If someone texted you “LWKY,” would you know what it meant? Google reports that searches for it have hit an all-time high this year.
“LWKY” stands for “low-key,” a term Gen Z has redefined. It used to mean quiet or simple, as in, “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 reviewed 15 years of data to see when searches for various acronyms peaked, indicating when they became popular. Here are some notable ones:
- 2009: FML (F*** 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: THOT (That Ho Over There)
- 2015: TBH (To Be Honest)
- 2016: WYD (What You Doing?)
- 2017: TFW (That Feeling When)
- 2018: (No acronym listed)
- 2019: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
- 2020: FYP (For You Page, as in the “For You” tab on TikTok)
- 2021: 1437 (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 F***ing For Real)
- 2024: LWKY (Low-key)
How many of these do you recognize?