Like everyone else, you love putting lots of emojis in your text messages and social networking posts! But did you know that some emojis are less understood than others?
Indeed, according to a study by WordTips (a word search tool for Scrabble), the meaning of some smileys is not always clear to everyone. In fact, have you ever found yourself confused about the meaning of a particular emoji?
In this article, we invite you to discover the Least understood emojis in 2026. What are these smileys, and more importantly, what exactly do they express? We tell you all about them!
The least understood face emojis
According to WordTips face emojis whose meaning is unclear to many users:
- 🥺 (imploring face): you are moved or pleading (click to see the meaning 🥺)
- 😏 (face with wicked grin): for naughty hints (click to see the meaning 😏)
- 🙃 (upside down head): irony or sarcasm (click to see the meaning 🙃)
- 🥰 (smiling face with hearts): happiness, affection and love (click to see the meaning 🥰)
- 😍 (smiling face with heart-shaped eyes): transi love or adoration (click to see the meaning 😍)
- 😌 (relieved face): you are relieved or full of gratitude (click to see the meaning 😌)
- 😊 (smiling face with laughing eyes): you are happy, satisfied or in agreement with the person you are talking to (click to see the list). meaning 😊)
- 🥵 (red hot face): to flirt or express embarrassment (click for meaning 🥵)
- 😅 (smiling face with a drop of sweat): relief at having had a narrow escape (click to see the meaning 😅)
- 🥴 (tipsy face): drunkenness, humor or mockery (click to see the meaning 🥴)
What do these other face emojis mean?
- 😉 (wink): a joke or hidden meaning in your message (click to see the meaning 😉)
- 😲 (stunned face): you are in shock (click to see the meaning 😲)
- 😵 (dazed face): disorientation or confusion (click to see the meaning 😵)
- 😙 (laughing-eyed face kissing): affection, tenderness and love (click to see the meaning 😙)
- 🤩 (face with stars instead of eyes): (click to see the meaning 🤩)
- 🤯 (head exploding): you are impressed or shocked (click to see the meaning 🤯)
- 😘 (face sending a kiss): affectionate "thank you" (click to see the meaning 😘)
- 😇 (smiling face with halo): innocence, but with irony (click to see the meaning 😇)
- 😪 (sleeping face): fatigue, exhaustion (click to see the meaning 😪)
- 🧐 (face with monocle): interest in something (click to see the meaning 🧐)
- 😶 (face without mouth): you are speechless or feel ignored (click to see the meaning 😶)
- 🤓 (geek face): interest in the conversation (click to see the meaning 🤓)
- 🥳 (festive face): joy, but also congratulations (click to see the meaning 🥳)
- 🤧 (sneezing face): you are ill (click to see the meaning 🤧)
- 🤮 (vomiting face): deep aversion or physical reaction of disgust (click to see the meaning 🤮)
- 🤢 (nauseated face): aversion, disgust towards something (click to see the meaning 🤢)
- 👿 (angry face with horns): you are furious (click to see the meaning 👿)
- 😈 (smiling face with horns): malice and wickedness, an evil idea (click to see the meaning 😈)
- 🤬 (face with symbols in mouth): swear words, you're out of your mind (click to see the meaning 🤬)
- 😠 (angry face): anger, indignation (click to see the meaning 😠)
- 😡 (pouting face): you're fed up, you're very angry, (click to see the meaning 😡)
- 😤 (face with smoke coming out of nostrils): you are annoyed or irritated (click to see the meaning 😤)
- 🥱 (yawning face): boredom or indifference (click to see the meaning 🥱)
- 😫 (tired face): frustration, sadness (click to see the meaning 😫)
- 😩 (face exhausted): fatigue, moral weariness (click to see the meaning 😩)
- 😓 (demoralized face with drop of sweat): stress, anxiety (click to see the meaning 😓)
- 😞 (disappointed face): disappointment, regrets (click to see the meaning 😞)
- 😖 (disconcerted face): distress, tears held back (click to see the meaning 😖)
- 😱 (face screaming in fear): you are shocked, terrified (click to see the meaning 😱)
- 😭 (face crying loudly): sobs, despair (click to view the meaning 😭)
- 😢 (crying face): you are sad (click to see the meaning 😢)
- 😥 (sad but relieved face): both relieved and disappointed (click to see the meaning 😥)
- 😰 (anxious face with drop of sweat): stress, anxiety (click to see the meaning 😰)
- 😷 (face with mask) : you don't feel well (click to see the meaning 😷)
- 🤤 (drooling face): you are in a hurry, you react to an "appetizing" idea (click to see the meaning 🤤)
- 🤥 (liar's face): to show someone that their lie is obvious (click to see the meaning 🤥)
- 😮💨 (exhaling face): relief, exhaustion, sigh of disappointment (click to see the meaning 😮💨)
- 😬 (grimacing face): nervousness, embarrassment or clumsiness (click to see the meaning 😬)
- 🤕 (face with bandages on head): health problems (click to see the meaning 🤕)
- 🤒 (face with thermometer) : you don't feel well (click to see the meaning 🤒)
- 😴 (sleepy face): to say good night, you're tired (click to see the meaning 😴)
- 🙄 (face rolling eyes): the conversation irritates or annoys you (click to see the meaning 🙄)
- 😒 (jaded face): boredom, weariness, disdain (click to see the meaning 😒)
- 😶🌫 (face in the clouds) : reverie, mystery (click to see the meaning 😶🌫)
- 😑 (expressionless face): you are unhappy or annoyed about something (click to see the meaning 😑)
- 😐 (neutral face) : you're not impressed at all (click to see the meaning 😐)
- 🤨 (face with raised eyebrows): you are skeptical or incredulous (click to see the meaning 🤨)
- 🤐 (face with zippered mouth) : mumbo jumbo (click to see the meaning 🤐)
- 🤔 (face in full reflection): you think seriously (click to see the meaning 🤔)
- 😨 (scared face): you are shocked and/or surprised (click to see the meaning 😨)
- 😧 (anguished face): surprised, speechless (click to see the meaning 😧)
- 😳 (blushing face): you are embarrassed (click to see the meaning 😳)
- 😁 (smiling face with laughing eyes): exuberance, joyful insouciance (click to see the meaning 😁)
- 😀 (smiling face with big eyes): laughter and good humour (click to see the meaning 😀)
- 😯 (stunned face): you're hooked (click to see the meaning 😯)
- 😆 (smiling face with squinted eyes): enthusiasm, complicity (click to see the meaning 😆)
- 😮 (face with open mouth) : surprise, astonishment (click to see the meaning 😮)
- 🤪 (crazy head): humor, playfulness (click to see the meaning 🤪)
- 🤫 (face with finger over mouth): to shush (click to see the meaning 🤫)
- 😛 (face sticking out tongue): impertinence, humor (click to see the meaning 😛)
- 🤭 (face with one hand over mouth): deceptively shy (click to see the meaning 🤭)
- 😜 (face sticking out tongue and winking): you must be joking (click to see the meaning 😜)
- 🤑 (face with silver in eyes and mouth): money-related excitement (click to see the meaning 🤑)
- 😝 (tongue-tied face with squinted eyes): joke, teasing (click to view the meaning 😝)
- 🤣 (rolling on floor with laughter): you'll fall over laughing (click to see the meaning 🤣)
- 😗 (face kissing): affection, complicity (click to see the meaning 😗)
- 😋 (yum): appetite, contentment (click to see the meaning 😋)
- 🙂 (face with a slight smile): friendly or sarcastic (click to see the meaning 🙂)
- 🤗 (face hugging): to express affection (click to see the meaning 🤗)
- 🥶 (cold blue face): you are cold (click to see the meaning 🥶)
What is the meaning of these other emojis (animals, food, hands...)?
- 👀 (eyes wide): you're curious, you want to (sa)see more (click to see the meaning 👀)
- 🙉 (monkey hear nothing): you don't want to know or hear anything (click to see the meaning 🙉)
- 🙊 (monkey say nothing) : or motus et bouche cousue (click to see the meaning 🙊)
- 🙈 (monkey see nothing) : you are ashamed or embarrassed (click to see the meaning 🙈)
- 😾 (pouting cat): you're in a bad mood (click to see the meaning 😾)
- 😿 (crying cat): you are sad, in tears (click to see the meaning 😿)
- 🙀 (cat howling in fear): you'll be flabbergasted (click to see the meaning 🙀)
- 😽 (kissing cat): affection, love, gratitude (click to enlarge) meaning 😽)
- 😼 (cat with smirk): mischievous and smug (click to see the meaning 😼)
- 😻 (smiling cat with heart-shaped eyes) : you are an admirer or a lover (click to see the meaning 😻)
- 😹 (cat crying with joy): laughter (click to see the meaning 😹)
- 😺 (smiling cat): you're in a great mood (click to see the meaning 😺)
- 👉 (pointing): to draw attention to something (click to see the meaning 👉)
- 🍆 (eggplant): male sex symbol (click to view meaning 🍆)
- 🔞 (18 years and older) : when content is forbidden to minors (click to see the meaning 🔞)
- ☠ (skull and crossbones): death, life-threatening or poisonous (click to view the meaning ☠)
- 💀 (skull): to talk about death in the figurative sense (click to see the meaning 💀)
- 🤖 (robot): reference to science fiction or artificial intelligence (click to see the meaning 🤖)
- 👾 (space monster): space, extraterrestrial, retro video games (click to see the meaning 👾)
- 👽 (alien) : extraterrestrial, strange (click to see the meaning 👽)
- 👻 (ghost): prankster, ghostly, halloween (click to see the meaning 👻)
- 👺 (Japanese monster) : upset or frustrated (click to see the supernatural meaning 👺)
- 👹 (ogre): to represent evil, the supernatural (click to see the meaning 👹)
- 🤡 (clown face): you do the comedy (click to see the meaning 🤡)
- 💩 (pile of poop): disapproval, mockery (click to see the meaning 💩)
Are there any other emojis whose meaning you don't understand, but which aren't on these lists? Tell us about them in the comments. Which of these smileys is your favorite? In what context do you use them most? Tell us all about it in the comments!
And for more useful articles on emojis :
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