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If someone texted you “LWKY”, would you know what it meant? Google says searches for it have hit an all-time high this year.
They’re not actually initials. It stands for LOW-KEY . . . just one more phrase Gen Z has opted to RE-define.
It used to mean quiet or simple. Like, “We’re keeping it low-key and only inviting 10 people.” Now it means a guilty pleasure or something you’re embarrassed about. Like, “Don’t tell anyone, but I low-key love Nickelback.”
Google went back through 15 years of data, and looked at the year searches for different acronyms peaked. So, when they took off and we started using them.
See how many of these you know . . .
2009: FML . . . short for “[Eff] My Life”
2010: FTW . . . For the Win
2011: SMH . . . Shaking My Head
2012: YOLO . . . You Only Live Once
2013: OOTD . . . Outfit of the Day
2014: (Careful!) THOT . . . a mean one about women, “That Ho Over There.”
2015: TBH . . . To Be Honest
2016: WYD . . . What You Doing?
2017: TFW . . . That Feeling When
2018: It’s the only year they didn’t list one for. (WTF?!?)
2019: FOMO . . . Fear of Missing Out
2020: FYP . . . “For You Page”. (???) As in, the “For You” tab on TikTok.
2021: 1437 . . . short for “I Love You Forever”. (???) “I” has one letter . . . “Love” has four . . . “You” has three . . . and “Forever” has seven.
2022: IYKYK . . . If You Know, You Know
2023: BFFR . . . Be [Effing] for Real.
2024: LWKY . . . I low-key already forgot what that one means.
