National Poll Ranks The Gen Z Words That Baffle Boomers And Vice Versa, And Marks The Launch Of Workgen Translate, That’s Like Google Translate For The Office
DALLAS, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — “Delulu,” “rizz” and “no cap” are the Gen Z expressions that most baffle Boomer colleagues, according to a new poll to mark National Intern Day (July 30) and the launch of a lighthearted AI tool that works like Google Translate for the workplace.
Three-quarters of Boomer workers (76%) “have no idea” what “delulu” means, Gen Z-speak for being unrealistic or kidding yourself, reveals the independent national poll of 2,004 U.S. workers conducted by Censuswide for Sunny Workplace, an employee engagement and modern teambuilding platform. Half were Gen Z, half Boomers.
Sunny Workplace commissioned the survey to mark the launch of WorkGen Translate, a playful new AI translation tool devised to bridge the generational language gap at work, because sometimes “no cap,” “mid” and “let’s circle back” all need subtitles.
Users paste an email, Slack or Teams message into WorkGen Translate, which renders it in the everyday language of whichever generation they select. A Gen Z colleague’s “no cap, this meeting was mid” translated for Boomers, for example, becomes, “This meeting was rather unremarkable.”
The poll also reveals that 66% of Boomers have no idea what “rizz” (natural charm or charisma) means, while 61% say the same of “no cap” (honestly/no lie).
“If colleagues came with subtitles, a lot of workplace friction would disappear overnight,” says occupational psychologist Dr. Iain Smith, Head of Behavioral Science at Sunny Workplace.
And it works both ways. The poll also asked Gen Z workers about their knowledge of common phrases used by more experienced colleagues.
The phrase that most baffles them is “boil the ocean,” meaning to attempt something unnecessarily complicated or impossible. Only 22% say they know exactly what it means, while over half (53%) are unfamiliar with it.
“Blue-sky thinking,” creative brainstorming without practical limits, also stumps them, with just a quarter (25%) knowing exactly what it means.
“A language gap can look just like an attitude problem, even when it isn’t one,” says Dr. Smith. “A colleague who sounds blunt to one generation may sound clear and efficient to another.”
The findings echo a wider pattern the same research uncovered: four in five Gen Z workers (80%) say generational differences in workplace language are a challenge, nearly three times the rate among Boomers (30%). Over half of Gen Z (51%) find this happens “always” or “often,” compared with just 9% of Boomers.
It doesn’t stop there. Gen Z, the generation that spent years making everyone else feel old with its slang, is now getting a taste of its own medicine.
The same poll finds Gen Alpha terms like “Ohio,” “Fanum tax” and “mewing” are leaving Gen Z workers just as stumped as Boomers once were: 41% of Gen Z don’t know what “Ohio” means, while three-quarters (75%) don’t fully understand or wouldn’t use “skibidi.” Boomers fare worse still, with 89% unfamiliar with both “Ohio” and “Fanum tax.”
“For years, Gen Z had everyone else Googling what their slang meant,” says Dr. Smith. “Now Gen Alpha has arrived with a dictionary of its own, and Gen Z is the one trying to keep up.”
Sunny Workplace stresses the tool is lighthearted, designed for fun and the occasional “Ohhh, that’s what they meant” moment, NOT for anything important, sensitive or business-critical.
The findings land against a backdrop of real workplace strain. Poor workplace communication already costs U.S. businesses an estimated $1.2 trillion a year, according to a 2022 study by Harris Poll for Grammarly.
Gallup says U.S. employee engagement dropped from 36% in 2020 to 31% in 2025, citing frustration over basic workplace needs such as clearer communication and respect.
Alongside hybrid work and AI, multigenerational teams are reshaping how colleagues communicate, and Sunny Workplace’s research suggests generational language gaps could be contributing.
“The best teams don’t need everyone to speak the same way,” says Dr. Smith. “But they do need everyone to understand what others are trying to say.”
ABOUT SUNNY WORKPLACE®
Sunny Workplace builds high-performing, engaged teams by embedding modern teambuilding into the flow of work. Its Team Vitals™ dashboard gives HR leaders a real-time view of team support, energy, alignment, recognition and safety. Employee engagement surveys tell you the score. Sunny Workplace helps you improve it.
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SOURCE Sunny Workplace
