between dying and dead, and you were annoyed by at least three of our status calls.
111 to 120: You should Touch Grass. You are also welcome to write for us.
What the test actually shows
The words that survive are the boring ones: Salty, Lowkey, Mid, Cooked, Bet. They describe situations rather than the speaker, they are short, and they filled a real gap in the language. The words that die are the ones that were about being current: Swag, On Fleek, Lit, Sheesh, Six-Seven. They were membership signals, and a membership signal stops working the moment everyone has it. If you want to guess which of the 2026 words will still be here in 2036, ask which ones a person could use without meaning to sound young. That list is short, and it is probably Cooked, Lock In and Aura.
FAQ
How many internet slang words are in the test?
Sixty, in rough chronological order from A/S/L (1990s) to Womp Womp and Aura Farming (2020s), with the answer under each word and a status (alive, dying, dead) as of 2026.
What is the difference between "dying" and "dead"?
Dying means the original users have abandoned it but it is still in sincere use somewhere (children, a particular platform, a specific country). Dead means nobody uses it except ironically or by mistake. Skibidi is dying; Six-Seven is dead.
Which slang words are safe to use in 2026?
The ones that became ordinary English: Bet, Lowkey, Mid, Cooked, Salty, NGL, IYKYK. See our guide to using slang without being cringe for the full method.
What was the first internet slang word?
Among words still recognised, LOL (1989) and BTW and AFAIK (around 1990) are the oldest; all three predate the web and come from Usenet and bulletin boards.
