How I Got Confused By “Igh”
So last Thursday I was texting my little cousin about weekend plans when she hits me with “igh im down”. My brain froze. Is that a typo? Did she mean “high”? Why the h just chillin’ there? I’m normally good with slang but this felt like solving algebra.
My Messy Research Process
First I grabbed my nephew’s Discord chat logs (with permission!). Scrolled through months of messages hunting for patterns. Found 3 types:
- “igh” alone as hello/goodbye
- “igh” meaning “okay fine” when annoyed
- “igh” replacing “alright” in lazy typing
Next I sent polls to my gaming group chats. Asked straight up: “When you text ‘igh’ whatchu really mean?” Got roasted hard but the answers were gold. One friend admitted: “My thumbs just slap letters when I’m half asleep”.
Real Life Examples That Clicked
Finally understood when my coworker Jake texted our group:
- “Meeting in 10?” → Me: “Yeah” → Jake: “igh”
Realized that “igh” was his grumpy “fine I’ll show up” energy. Same when my sister replied to “Mom’s calling” with “igh” – that heavy sigh in text form.
My Lightbulb Moment
It hit me while watching teens text at Starbucks. Saw a girl type “igh bye” after her phone buzzed nonstop. That’s the secret sauce:
- Short for “alright” OR “I guess”
- H = breath sound (like “sigh”)
- Never means “high” unless 🍃emoji present
Now when my cousin says “igh” I know exactly which lazy-but-effective vibe she’s throwing. My texts finally make sense!
