The Latest Tween & Teen Slang Words Aren't Actually Words At All

If you’re here, then you’ve probably reached an age where you have no idea what your kids are saying. Welcome. Nothing makes you feel worse than trying to get your child to explain what the latest slang means — especially because they rarely will want to do it anyway. That’s why we like dive deep to figure out the trends and what they mean, so you don’t have to. This newest explainer is even more confusing, because the latest language in teens’ lexicon aren’t actually real words at all… Teens are communicating via very specific sounds, and, like many things of this generation, it makes no sense at all.

Middle school teacher and teen and tween slang translator Mr. Lindsay shared some of the most common words and sounds the kids are saying these days in a new video on Instagram. These include “six-seven” (still!) among others. But what’s even weirder is the sounds that are popular.

“Fahhh!” Mr. Lindsay says to the camera, emphasizing the hard “f” at the beginning of the word. “It’s this meme that’s going around, and it’s this like echoey sound, and I don’t think it has a meaning yet. They’re just yelling ‘fahhh!’ anywhere.” Most annoying sound ever alert!

Another interesting sound that’s popular again? Putting your hand up to your mouth with your pinky out and just saying “gurl, gurl, gurl, gurl, gurl” in a weird voice. This term is one that Mr. Lindsay remembers saying when he was a kid, adding that the sound has recently gone viral and that’s why kids are saying it.

In the comments, some people clarified what these sounds meant based on what their own kids have explained. For example, “fahhh”? Yeah, that’s just a school appropriate way to drop an f-bomb.

“So my son said when they say FAHHHHH they are technically saying the F word without saying the F word,” one person commented. Many replied agreeing. “My son said the same…as if I hadn’t already worked that out!????” another responded.

“I mean, duh ???? Did any adult really think it was just a new sound? I nipped that one real quick with mine,” someone else wrote.

MrToucan Explains Memes shared an explainer meme of this on YouTube, explaining that this sound comes from a “distorted audio clip of a voice saying ‘fahhh,’ often paired with chaotic visuals, meme slideshows, or surreal edits.” It’s a “brainrot video,” which became a popular sound to use in TikToks and has now spread to IRL.

Like many things that are popular (again, “six-seven,”), the explanation for these can leave you feeling even more confused than you were before. And that’s OK! All you have to do is start using the sound yourself, and pretty soon, the kids won’t think it’s cool anymore and will move on to something else.

For more 2025 teen and tween slang explanations, check out our guide HERE.  

Before you go, see what these celebs have said about the teachers who inspired them.