South Africa’s 20 most searched slang terms in 2026 and what they mean

The most searched slang and word definitions for 2026 have been revealed.

Heard someone talking about "aura points" or yelling "67"? And then secretly pulled out your phone to avoid feeling like a total dinosaur? You’re not alone.

Google has been keeping receipts, and the numbers are in on South Africa’s most-searched slang words so far in 2026.

Unscramblerer.com has conducted an analysis of Google Trends for terms related to slang words from January 1, 2026, to August 25, 2026. The site's Randoh Sallihall said the research was conducted by word unscrambling experts.

“We used Google Trends to discover the top trending slang terms and Ahrefs (an AI marketing platform) to find the number of searches. South Africa's most popular slang terms can be discovered in Google Trends through the keyword 'meaning'. People will hear or read slang terms and search for the meaning of the term (example '67 meaning'). Ahrefs shows many variations of meaning searches like 'slang' or 'means' (example 'aura slang') and similar keyword combinations (e.g. 'what does mog mean'). We added up 150 search variations of top slang terms".

- 67 (131,600 searches): There is no literal meaning to six seven. Its absurdity is the point, making it a prime example of "brainrot" internet humour where the randomness itself becomes funny. It originates from the song "Doot Doot (6 7)" by Skrilla. LaMelo Ball, a basketball player, created a trending video about being 6 feet 7 inches tall using the song. Younger children and teenagers scream and chant it, often paired with exaggerated hand gestures.

- Cap, capping, no cap (21,500 searches): a lie, a fake claim, or an exaggeration. Whereas "no cap" means the opposite: I'm telling the truth, seriously, no lie.

- Simp (20,900 searches): show excessive devotion to or longing for someone or something. Most popular slang use is related to relationships where one partner does all the giving.

- Aura, aura points, aura farming (19,700 searches): a person's cool factor, swagger, or presence. Aura points are essentially coolness points that you can gain or lose by doing cool or cringe-worthy actions. Aura farming refers to a behaviour (often referencing anime characters) where a person does something for the sake of looking cool.

- Sigma (18,200 searches): refers to an independent, self-reliant person who operates outside traditional social hierarchies, often described as a "lone wolf".

- Mogging, mogged, mog, framemog (16,200 searches) : outclassing someone else by appearing more attractive, skillful, or successful.

- Gooning (14,700 searches): primarily used in certain online communities to describe a prolonged session of self-stimulation. The term has evolved to casually refer to becoming overly obsessed with something. Essentially losing oneself in enthusiasm for an activity or interest.

- Big back (13,200 searches): refers to someone with a large physique. Someone who is seen as gluttonous or out of shape. It’s less about literal size and more about poking fun at behaviour, like hogging food or being sluggish.

- Clock it (11,600 searches): agreeing with a sharp observation and calling something out. Stating an unspoken truth.