Where did rizz come from?

It was popularized by YouTuber and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who used it with his friends and on stream from mid-2021 before it went viral on TikTok. It's widely thought to be taken from the middle of the word 'charisma,' though Cenat has said that to him it simply meant 'game.'

Is rizz a real dictionary word?

Yes. Oxford University Press named rizz its Word of the Year for 2023, and it has been added to major dictionaries, defined as style, charm or attractiveness and the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.

What is unspoken rizz?

Unspoken rizz means the ability to attract someone through presence alone, without needing to say anything. Related terms include 'Rizzler' and 'rizz god' for someone highly charismatic.

Specimen 069 · Charisma streameri · Field Notes

Rizz

Q: What does rizz mean?

Rizz is slang for charm, charisma or 'game' — the ability to attract or flirt with someone successfully. As a verb, to 'rizz someone up' means to charm them.

Rizz means charm or "game" — the ability to attract or flirt with someone successfully. As a verb, to "rizz someone up" is to win them over with charisma. It was popularized by streamer Kai Cenat from 2021 and named Oxford's Word of the Year for 2023.

Where rizz came from

Rizz was popularized by American YouTuber and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who used it within his friend group and on his streams starting in mid-2021 before it spread rapidly on TikTok. It's widely believed to be a clipped form of "charisma" — taken from the middle of the word, the way "fridge" comes from "refrigerator" — though the etymology isn't certain.

Interesting wrinkle: Cenat himself has pushed back on the charisma theory. In a 2023 interview he said that to him, "rizz just meant game" and wasn't short for charisma. Linguists note there are several competing origin theories, which is common for fast-moving slang.

How it went mainstream

The term jumped from streaming culture to the wider internet in June 2023 when actor Tom Holland told an interviewer he had "limited rizz," and that playing "the long game" helped win over his partner, actress Zendaya. The clip spawned waves of memes and pushed the word into mainstream conversation.

Later that year, Oxford University Press named rizz its 2023 Word of the Year, chosen from a shortlist that included "Swiftie" and "situationship," decided partly by a public vote. Oxford defined it as "style, charm or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner."

How people use it

Rizz works as both a noun ("he's got rizz") and a verb ("she rizzed him up"). It's mainly used by Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Common spin-offs include "Rizzler" and "rizz god" (someone highly charismatic) and "unspoken rizz" (attracting someone through presence alone, without words).

Is rizz still relevant?

As with most slang, its peak novelty has passed — Cenat has said he stopped using it himself once it went viral, and linguists point out that dictionary recognition can hasten a term's decline. But rizz has settled into everyday vocabulary far more durably than most viral words, and remains widely understood.

Sources

Wikipedia, "Rizz" · Oxford University Press, 2023 Word of the Year announcement · Merriam-Webster ("romantic appeal or charm") · NPR (Dec 2023) · Northeastern University linguistics interview (Dec 2023) · Kai Cenat, 360 with Speedy Morman & No Jumper interviews (2023). Replace with live links at launch.