“YOLO!” “I can’t even…” “Epic!”
For international students, learning a new language like English can be tricky, especially slang. You may hear dozens of slang words around your college campus. You might even hear some current trendy words and phrases at your internship or job. Our guide to college slang and American slang 2023 will help you better understand new slang words, see some slang examples, and know how to use them.
What Is Slang?
Slang words are specific words or phrases that have a cultural definition that is different from the literal definition. For example, when you “keep your cool,” you are not talking about the temperature. You are saying that you will stay calm under pressure.
Cool slang changes constantly. Some slang examples, like “what’s up?”, have been around so long that they have become idioms, or common expressions where the meaning of certain word combinations are really different from their literal meaning. An example of an idiom is “out of the blue” to indicate something that happened without warning.
Other slang words are trendy, or come from current music, TV, or movies, and are only used for a short time. For example, try saying Wazzzup to one of your classmates and see how they respond. (They might laugh, and not in a good way.)
Knowing how and when to use slang words or college slang will help you connect with and better understand American students. As a general rule, you can use current trendy words and phrases with your friends and classmates, but should use more formal English when speaking to professors and coworkers. If you use current slang in more formal settings, like at work, people might see you as rude or unprofessional.
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Origin of Slang Today
Pop culture and youth culture tend to create new slang words and trends. Historically, that meant that the TV shows, pop and hip-hop music, movies, and video games popular with kids, teens, and young adults influenced current slang. While those forms of media still shape new slang words and cool slang, young people now tend to spend more time online – and with that shift, the internet, and especially social media, drive the majority of American slang in 2023.
So, if you want to get a sense of the most up-to-date and trendiest slang examples, it’s all on the social media platforms that young people use the most: Get a sense of the latest cool slang and college slang by watching how TikTok and Instagram creators speak. Note which hashtags are used frequently. Pay attention to the context in how slang words are used online. Nowadays, most current trendy words and phrases get their start – and take off – on social media.
American Slang by Region
While the internet and pop culture have created common slang words around the country (and often the globe), keep in mind that different areas of the country may use different slang words. This means the Northeast, South, Midwest, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and West Coast will likely have their own local cool slang.
So, for example, if you go to school at the University of the Pacific in California, you may hear slightly different college slang from current slang at UMass Boston. Or, sometimes, the same slang word may have slightly different meanings in different places – so a college slang word that is cool at Adelphi University may not be at Louisiana State University, or vice versa.
For examples of regional slang words, you may hear a student in Boston say something is “wicked good” (which just means something is very good). A student in Texas or South Carolina may say “y’all should come to the game later” (meaning you or the group of you). And in Philadelphia, “jawn” can be substituted for almost any noun (“we’re taking this jawn to the bank”).
Wherever you decide to study, you’ll quickly hear the local current slang – and it may even become part of your own vocabulary!
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Of course, there are always slang words that will be used across the country. Here’s a list of just a few college slang words you’ll hear, no matter where you go. Check out these slang examples.