WSG

What does WSG mean?

Three letters, one hello. WSG stands for "what's good," and in a text it does the job of "what's up" or "how's it going." Dictionary.com describes it as shorthand used mostly in informal writing, especially texting and social media. Dr. Tony Thorne, who directs the Slang and New Language Archive at King's College London, told Legit.ng that the phrase works as a greeting or as the opening line of a conversation, online or out loud.

You will usually see it in one of three shapes:

• On its own: "wsg" is the entire first message. It means hi, and it leaves the next move to you.
• With a name: "wsg bro," "wsg gang," "wsg everybody." Same greeting, aimed at a person or a group.
• With a topic: "wsg with you" or "wsg w the party" asks what is new, or what is happening with that thing.

Thorne also told Legit.ng that, depending on who is talking and how, the same opener can carry an edge, from friendly to boastful or challenging. Between people who already know each other, a texted wsg is almost always the friendly kind.

Other meanings. Before it was a greeting, "what's good?" was a question about food. Wiktionary lists both senses: slang for "what's up?" and the everyday "what's good here?" asked over a menu. Slang.net notes that wsg can keep that restaurant meaning in food chats, so a wsg under a pizza place's post may be a request for recommendations.

Examples

• Snapchat, after a long gap: "wsg, haven't talked since graduation"
• Friday group chat: "wsg y'all, anyone doing anything tonight"
• New member on a Discord server: "wsg everyone, just joined"
• Text from a cousin: "wsg cuz, you coming to grandma's sunday?"
• Instagram DM from a classmate: "wsg, did you get the bio notes"
• Reply to a friend's story: "wsg with the new haircut"
• Parent overhears: a teenager picks up a FaceTime and opens with "wsg" instead of "hello"

Almost every example puts wsg first, as the door-opener, and most skip the question mark. People rarely capitalize it. In the haircut line it means "what's going on with," a gentle way of asking for the story.

WSG vs WYD vs HYD

These three get sent as opening lines so often that people mix them up. Each asks for something slightly different.

WSG is the loosest of the three. You can answer it with news, plans or just "nm."

Where did WSG come from?

• Before the acronym: "What's good" was already a common spoken greeting. Thorne told Legit.ng it comes from African American Vernacular English, and that younger people of many backgrounds now use it, particularly in the US.
• 2019-2020: Dictionary.com says the abbreviation wsg seems to have emerged around then. The earliest example on its page is a tweet from May 2020.
• Early 2020s: Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram spread it, according to Dictionary.com.
• 2022: Wiktionary records a March 2022 tweet in which someone said "yo" to a stranger and got "wsg homie" back, which shows the word working as a straight swap for hello.
• September 2023: Dictionary.com published its entry for wsg.

Is WSG rude?

No. There is no swearing in it and nothing hidden. The worst you can say is that it is casual, so a student who opens an email to a teacher with "wsg" will come across as too relaxed, much like writing "sup." In a hallway or a group chat, nobody will blink.

Parents sometimes worry about a wsg from an account their kid does not know. The word itself is harmless. Treat it like any message from a stranger: it is fine to ignore it or reply "who's this?" If it is followed by personal questions, the teen text codes guide covers the ones worth knowing.

How to reply to WSG

• A friend texts wsg: "nm, just got home from practice. wbu?"
• Your teenager texts you wsg: "Not much, making dinner. Need a ride later?"
• A coworker opens a chat with wsg: "Hey, all good here. What can I help with?"

You do not have to match the slang. A plain "hey, not much" works for anyone. For more reply ideas across all three openers, see how to reply to wsg and wyd.

Is WSG still used in 2026?

Yes. Greetings do not burn out the way joke words do, because people need a quick hello every day. Wsg has settled in next to "hey," "yo" and "sup" as an everyday opener, especially among teens and people in their twenties. If you are building a cheat sheet of these short forms, the texting abbreviations guide lists the rest.