عربي

Editorial policy

How every entry on lowkey is researched, written, checked and corrected.

Last updated

The short version

Entries are built from published sources, drafted with AI assistance, then checked claim by claim. Anything that cannot be confirmed is removed. Every page lists its sources and the date it was last reviewed. The site is run by Almutaz Younes, who is responsible for what is published and for fixing mistakes.

Sources

Each English term page cites at least two sources the editors opened and read. In order of preference:

  1. Dictionaries: Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Languages and Collins.
  2. Reporting: news and magazine coverage of a word or trend, with a date.
  3. Documentation of internet culture: Know Your Meme and similar archives, used for where a meme started, not for what it means.

Urban Dictionary is never the only source for a meaning. It is useful as a signal that a word exists, and not much else.

Arabic dialect pages are built from curated lists of everyday words for each city, not from the English pages. They are written in Modern Standard Arabic, with dialect words and examples kept in the dialect they belong to. They are not machine translations of the English pages.

How a page is written

  1. Research. Collect the sources and note the meaning, the first dated use we can find, and who uses the word now.
  2. Draft. A first draft is written with AI assistance, working only from those sources.
  3. Check. A separate pass reads the draft against each source and tests every meaning, date, origin and link. Claims that fail are fixed or cut. Broken or invented links are removed.
  4. Tone label. Each term is marked safe, mild or rude, and the "Is it rude?" section says when it is fine and when it is not.
  5. Publish with a date. The page shows when it was last reviewed.

Pages that do not meet our own bar stay unpublished from search. A term page needs a direct answer, real examples, at least two sources and links to related terms. Pages that fall short are kept out of the sitemap and marked so search engines skip them until they are finished.

What we do not publish

  • Invented quotes, statistics, survey numbers or personal stories.
  • Slurs spelled out, sexual detail, or instructions for self-harm. Pages on safety topics point to help. In the US, call or text 988.
  • Lists meant to insult a city, tribe, nationality or group.
  • Content aimed at children under 13.

Origins and credit

Much of today's slang comes from Black American English (AAVE), LGBTQ+ ballroom culture, gaming, streaming and music. When that is where a word comes from, the entry says so plainly. It does not call those words "internet slang" as if they came from nowhere.

Corrections

Every page has a "Send a correction" link that opens an email to the editor. We read every message. When a correction is accepted, the page is fixed and its review date changes. Significant errors in meaning are noted on the page.

Updates

Slang changes quickly. Pages are reviewed again when a word's meaning shifts, when a new sense appears, or when a word falls out of use. The "Is it still used?" section on each term page is the first thing that gets updated.

Independence

No company pays for an entry or a link. If the site ever carries ads, they are served by Google and do not affect what entries say. Pages about rude words and safety topics never carry ads.

Contact

Write to [email protected] or see the contact page.