The Most Misused Emojis
If you’re over the age of 35, there’s a good chance you don’t understand what the emojis your kid uses actually mean. You’re doing it wrong. This guide will help you figure it out.
Are you guilty of misusing emojis? If you're older than 35 chances you are. (Scroll down for a guide to the Most Misused Emojis.) You truly have no idea what kids are saying with these things anymore! If you ever looked at your kids' phone and saw complete conversations in emoji they could be talking about anything from school to parents (that's right ... YOU!!!) to drugs. Yeah. Click the "drugs" link to read up on that because it's terrifying.
"You're doing it wrong."
I hear that all the time from my teenaged daughter, Tori, but in my defense I usually do things wrong just to annoy her. It works, but it doesn't mean I know how to do it right. I'm just really good at getting it wrong. I like to wear it like a badge. Whether it's a phrase like, "ur mom," (it took all of my being to spell that the way she does) or a hand gesture (I'll leave that to your imagination), even if I do it right I'm not doing it right. It's one of the burdens of being a mom, I suppose. I'll never be cool enough for my daughter.
If you can relate, you're probably going to be shocked when you see that you are also misusing emojis. I mean, aren't they obvi?
Nope.
Have you ever received this message from your kid: 💀 😭 and thought something was horribly wrong? Well, you're wrong. That means, "I'm dead," which means something is actually funny. If you've fallen prey to this misconception, you can check out the Emojipedia (for realz) or just read on ...
Unicode came out with a few lists of most used, least used, and misused emojis. Check them out below, make your adjustments, and wow your kids with just how emoji-savvy you can be, Cool Mom! And then keep scrolling to find out which emoji you're misusing. Take notes
Most Used Emoji
- 🚀 Rocket Ship is tops in the Transport-Air category. It means progress being made and/or look out for big changes.
- 💪 Flexed Biceps is the top Body-parts emoji (this subcategory excludes hands) It indicates strength, success, overcoming a struggle, exercise, showing off, boasting, or rolling up your sleeve to receive a vaccine.
- 💐 Bouquet of Plant-Flower can be used for all occasions: congratulations, celebrations, and relationships of many varieties be they platonic or romantic.
- 🦋 Butterfly is the most common Animal emoji (found in the Animal-Bug subcategory) and represents change, beauty, nature, and transformation.
- 🤸 Person Doing Cartwheel may not be the most popular sport in the world but it is the most popular Person-Sport suggestive of happiness and joy.
Emoji Sub-Categories
- Face-smiling 😀 😃 😄 😁 😆 😅 🤣 😂 🙂 🙃 😉 😊 😇
… and most hands. (Hand and smiley faces are especially likely to be in the top 100 or 200 most frequently used emoji.)
- Plant-flower 💐 🌹 🥀 🌺 🌷 🌸 💮 🏵️ 🌻 🌼 The Plant-Flower subcategory is small in size and dominates the entire Animal & Nature category. This could be an indication that less is more especially when the emoji have broad appeal.
- Emotion 💋 💌 💘 💝 💖 💗 💓 💞 💕 💟 ❣ 💔 ❤ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 🤎 🖤 🤍 💯 💢 💥 💫 💦 💨 🕳 💣 💬 👁️🗨️ 🗨 🗯 💭 💤 Would be overwhelming and consistently popular if it was just hearts. Probably a good time for the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee to split this category into two ;-)
Least Popular Categories?
Flags.
The least popular subcategory? Country-flags.
They represent the largest collection (258 emoji!), but are used the least. Animal-mammal are the next largest subcategory (53 emoji!). Given that new emoji have to demonstrate they are not overly specific and need to break new ground, this suggests animal emoji are at saturation level.
Changes over the past couple years ...
Here is the difference in most popular emoji from 2019 and 2021:
2019: 😂 ❤️ 😍 🤣 😊 🙏 💕 😭 😘 👍
2021: 😂 ❤️ 🤣 👍 😭 🙏 😘 🥰 😍 😊
Misused Emoji
U.S. Emoji Trend Report came out last year and points out that emojis “don’t always mean what you think they do and are always changing.” As a matter of fact, nearly half of those surveyed (47%) say they sent an emoji “that was misinterpreted or taken out of context.” To help us stay on top of these ever-changing emoji meanings, TikTok comedian Ethan Blanko, known for his videos explaining what certain emojis mean to “parents and people over the age of 35,” explains the top 10 most-misused emojis.
READ THESE OFTEN MISUSED EMOJI
& never make a mistake again.
😭 Loudly Crying Face
- This is guilty pleasure laughter or laughing at something you shouldn’t be laughing at.
🤣 Rolling on the Floor Laughing
- “This does mean laughter but should only be used when trying to make someone mad, specifically when you are roasting someone,” Blanko explains.
🥵 Hot Face
- This one means you’re physically attracted to someone.
😹 Cat With Tears of Joy
- It’s ironic, sarcastic and “basically used to mock someone.”
🙂 Slightly Smiling Face
- Seems innocent enough, but not according to Blanko, who says, “This is a death threat. If you get this, run.” But Emojipedia lists it as both positive, and patronizing, so it’s easily confused.
🙃 Upside Down Face
- Apparently it’s the same as the Slightly Smiling Face, but even more passive-aggressive.
👍 Thumbs Up
- Not a vote of approval, but a “rude, hostile or passive aggressive dismissal intended to permanently end the conversation.”
🚶Person Walking
- “Use these for awkward situations,” Blanko says. “It's meant to signify leaving the room when situations get intensely uncomfortable.”
🎣 Fishing Pole
- This one means fishing for compliments or validation.
🙏 Prayer Emoji
- As its official name explains, these are praying hands, not a “high five.”
