Are you down with the kids, or are you starting to show your age?
The answer may lie in how many of these strange words you know the meaning of.
The experts from Unscramblerer.com have analyzed it Google search for 2024 to reveal Britain’s most searched words.
‘Enlightenment’ – a type of delusion that makes you question your memories and feelings – tops the list, with over 170,000 searches.
Meanwhile, other confusing words including ‘skibidi’, ‘pookie’, and ‘hawk tua’ have also caused Britons to turn to Google.
‘The English language is changing. Every year a new word is created,” said a spokesperson for Unscramblerer.com.
‘Many slang words are born through trending headlines and television shows.
‘Yet very few stick around long enough to add to the dictionary and remain in everyday use.’
Are you down with the kids, or are you starting to show your age? The answer may lie in how many of these strange words you know the meaning of
In this study, the team used Google Trends to find popular slang terms, along with Ahrefs to get search volume.
‘The most popular UK words can be found in Google Trends through the word “meaning”,’ Unscramblerer.com explained.
‘People will hear or read slang and search for the meaning of the word (eg, “the meaning of demure”).
Ahrefs shows searches for different meanings such as “slang” or “trend” (for example “demure slang”) and combinations of similar keywords (for example “what does demure mean”).
‘We added 150 different search options for the top slang words.’
The analysis revealed that ‘gas lighting’ is the most searched term (170,000 searches), followed by ‘skibidi’ (125,000 searches).
From the YouTube animation series Skibidi Toilet, this term is used to describe a bad or bad person.
‘Pookie’ – a term used to express love and affection – is third on the list with 47,000 searches, followed by ‘hawk tuah’ (40,000 searches).
TikTok user Jools Lebron has created several viral videos using the phrase “very demure”. This caused the word to have a sporting meaning. They use it to test the right makeup and fashion choices in different places
‘Hawk tuah’ is a sound word produced by Halie Welch during a viral street interview in June 2024.
In the video, Welch said her signature move for making a man ‘crazy’ in bed was ‘giving him a hawk tuah and a spit thang’.
‘Sigma’ – an independent character, often referred to as a ‘lone wolf’ – is fifth on the list (37,000 searches).
This is followed by ‘SMH’ (shaking my head), which has been searched 31,000 times.
The TikTok channel ‘calm, very careful’ had 26,000 people searching for ‘demure’, while 25,000 searches were for ‘rizz’ – short for ‘charisma’, used to describe charm.
‘Dei’ (diversity, justice, inclusion) was ninth on the list (17,000 searches), while ‘aura’ rounded out the top 10, having been searched 13,000 times.
‘Aura’ is used to describe the vibe someone gives off, and ‘aura points’ are what make you cool.
If you’re not a Gen-Alpha, you might be embarrassed to include these words in your speech.
However, Unscramblerer.com encourages everyone to participate.
‘Slang is a natural and fun way of speaking,’ the spokesperson added.
‘We encourage everyone to learn new words and surprise their children by using them.’
