What emojis meanand how the world really uses them
Is 🙏 a please, a prayer, or a high five? Emoji meanings change across borders.
💡 Did you know?
💀skull
Who uses 💀 to mean "dying of laughter" (US, by generation)
- Gen Z90
- Millennials55
- Older generations15
Editorial estimate — cast your vote to tell us how you use it
💡 Did you know?
😂face with tears of joy
😂 has topped the world's most-used emoji rankings for years — yet English-speaking Gen Z reads it as a millennial tell and uses 💀 for big laughs instead.
Most used emojis
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- 👍️💀🙂🫡😂Your 👍️ Might Be Reading as Cold: A Guide to the Reaction Emoji Generation GapYou send 👍️ to mean "got it"; a younger reader may see "this conversation is over". 💀 means laughing, 🙂 can mean sarcasm, 🫡 can mean resignation. Here is how six common reaction emoji land differently depending on who is reading.
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