Slang dictionary

algospeak

[ al-goh-speek ]

What does algospeak mean?

Algospeak refers to coded language and euphemisms used on social media platforms to avoid having content removed or filtered by an algorithm.

Many websites, especially social media sites, use AI algorithms to moderate the large amount of content posted on their platforms. These algorithms often automatically flag or delete content that contains or mentions words or phrases that the algorithm has been programmed to recognize as being unacceptable.

However, this often causes algorithms to flag or remove permitted content that discusses sensitive issues or content that uses the “unacceptable” words without breaking any rules.

Being aware of this, many communities on social media use coded language, emoji, or euphemisms to avoid having their content removed by algorithms. The term algospeak refers to this language.

For example, people used terms like panoramic, panini, and panda express to refer to the COVID-19 pandemic after platforms began removing content that mentioned the pandemic to attempt to halt the spread of misinformation.

Some other examples of algospeak include using the word seggs instead of sex, the word accountants to refer to sex workers, the word unalive to refer to death or suicide, the corn emoji to refer to pornography, and the phrase leg booty to refer to the LGBTQ+ community.

Where does algospeak come from?

dark green text "algospeak" on green background

Algospeak combines algo- from the word algorithm with the word speak. Algospeak refers to coded language that people use (“speak”) to avoid being censored or moderated by AI algorithms.

The word algospeak was used as early as 2016 on social media. However, the term was obscure at the time.

The term algospeak gained wider mainstream attention after it was featured in an April 2022 Washington Post article, which stated that the term and the algospeak “language” was popularized by TikTok users. This article in particular seems to have caused the term algospeak to gain wider attention in mainstream and social media, including from Urban Dictionary and The New York Times, as well as Twitter.

Examples of algospeak

I both love and hate that algospeak is a thing. It really shows how language evolves.
@bardzilla_, April 12, 2022
Some adult content creators have also struggled to stay on TikTok, where content moderation is so strict that “algospeak” — that is, code words or euphemisms that won’t be flagged by the platform — has developed into its own online dialect. “Strippers,” for example, are referred to as “spicy dancers” or “$trippers” to evade content filters.
Morgan Sung, NBC News, November 23, 2022

Who uses algospeak?

The word algospeak is used on social media to refer to coded language used to avoid posts being removed or filtered by AI algorithms.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of algospeak like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of algospeak that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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