Are you looking for a cool, modern, internet slang term to let a friend or someone you talk to on the internet know that whatever they just said was incredibly obvious?
Where you would previously have said "duh!", you can now use "WBK" instead.
Keep reading to find out what WBK means and how to use it.
Meaning
The internet slang term "WBK" (which is more commonly spelled in lowercase letters, as "wbk") stands for "we been knew". It is used in text messages and on social media, and especially on TikTok.
WBK is used to reply to someone who said something that is considered to be common knowledge, and the abbreviation can be "translated" to plain English as "obviously".
Example Usage
Should you still not understand how to use WBK, a newly popular internet slang term, understand that this abbreviation is used to reply to anything that most people (or at least you) would believe to be immediately apparent.
You could, for example, send "WBK" in response to:
- The Earth is a sphere.
- 2+2=4.
- My new geography teacher, Mr Dobbs, is a douche.
- Pineapple does not belong on pizza.
- Remember, Jane is vegetarian.
Origin
The phrase that sparked the abbreviation "WBK", namely "we been knew" comes from African American Vernacular English, also known as "AAVE".
This form of English, which may be considered dialect or a "sociolect", is spoken by many Black Americans. AAVE can also be called "Black English Vernacular", "Black English", or "African American English".
African American Vernacular English itself stems from slavery. The precise ways in which AAVE developed over time are not clearly understood, but many believe this form of English to have emerged from a combination of Creole languages and English as spoken in the South of the United States.
Words and phrases that had their origins in AAVE have gradually made their way into the broader modern youth culture in the United States and beyond, owing to the fact that these terms can easily spread via the internet. This includes the adoption of aspects of AAVE by white and other young people.
"WBK", meaning "we been knew", is one example of this trend.
If you have come across the abbreviation "WBK" and are considering using it, it is important to be aware that some would consider adopting its use to be a form of cultural appropriation. The spread of WBK is controversial because people for whom AAVE is not a native dialect have artificially acquired aspects of it.
The phrase "we been knew" was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2017, as meaning that something was "obvious".
The abbreviation WBK, meanwhile, only became popular around the year 2021, when it was first listed on the same platform. WBK is currently most popular on TikTok and Twitter, but can also be found on other social networks and within text messages.
Phrases Similar to WBK
Instead of WBK, meaning "we been knew", you could also say:
- IKR — meaning "I know, right?".
- Yeah, obviously.
- Duh!
Phrases Opposite to WBK
"WBK" means that something was already obvious, so antonyms would express shock or disbelief. You could say:
- What, really?
- WTF (meaning "what the fuck").
- OMG (meaning "oh my God!").
- Wut? (meaning "what?").
What Is the Correct Saying?
The correct abbreviation is "WBK". It is short for the AAVE phrase "we been knew".
Ways People May Say WBK Incorrectly
Because "WBK" has only become popular on the internet very recently, many people will not have any idea what it means. On learning that it stands for "we been knew", some may incorrectly conclude that WBK means "we've been found out" or something similar.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase WBK
If you are a native speaker of AAVE who uses the "we been knew" that WBK stands for, you can comfortably use the abbreviation WBK in the appropriate context with people who will understand what it means.
If you're new to this abbreviation, you need to know that WBK means "yes, that's obvious" or "how could anyone not know that?". You would use WBK as a reply to someone stating the obvious.