Mzansi’s 20 Most Googled Slang Words in 2026 and What They Mean
- Google Trends data revealed South Africa’s most-searched slang words of 2026, with ‘67’ topping the list at over 131,000 monthly searches
- Unscramblerer.com analysed Google Trends data from January to August 2026 to compile the full list of 20 terms
- The list includes words like ‘aura points’, ‘sigma’, ‘glazing’ and ‘bussin’, which many South Africans have been quietly searching to decode
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If you have ever heard someone shout “67” or drop “aura farming” into a sentence and smiled politely while having absolutely no idea what they meant, Google has the data to prove you are far from alone.
A 2026 analysis by Unscramblerer.com tracked Google Trends data from 1 January to 25 August 2026 and ranked the slang terms South Africans searched for most. According to a report by IOL News published on 28 August 2026, the site’s Randoh Sallihall explained that the research covered over 150 search variations per term, combining results from Google Trends and the AI marketing platform Ahrefs to capture how people look up meanings, definitions and examples.
South Africa’s most-searched slang of 2026
Topping the chart in the report is “67”, pulling in 131,600 monthly searches. The term has no fixed meaning; its whole appeal is the randomness. It originates from a song called “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla, popularised when basketball player LaMelo Ball made a viral video referencing his height of 6 feet 7 inches. Younger users shout it, often with exaggerated hand gestures, purely for the absurdity.
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“Cap” and “no cap” follow with 21,500 searches. Cap means a lie or exaggeration; no cap means the opposite: you are being completely honest. “Simp” came in third at 20,900 searches, describing someone who gives far more in a relationship than they receive.
“Aura” and “aura points” logged 19,700 searches. The concept treats coolness like a currency: you earn aura points by doing impressive things and lose them by being cringe. Close behind is “sigma” at 18,200 searches, describing a self-reliant person who operates outside social hierarchies.
Other entries worth knowing: “mogging” means outclassing someone in looks or skill; “bussin” simply means something is excellent; and “mandem” refers to your group of close male friends. “Oomf” is shorthand for “one of my followers” or “one of my friends”, while “bird” describes someone who stays with a disrespectful partner and is seen as having low standards.
From “glazing” to “crash out”
Some of the more colourful entries include “glazing” (excessive, insincere flattery), “crash out” (a dramatic emotional meltdown), and “larping” (pretending to be something you are not for attention). “Rage bait” describes content deliberately designed to make people angry, while “chopped” is used to call something or someone unattractive or rough-looking.
“Maxxing” rounds out the list as a flexible term meaning to go all in on improving one area of your life, whether that is sleep, looks or anything else worth obsessing over.
The full top 20 shows that South African internet culture is deeply plugged into global online trends, even if most people are still quietly Googling what half of it actually means.
See the full list on X below:
More stories about SA slang
- A US woman shared a video showing the three South African slang words she now uses daily.
- A video by @sloo challenging South Africans to identify local slang has gone viral, sparking hilarious and enlightening reactions.
- An Australian woman named Tanya Hennessy shared a video of herself using South African slang after she spent a week in the country.
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Source: Briefly News
