A new analysis of Google search data has revealed that “simp” is the Eastern Cape’s slang word of choice in 2026 — suggesting that somewhere in the province, thousands of people are desperately trying to establish whether their romantic devotion is sweet, embarrassing, or simply a textbook case of simping.
Nationally, however, the mysterious number “67” — a word some schools have even banned because it is so annoying — has left everyone else scratching their heads and Googling, “Wait, what does 67 mean?”
And this is exactly as the internet intended.
From “aura” and “mogging” to “rage bait” and “capping”, South Africans clearly aren’t just keeping up with the latest slang — they’re Googling it first, then pretending they knew what it meant all along, probably so that they can seem cool.
The word “simp” emerged as the most searched slang term in the Eastern Cape in 2026, according to an analysis of Google search data by Unscramblerer.com.
The term, commonly used to describe someone who shows excessive devotion or longing for another person, particularly in relationships, ranked third nationally with an estimated 20,900 monthly searches.
The research analysed Google search data from January 1 to August 25 2026, looking at searches for the meanings of popular slang terms.
It found that different slang words dominated searches across SA’s nine provinces.
While simp topped the list in the Eastern Cape, “67″ was the country’s most searched slang term, recording 131,600 monthly searches.
The term “67” has no literal meaning, with its strangeness being part of its appeal as internet humour.
It originated from Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot (6 7)” and gained further popularity through a trending video by a TikTok user involving basketball player LaMelo Ball, who is 6-feet-7-inches tall.
Nationally, “cap, capping, no cap” ranked second with 21,500 monthly searches, while “simp” followed in third place.
Cap means a lie, capping means lying, and no cap means telling the truth without any exaggeration. Quite the tongue twister.
“Aura” was fourth with 19,700 searches, referring to a person’s cool factor, swagger or presence.
The provincial results showed distinct differences in the slang terms people were searching for.
“Aura” — a person’s unique “coolness” — topped searches in Mpumalanga and the Western Cape, while “larping” led in Limpopo.
The slang term larping means pretending to be someone you are not.
It originates from the word LARPing, which stands for live-action role-playing, a hobby where people dress in costumes and physically act out characters in a fictional story.
The Northern Cape’s most searched term was again “67″, while “rage bait” topped searches in the Free State.
Rage bait is online content created on purpose to make you angry so you comment, share, and boost its views.
North West recorded “capping” as well as its leading term, Gauteng had “mogging”, and KwaZulu-Natal had “clock it”.
What is “mogging”, you may ask?
It is a slang term that means to outshine, dominate, or outperform someone else, usually in terms of appearance, physical fitness, or overall presence, while “clock it” means to notice, call out, or point out an unspoken truth or hidden reality.
Randoh Sallihall, spokesperson for Unscramble Words, said slang searches could offer insight into how people engage with online culture.
“The most searched slang words of 2026 give insight into the cultural conversations happening in SA,” Sallihal said.
“Using slang is a social signal. What people search for can tell us something about what they are trying to understand and participate in culturally.”
Sallihal said slang also played a role in how people identified with communities, particularly as terms spread rapidly through online platforms, stating that people want to understand one another and belong.
The research used Google trends to identify trending slang terms and Ahrefs (traffic checker) to determine search volumes.
Researchers added 150 variations of the top slang terms, including searches containing words such as “meaning”, “slang” and “means”.
Other terms making the top 20 included “sigma” (cool person); “gooning” (sexual activity); “big back” (big appetite); “glazing” (over-the-top praise); “chopped” (unattractive); “crash out” (breakdown); “bussin” (good); “cuh” (homie/friend); “maxxing” (to go all in, usually while gaming); “mandem” (crew); and “oomf” (one of my followers/friends).
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