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Gen Z Says These Are the Words of 2024

We asked Gen Z to name 2024’s word of the year, and this is what they had to say…

Written and Edited by the YPulse Editorial Team
KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Surprisingly, “rizz” is Gen Z’s word of the year, again
  • Viral moments created some of Gen Z’s most used phrases this year
  • It might sound like jibberish to older gens, but Gen Z’s “brainrot” language has meaning to them
As 2024 comes to a close, brands and dictionaries alike are declaring the words that defined the year, and Gen Z’s influence is clear in nearly every one of them. Oxford selected “brain rot,” a term tied to the chaotic, meme-driven humor fueling Gen Z’s content consumption. Dictionary.com chose “demure,” a viral trend that Gen Z gravitated toward. Collins highlighted “brat,” a nod to the popularity of “brat summer” that Gen Z undoubtably was responsible for (which YPulse reported on in real-time.) It’s also important to note that while Gen Z popularizes much of today’s slang, many of these trending words have African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to thank for their appearance in mainstream lexicons.   But while everyone is acknowledging Gen Z’s vocabulary of 2024, YPulse is going straight to the source and getting the word of the year from the trendsetting generation themselves. We asked 1,500 13-39-year-olds what they think was the most popular word or phrase of 2024 (i.e. a word or term that was most...

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