What does 'moots' mean on TikTok? Plus 16 other slang TikTok terms explained including OOMF, 1437 and bussin

If you're a regular TikTok user, you'll know that the hugely popular social media platform often appears to have a language of its own.

There are a whole range of slang terms, acronyms and abbreviations that TikTokers use in their videos and when writing in the comments, so you'll need to make sure you understand them all to be able to communicate on the site or app effectively. These phrases are essentially a social media shorthand for people when they are trying to reply as fast or as succinctly as they can - but if you're not aware of them they can look - or sound - very confusing.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a quick guide to all the commonly used TikTok words and phrases, including 'moots'. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know. For even more helpful language articles related to social media, check out our guide to meaning of phrases used in Snapchat, texts and more.

Moots

'Moots' is short for 'mutual' so it means someone is talking about their followers who also follow them back.

OOMF

OOMF is an acronym for 'One Of My Followers', and is used when a person wants to address one of their followers or speak about them.

1437

The 1437 TikTok phrase actually means 'I love you forever'. The phrase has been created based on the number of letters in each word: "I" is a one letter word, "love" contains four letters, “you” contains three letters and “forever” contains seven letters.

FYP

You may see the hashtag #FYP a lot on TikTok. It's an acronymm which stands for ‘For You Page’. The FYP is the main timeline you see when you log into the app and shows you popular, viral and random videos that you might like based on your personal algorithm, rather than the videos uploaded by the accounts you follow.

POV

This stands for 'Point of View' and means the standpoint from which something is observed. The hashtag #POV is often used in videos to indicate that the video is meant to be watched as if the viewer were present or in a specific situation. These videos are meant to make watchers feel as though they are part of the action.

Heather

The term Heather has a few meanings on TikTok. The first is based on the iconic 1980s film, Heathers, about a group of mean girls who were collectively known as Heathers. So, in this instance it has negative connotations. However, in 2020, the word was given positive connotations when the term took on a new meaning thanks to Conan Gray’s song of the same name. If someone is called a Heather in this context it means they are attractive and desirable - and the person calling them this may even wish they could be them. It's likely that you'll know which of the meanings of this word a person means by what else they have said.

IB

If you see the letters ‘IB’ in a TikTok caption, it means that the video has been ‘inspired by’ another viral or notable video. The original users account will usually be tagged alongside the letters.

Stitch

You'll see the word 'stitch' at the start of someone's caption when they have joined their original video with part of another user's video, often a viral video.

Dupe

‘Dupe’ is mainly used by beauty influencers to describe a cheaper, more affordable alternative to a high-end product.

Bussin

Bussin is a word that is frequently used on TikTok, and it means that something is really good.

ALR

The most popular definition of ALR on TikTok is that it is an abbreviation for 'alright'. The #ALR hashtag is also used on popular videos in order to get more views.

W

'W' is a popular (extreme) shortform used on TikTok. When someone simply puts a "W" in the comment section, it means they're saying "Win" or congratulating someone on their success.

L

'L' is the opposite of 'W', and it means to lose.

LMR

'LMR' simply stands for 'Like My Recent'. Users typically comment LMR on other popular videos in order to drive likes and engagement to their newest posts.

Mid

The word 'mid' is often used in comments or in captions on TikTok to describe something that is mediocre. It's not great, not terrible, just average and very middle of the road.

Crop

You'll often see people asking for users to ‘crop’ their videos in the comment section - it means they want the user to reupload the video so it’s not obscured by anything else on the page such as the like button, search bar, caption. You’ll usually see these comments when someone is sharing photos of celebrities or meme edits.

NPC

NPC stands for 'Non-Playable Character'. The term refers to characters in video games that you interact with within in the game, that are not controlled by another player so when someone calls someone an NPC in real life they are implying that they are unable to think for themselves and instead repeat information that's been given to them by someone else.