Kevin
February 18, 2021
Common Questions

This article will give you all of the information you need on the acronym wbk, including its meaning, origin, sentence examples, common usage and more!

What does wbk stand for?

While the wbk abbreviation has many meanings in many different languages, its most common use is the internet slang phrase “we been knew.”

According to StayHipp, the meaning of the extended phrase “we been knew,” which wbk stands for, is “we have known this for a long time,” or “told you so.” “We been knew” is heavily associated with AAVE, or African American Vernacular English and black slang.

The phrase wbk and we been knew have become increasingly popular on Black Twitter. The popularity of this phrase has caused its adoption on Stan Twitter, on which super fans of particular actors, musicians, or other famous people, come together to build community. In particular, the phrase we been knew has become very popular on KPop Stan Twitter, which is a space for mega-fans of different KPop groups.

Definithing states that wbk and we been knew are used to point out something people already know, or that the person using already knows. It is a way to point out that what was just said is obvious to the majority of people.

Wbk has become increasingly popular, and artist are even selling merchandise with the phrase “we been knew” alongside other memes on sites like Redbubble.

How can wbk be used in sentences?

Wbk is popular in text, but the full phrase “we been knew” is more likely to be used in speech. It is most often used as a response to a statement, as is evidenced by the below statements.

Someone could say, “Taylor Swift came out with a new album!”

The response could be, “We been knew, it’s like all anyone’s talking about!”

For another example, someone could say, “I have to tell you something… Kevin and I have been secretly dating.”

The response could be, “We all been knew! We see the way you towo look at each other in the lunch room. You’re not that sneaky!”

What is the origin of wbk?

Wbk, or we been knew, is a phrase that stems from African American Vernacular English, or AAVE. Other terms for AAVE are Black English (BE), African American Anglish (AAE), African American Language (AAL), and Black English Vernacular (BVE).

According to Language Jones, AAVE is largely misunderstood and simply thought of as ghetto or bad English. People on social media and in pop culture tend to refer to it as a “blaccent,” which is a portmanteau of the words “black” and “accent.”

AAVE is not “bad English” – it is a specific dialect comparable to British English. Like other dialects, there are clear grammatical rules. While these rules are different than other Engligh dialects, that does not make AAVE specifically wrong.

AAVE stems from the American South, and is very similar to Southern American English. However, AAVE was born out of slavery. There are a couple of hypotheses as to the root of AAVE – some believe it stems from Creole, and others believe it is a sister dialect of Southern American English, beginning to split off from it in the 1700s and 1800s.

Babbel examines the controversy of people outside the Black community using words and phrases from African American Vernacular English, and how using them might be cultural appropriation. Shows like Rupaul’s Drag Race and Queer Eye have popularized AAVE phrases like “yas kween” in media. Other slang terms like “salty,” “lit,” “turnt,” “bae,” and “woke” have all stemmed from AAVE.

While dialect fusion is a natural process – phrases become popularized and merge with mainstream culture – it may be cultural appropriation is used by groups who attempt to commodify the groups they are taking the phrases from. While this fusion can be beneficial to marginalized groups, people should be careful before using phrases like we been knew—there is now exact answer on if using AAVE is ethical or not. However, people should listen to members of the Black community if told to discontinue using said phrases.

What are synonyms of wbk?

Below are phrases that are synonyms of the phrase we been knew, and can be used interchangeably with wbk, defined by Oxford Languages.

· We know – A phrase used to describe being aware of something.

· Duh – An interjection used to comment on an obvious statement.

· Obviously – An adverb that describes something easily understood, often used sarcastically.

· No kidding – A phrase used to emphasize something true or obvious.

· You don’t say? – This phrase is used sarcastically.

What else can wbk stand for?

According to Acronym Finder, wbk can also stand for any of the following, though “we been knew” is the most common definition.

· Word Backup – This is a Microsoft Word file extension, similar to .doc or .pdf. This is also known as a WordPerfect Windows Workbook Document.

· Wet Basisvoorziening Kinderopvang – This is the Dutch translation of their acronym for Basic Child Law, directly translation to the Basic Childcare Provisions Act. In Dutch, “wet” means “law,” “basisvoorziening” means “basic provision,” and “kinderopvang” means “daycare” according to Google Translate.

· Welcome Back, Kotter – This was a United States television show that aired in the 1970s. The show starred Gabe Kaplan, Marcia Strassman, John Sylvester White, Robert Hegyes, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Ron Palillo, and John Travolta, among others.

· Wojny Bitwy Kampanie – This is Polish for “wars battles campaigns” and was the name of a PC game of the same title – Waterloo: Wars Battles Campaigns.

· Wetlands and Birds Korea – WBKBirding Korea is a cconservation and tour ompany that promotes Korean birdlife, according to Surfbirds.

· Women’s Basketball – This is a common abbreviation or the sport of women’s basketball, according to Abbreviations.com.

· Westpac Banking Corporation – WBK is the stock abbreviation for Westpac Banking Corporation according to Yahoo Finance. Westpac is an Australian bank that is headquartered in Sydney. It was Australia’s first bank.

Overall, wbk is an acronym for the phrase we been knew, a popular AAVE phrase that has made quite the splash on Twitter. The phrase is used as a response to someone making an obvious statement, and can be a synonym for other phrases like “duh,” or “obviously.”

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.