Algospeak
Etymology
A blend of “algorithm” and “speak” that gained currency around 2022, notably through reporting by Taylor Lorenz. Users on TikTok and elsewhere began writing “unalive” for kill, “seggs” for sex, and “corn” for porn to dodge suppression. The vocabulary is evidence that moderation systems now actively reshape language.
noun · /AL-goh-speek/
Coded language and misspellings used to evade a platform’s automated content moderation.
What it names
A living dialect shaped by machines — speech bent around what the algorithm punishes.
Example
To keep the video from being buried, she said “unalive” instead of the word she meant — pure algospeak.
Related idea
Algospeak is a modern shibboleth driven by software: where a shibboleth marks who belongs, algospeak marks what a machine will let through.
See also