Emojis have become a part of everyday communication for many of us, but do you ever wonder what someone means when using them? You’re in good company, as 81% of Americans admit they’ve been confused by someone else’s use of an emoji, according to a new report from Preply.
- The language education site surveyed over 2-thousand people to find out how they interpret different emojis.
- The poll reveals that the confusion can have consequences, as 48% of respondents have seen a misinterpreted emoji create an uncomfortable situation.
- Overall, the most confusing emoji of 2024 is the nail polishing one, which 40% interpret to mean “classy” or “posh/bougie, while 23% think it means “just nail polish,” 22% think it means “don’t mind me hehe” and 15% interpret it as “self-care.”
- The “dashing away” cloud is the second most confusing emoji. More than a third (38%) think it means “dashing away” or “fast,” a third think it’s “farting,” 15% interpret it as “exhaustion” or “out of breath” and 13% say it’s “smoking.”
- The upside-down smiley face is third, and people think it means sarcasm (38%), smiling through pain (36%), same as the regular smiley face (16%) or passive aggression (10%).
- As if the thousands of existing emojis aren’t hard enough to interpret, Emojipedia reports that 118 new emojis are coming this spring. The ones most likely to confuse users are a phoenix, a head shaking horizontally and a head shaking vertically.
The Most Confusing Emojis in 2024
- Nail polish
- Dashing away cloud
- Upside-down smiley face
- Persevering face
- Woman tipping hand
- Dotted line face
- Money with wings
- Sleepy
- Fearful face
- Person getting massage
Source: Preply