| Word or topic | Algospeak used instead | Guideline area | Why creators avoid it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kill, dead, death | unalive, unalived | Safety and civility | Violence words are thought to trigger review or limit reach. The best-known algospeak term. |
| Suicide | sewer slide, s*icide | Mental and behavioral health | Self-harm topics get extra review. Supportive talk is allowed, and TikTok shows help resources. |
| Self-harm | SH | Mental and behavioral health | Same reason as suicide. Avoid any how-to detail; recovery stories are allowed. |
| Telling someone to self-harm | KYS (also used for "keep yourself safe") | Safety and civility | This is harassment and is removed. Do not use the abbreviation at all. |
| Sex | seggs, shmex | Sensitive and mature themes | Sexual topics can be age-restricted or left out of the For You feed. |
| Sexy | seggsy | Sensitive and mature themes | Same reason as sex. Often used in fashion and dating content. |
| Adult content (porn) | corn, 🌽 | Sensitive and mature themes | Adult content is banned. The corn emoji is widely reported as a stand-in. |
| Nipples | nip nops | Sensitive and mature themes | Nudity rules. Used in breastfeeding and health videos. |
| Vibrator | spicy eggplant | Sensitive and mature themes | Sexual products are limited in feeds and banned in TikTok Shop. |
| Sex worker | accountant | Sensitive and mature themes | Reported by The New York Times as common TikTok algospeak. |
| Sexual assault | SA, mascara | Safety and civility | Survivors use these to share stories. Keep it non-graphic and add a content warning. |
| Lesbian | le dollar bean (le$bian) | Safety and civility | Creators feared LGBTQ+ words were flagged. TikTok says identity terms are allowed. |
| LGBTQ+ community | leg booty | Safety and civility | Same fear of filtering. Identity words are not banned. |
| Homophobia | cornucopia, hydrophobic | Safety and civility | Used when calling out hate without saying the word. |
| Hatred | opposite of love | Safety and civility | Hate speech is banned; creators soften the word when describing it. |
| Pandemic, COVID-19 | panini, panoramic, Panda Express | Integrity and authenticity | Health topics got labels and misinformation checks, so creators swapped the word. |
| Vaccinated people | swimmers | Integrity and authenticity | Same reason as pandemic. Health claims are fact-checked. |
| Weed, marijuana | ouid, oui’d | Regulated goods and commercial activities | Drug content is limited or removed. Showing or selling drugs is banned. |
| Guns | pew pew | Regulated goods and commercial activities | Weapons content is limited. Selling or showing how to make them is banned. |
| Abortion | camping | Sensitive and mature themes | Creators feared reach limits. Health information is allowed. |
| Protest | music festival | Integrity and authenticity | Reported by Axios as a swap during political events. |
| Autistic | acoustic, ’tism | Mental and behavioral health | Creators feared disability words were limited. They are not banned. |
| Link in bio | blink in lio | Regulated goods and commercial activities | Creators believe off-app links and sales talk cut reach. Unproven. |
| TikTok (on other apps) | Clock App | Integrity and authenticity | Used on Instagram and YouTube to avoid naming a rival app. |
| Swear words | fork, frick, bleeped audio | Safety and civility | Mild swearing is allowed but may limit who sees a video. Slurs are banned. |
| Any topic on this list | Plain words with context | Safety and civility | TikTok reviews meaning, not spelling. Algospeak does not make banned content allowed. |
| Violent and graphic content | — | Safety and civility | Gore, threats and violent extremism are removed. |
| Hate speech and slurs | — | Safety and civility | Attacks on protected groups are removed, with or without misspelling. |
| Harassment and bullying | — | Safety and civility | Insults, threats and pile-ons against a person are removed. |
| Eating disorders and dangerous weight loss | — | Mental and behavioral health | Promoting these is banned. Recovery content is allowed. |
| Dangerous challenges and stunts | — | Mental and behavioral health | Risky stunts may be removed or left out of the For You feed. |
| Nudity and sexual content | — | Sensitive and mature themes | Nudity is removed; suggestive content may be age-restricted. |
| Misinformation | — | Integrity and authenticity | False health, election or crisis claims can be removed or labeled. |
| Spam, fake engagement, scams | — | Integrity and authenticity | Follow-for-follow, fake giveaways and get-rich claims cut reach or get removed. |
| Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, vapes | — | Regulated goods and commercial activities | Selling is banned; showing use may be age-restricted or kept off the For You feed. |
| Gambling | — | Regulated goods and commercial activities | Promoting gambling is limited and banned in many regions. |
| Personal information (doxxing) | — | Privacy and security | Sharing someone’s address, phone or ID is removed. |
| Minors in risky situations | — | Safety and civility | Youth safety rules are the strictest in the guidelines. |
TikTok does not publish a banned word list. Algospeak terms are widely reported, not official. Rules change; check the Community Guidelines.
How to use this list
Know it is about topics
TikTok reviews what a video is about. Swapping a letter does not make a banned topic allowed, and a plain word with helpful context is often fine.
Check the guideline area
Each row names the Community Guidelines area behind it. Read that section if your video touches it.
Add context and warnings
For health, safety or survivor stories, add a content warning and keep it non-graphic. TikTok allows supportive and educational content.
Watch for the For You feed
Some content stays up but is not recommended. If views drop, check your account status in Settings for any limits.
Frequently asked questions
Does TikTok have a list of banned words?
No. TikTok has no public banned word list. Its Community Guidelines ban types of content, and some content is left out of the For You feed.
What does unalive mean on TikTok?
Unalive means dead, killed or to die. Creators use it to talk about death without words they fear will be flagged.
Does using algospeak help reach?
There is no proof. TikTok says it judges meaning. Algospeak can also confuse viewers and make captions harder to search.
How do I know if a video was limited?
Check Account status under Settings and privacy, and the video’s analytics. TikTok notifies you about removals and many restrictions.
Related free tools
Sources: TikTok Community Guidelines · TikTok Community Guidelines summary (ToS Tracker) · Algospeak (Wikipedia) · Algospeak slang replacement (Know Your Meme) · Algospeak glossary (Sprout Social)