What Does L+Ratio Mean?

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Decoding the phrase that’s all over TikTok and Twitter

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman Reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones

Last Updated: March 25, 2024 Fact Checked

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• L+Ratio Definition
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• How to Use L+Ratio
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• L+Ratio Origins
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• Other Slang

|Show more |Show less

L+ratio is a snarky way to roast a social media user who created an unpopular or controversial post. Some users add more goofy insults to the end of their original reply using the + symbol. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at what this term means and how to use it, as well as where it originally came from. To give you a complete refresher course on all things Gen Z, we’ll even go over some common slang words you might find as you peruse the internet.

What does l+ratio mean?

L+ratio is a playful way to reply to social media users who have recently made an unpopular or otherwise controversial post. “L” is a slang term for “loss,” while “ratio” is slang for a reply gaining more likes and traction than the original post (or getting more comments than likes/reposts).

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Section 1 of 4:

L+Ratio Definition

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1. 
   L+ratio is a reply used to call out someone who made an unpopular post. The “l” stands for loss, while “ratio” refers to a reply that gets more likes and traffic than the original post. People tend to drop “l+ratio” comments in response to people who have made very controversial or otherwise unpopular posts (or posts that will soon become unpopular or controversial once they get more traffic). Users often add other silly comments to the end of the phrase using the “+” sign, like “unfollowed” or “you fell off” (you aren’t as successful as you were before).

   • Person A: “Pineapple belongs on pizza”
     Person B: “L+ratio+unfollowed+unsubscribed”
   • The term ratio can also refer to a post with more replies than likes or reposts (which typically indicates that a post is unpopular).
   • A post can be considered “ratioed” if the scale of comments to likes goes beyond 1:1. The more comments (or likes on a comment) there are compared to likes/reposts of the original post, the larger the ratio is.
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Use L+Ratio

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1. 
   1
   Use “l+ratio” to respond to an unpopular or controversial post. Maybe someone posted an opinion that was borderline offensive, or someone posted a “hot” take that not many people agree with—a snarky “l+ratio” comment can be a great way to put them in their place.

   • Person A: “To be honest, I kind of like wearing wet socks”
     Person B: “L+ratio+unfollowed+blocked+get help”
   • Person A: “Why does everyone think [insert celebrity] is hot? I don’t see it”
     Person B: “L+ratio+don’t care+didn’t ask+cope+cry about it+stay mad+get a life+touch grass”
   • Some people include the word “bozo” in their “l + ratio” comment to pack an extra punch (e.g., “l + bozo + ratio).
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   Say the word “ratio” on its own to show your disapproval. The term “ratio” has become so mainstream on social media that saying “ratio” on its own can be an effective way of casting judgment on a person’s post.

   • “This is a terrible take. Ratio.”
   • “Why would you post this? Ratio.”
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Section 3 of 4:

L+Ratio Origins

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1. 
   The “l+ratio” trend began in the early 2020s. While the individual terms “L” and “ratio” have existed since the 2010s, it wasn’t until the early 2020s that users started combining the terms into a clever insult. The term has deep ties to meme culture, and plenty of netizens have used “l+ratio”-style replies to caption pics and gifs. Although it first gained popularity on Reddit, the term has since spread to other social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter/X.

   • Some celebrities have even used the term, like rapper Lil Nas X, who once tweeted “Met gala was great last night until Frank Ocean came over to me and said ‘L + Ratio’ + youngboy better.’ Nonetheless a good night.” (YoungBoy is another popular rapper.)

Section 4 of 4:

Other Slang

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1. 
   1
   Hits different “Hits different” refers to something that had a big impact on you, like a music album or a tasty dish.
2. 
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   Mid “Mid” is used to describe something mediocre or not super great.
3. 
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   No cap “No cap” means that a person is being honest, while “cap” means that a person is lying.
4. 
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   OK Boomer A snarky reply/comeback used in response to rude or otherwise ignorant commentary from older individuals about young people.
5. 
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   Rizz “Rizz” comes from the word charisma, and refers to the amount of charm/charisma that a person has (particularly in romantic situations).
6. 
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   W "W" stands for win, and refers to a person's success and achievements. It's the opposite of "L," which stands for loss.
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