If you’ve been scrolling TikTok and have come across the caption, description, or comment “ONG,” or you’ve heard someone using the acronym in one of their TikTok videos, it’s not a typo or an example of a not-so-bright TikTok user.
In other words, “ONG” is a different TikTok term than “OMG,” which has been used for decades on the Internet as an acronym for “Oh my God.” Early 2000s entries in the Urban Dictionary actually define “ONG” as a misspelling of “OMG,” but it’s now taken on a different meaning.
The use of ONG has trended on the social media platform in recent years, and while it’s also an offhanded reference to a deity that some might find sacrilegious, it stands for something very different than OMG.
What Does ONG Mean on TikTok?
The term stands for “on God,” and it’s used as a synonym for “I swear to God.”
ONG’s viral moment came in 2021, when a Canadian influencer named Tara Mongeau was discussing an upcoming YouTube vs. TikTok boxing match between feuding YouTuber Austin McBroom and TikToker Bryce Hall. She was asked in the TikTok post who she thought would win, and answered, “We team Bryce out here. Even the paparazzi’s team Bryce, on God.”
The video went viral, and it was turned into a separate viral meme that substituted ONG for “on God” in the quote. (For the record, Hall lost to McBroom, and TikTok’s team lost to the YouTube team, 6-1.)
That’s all it took for ONG to start appearing in enormous amounts of TikTok content, in phrases like “I’m never going out with him again ONG” or “ONG I didn’t take your keys.” It also gained prominence as a common response indicating agreement, suitable for use in almost any TikTok comment (for example: Commenter one: “K-pop is so over!” Commenter two: “ONG.”)
And to say it the way a TikTok user would: ONG that’s the story behind this TikTok term.
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.