- - What Is a Choppleganger? Decoding Generation Alpha's Latest Slang (Exclusive)

Jordan GreeneJanuary 16, 2026 at 1:38 AM

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TikTok users are buzzing about the new word “Choppleganger,” a combination of “doppelgänger” and “chopped” to mean an off-brand or uglier look-alike

Popular creator @mr_lindsay_sped helped explain the term

His video went viral with hundreds of thousands of views and reactions

There’s a new word taking over social media.

Across platforms, users are weighing in on the term "Choppleganger." Popular TikTok creator Mr. Lindsay, or @mr_lindsay_sped, known for decoding Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang, says the word is just starting to catch on. He explains that he first heard it this week when a kid approached him and told him he was a “Kirk Cousins Choppleganger.”

"Now, let me explain it to you and you'll see that this kid was in fact, not wrong," he says in his TikTok.

"Choppleganger is the melding of two words," he continues. "We've got doppelgänger, which you guys all know is someone who you're not related to but looks just like you. And chopped is a word that kids use to describe something as ugly or undesirable."

He adds, "So a choppleganger, those two words together then, is the uglier version of a doppelgänger. In other words, it's the off-brand look-a-like."

Since posting, his video's gone viral, reaching over 370,000 views and hundreds of comments from users sharing their reactions to the new terminology. Fans have been quick to weigh in.

"Not gonna lie this word is fantastic. I’m gonna give it to em on this one 👏," one user commented.

"That’s actually kinda clever. Way to go Gen Alpha 😂," another wrote.

Someone else replied, "this might be the best gen alpha word of all time."

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The term has also sparked TikTokers to share their own experiences being called a choppleganger.

"Just got told I was Margot Robbie's choppleganger and I'm not sure whether to be grateful or offended," one girl wrote on a TikTok video that’s racked up over 160,000 views.

"How could that not be a compliment," one person commented.

Someone else added, "you do actually look like her, your so pretty."

Not everyone is thrilled with the new word, however. One TikTok user @sparklejumpropefein_ took to the platform to vent about being compared to Mick Jagger.

"If you think someone has a choppleganger keep it to your damn self," the woman said on the post.

Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively, @sparklejumpropefein_ explains why she decided to post about her choppleganger.

"I made the video because people kept saying I look like Mick Jagger, which is fine but I would really rather not be compared to a 82-year-old dude," she tells PEOPLE exclusively.

She continues, "And it’s important that if you want to make a comparison to make sure society views them as objectively attractive, or clarify they are your choppelgangerOr vice versa you can say you're the less attractive version of someone."

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”