POV: You’re Teaching the Present Perfect, They’re Speaking "Skibidi"
The dictionaries have spoken: "Rage bait" is officially the Oxford Word of the Year for 2025. But if you're standing in front of a classroom of teenagers today, you know that "rage bait" is just the tip of the linguistic iceberg.
For Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), the struggle is unique. We spend years mastering the nuances of phrasal verbs and inverted conditionals, only to walk into a classroom where the students are speaking a dialect that doesn't appear in any Cambridge or Pearson textbook. If you’ve recently found yourself nodding along to a student’s sentence while secretly making a mental note to Google the key adjectives later, you are not alone.
The 85% Club
According to a recent British Council survey, 85% of teachers admit they have to look up the slang words their students use. This isn't just about feeling old; it's a professional hazard. In the EFL context, this is doubly confusing. Are they making a mistake? Is this L1 interference? Or is this just... the internet?
You might be correcting a student's essay for formal register, only to find visual memes embedded directly into the paragraph. You might teach "Endure the hardship," while they mutter "Firm it."
The "New" Vocabulary List
To help you survive your next lesson without frantically checking Urban Dictionary under your desk, here is a breakdown of the vocabulary currently haunting the hallways, categorized by how likely they are to ruin your lesson plan:
1. The "Is That Even English?" Category
Skibidi:
The undisputed champion of nonsense. Originating from a viral YouTube series about singing toilets, it functions as a linguistic joker. It can mean "cool," "bad," or absolutely nothing at all. If a student says their homework is "skibidi," just smile and move on.
67 ("Six-seven"):
A response to a question that requires no answer. It comes from a viral song and is often accompanied by a hand gesture of "weighing options."
Teacher: "What is the past participle of 'go'?"
Student:"67."
2. The "False Friends" Category
Sigma:
In your math class, it’s a sum. In your English class, it’s a "lone wolf" or independent male. It’s often used as a supreme compliment ("You're so sigma for giving us no homework").
Cap / No Cap:
Nothing to do with headwear. "Cap" is a lie; "No cap" is the truth.
Student: "I did the reading, no cap." (Narrator: It was, in fact, cap.)
3. The "Adjective Replacements" Category
Bussin:
Used primarily for food or experiences that are exceptionally good.
Old English: "This cafeteria lunch is delicious."
New English: "This lunch is bussin."
Rizz:
Short for "charisma." The ability to charm others. If you explain grammar clearly, you might have "teacher rizz" (though don't count on it).
4. The "Grammar Benders" Category
High-key / Low-key:
These function as adverbs of intensity. "Low-key" means slightly or secretly; "High-key" means definitely or very much.
Student: "I'm low-key stressed about this exam."
Why You Need to Know These?
For an EFL teacher, ignoring this layer of language is risky. Students pick up this vocabulary from TikTok and gaming (think "GG" for "Good Game" or "NPC" for "Non-Player Character"-someone who can't think for themselves). They often don't realize these words are informal, slang, or culturally specific.
Your job isn't necessarily to use them-please, for the love of syntax, don't try to use them-but to decode them so you can guide students back to the appropriate register.
Pop Quiz: The "Hello, Fellow Kids" Translator- Test your readiness for Monday morning:)
Match the Teacher English to the Student Slang.
1. "I agree completely."
2. "You are deluded/unrealistic."
3. "Deal with this difficult situation."
4. "That is an exaggeration/lie."
5. "He has a charming personality."
A. "Firm it."
B. "Bet."
C. "Delulu."
D. "Cap."
E. "He's got rizz."
Good luck out there. And remember: if the lesson goes wrong, just say it was "rage bait" all along.
(Answers: 1-B, 2-C, 3-A, 4-D, 5-E)
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