What does rizz mean?

Rizz is slang for charm: the ability to attract someone's interest through the way you talk, listen and carry yourself. The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as "the ability to attract people's attention and make them like you". It's a compliment, and it's usually said about someone who makes conversation feel easy rather than someone who has a good line ready.

Where does the word come from?

Most sources agree that rizz is a clipped form of charisma, taking the middle of the word the way "fridge" takes the middle of "refrigerator". Dictionary.com traces its spread to the streamer Kai Cenat, who was using it on Twitch and YouTube from at least 2021, often in joking "rizz competitions" with friends.

By 2023 the word had left gaming chat. Actor Tom Holland was asked about his rizz in an interview and said he had none, which made headlines, and in December that year Oxford University Press named it Word of the Year after a public vote among a shortlist of eight words.

How do people use it?

Rizz works as a noun and as a verb. As a noun it's something you have; as a verb ("to rizz someone up") it means to win them over with conversation. A few realistic snippets from chat:

A: she replied with a voice note and a question about my dog B: ok that's rizz, you didn't even try

A: I typed and deleted the same message four times B: negative rizz tonight, happens to all of us

A: he just said "your playlist is embarrassingly good" and left it there B: unspoken rizz. no follow-up, no pressure, and now you're thinking about it

That third one shows "unspoken rizz": attracting interest without saying much. In text, that's a short, relaxed message that doesn't beg for a reply.

Is it the same as charisma or flirting?

Rizz is close to charisma but narrower. Charisma can mean a politician holding a room; rizz almost always means one-to-one attraction. It overlaps with flirting over text, but flirting is the behaviour and rizz is the quality that makes the behaviour land. You'll also see it next to chemistry, which is mutual; rizz is something one person brings.

One caution. Some corners of the internet treat rizz as a set of tricks for "winning" a conversation. That framing usually produces the opposite effect, because people can feel when they're being worked on. The version that actually attracts people is simpler and kinder.

What should you do if you want more rizz?

Treat it as attention plus ease. The people described as having rizz share three habits, and none of them is a line.

1. Ask about the thing they mentioned, not the thing you planned. You could say: "Wait, go back, you said you nearly moved to Lisbon. What stopped you?"
2. Give a compliment with a reason. "You explain things really clearly" beats "you're cute", because it's specific and it's about them. A genuine compliment is remembered; a generic one is scrolled past.
3. Let silence be fine. If a message gets no reply, don't send three more. Ease is most of the charm, and humour helps only when it isn't anxious.

If you're collecting terms like this one, the chat and dating slang glossary explains the rest of the family, including delulu, which is what people call rizz that exists only in your own head.