What Does the Teeth Emoji Mean on Snapchat?

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: January 19, 2023 References

Wondering what the 😬 (grimacing emoji) means next to that name in your Snapchat friends list? While many of the Snapchat emojis seem relatively obvious at first, it’s fair that you’d find this awkward little emoji a little confusing. Luckily, it’s easy enough to make sense of this one. In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the 😬 (grimacing emoji) on Snapchat. We’ll even break down the other popular emojis on Snapchat.

Section 1 of 5:

What is the 😬 (grimacing emoji)?

The 😬 emoji depicts a tense face clenching their teeth. Ever show up to school and see someone wearing the exact same outfit as you? Awkward, right? That’s the emotion here. It’s the kind of nervous, potentially even embarrassed, energy you feel whenever you drop your plate in the cafeteria, show up to a party underdressed, or forget your line in a presentation.
- Someone might say, “Omg, I was at dinner with my boyfriend and my ex showed up 😬” or, “I thought Melissa was waving at me, so I waved back, but she was saying hi to someone behind me 😬.”
- Some people call the 😬 emoji the teeth or tooth emoji. That’s actually this emoji, though: 🦷 (tooth emoji).

Section 2 of 5:

What does the 😬 (grimacing emoji) mean on Snapchat?

The 😬 appears next to people you share a mutual best friend with. There is a person you Snapchat with more than anyone else on your friends list. That is your best friend. If your best friend has anyone else in their life who snaps them more than anyone of their other friends, the 😬 will appear next to that person’s name—even if you don’t know them.^{[1]
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- You can tell they’re your best friend because a 💛 (yellow heart emoji), ❤️ (red heart emoji), or 💕 (2 pink hearts emoji) will appear next to their name.
- The 💛 indicates you just became best friends. If you stay best friends for 2 weeks straight, it becomes a ❤️ emoji. The 💕 appears after 2 months of friendship.

Section 3 of 5:

Why does Snapchat use a 😬 (grimacing emoji) for mutual best friends?

The 😬 emoji appears for mutual best friends as a joke on awkwardness. It’s sort of like if you were dating somebody and another person walked up to you and said, “What are you doing? That’s my partner!” It’s awkward! It’s Snapchat’s fun little way of encouraging you to continue snapping your best friend to keep them all to yourself.^{[2]
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- Don’t take this the wrong way. Even if someone is snapping your best friend super often, it doesn’t mean they’re sharing anything serious. It’s even possible your best friend isn’t replying.

Section 4 of 5:

Example of When the 😬 (Grimacing Emoji) Will Appear on Snapchat

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You send snaps to Friend #1 more than anyone else in your friends list. Let’s say you’ve got a best bud (Friend #1). You snap them often enough that a little 💛 appears next to his name. Congrats! You’re now best friends.
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Friend #2 also sends snaps to Friend #1 more than anyone they know. Let’s also say you and Friend #1 know a mutual contact (we’ll call them Friend #2). The same way you snap Friend #1 regularly all the time, Friend #2 also snaps Friend #1 every day. In fact, Friend #2 interacts with Friend #1 often enough that Friend #2 also gets a little 💛 of their own next to Friend #1’s name. These two are now best friends.
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The 😬 emoji shows up next to Friend #2’s name in your app. Once you and Friend #2 both have 💛s next to Friend #1’s name in your respective friend lists, you’ll get the 😬 emoji next to one another’s names. Regardless of whether you’ve ever even snapped one another before, that 😬 will stick around so long as both of you keep Friend #1 as your best friends.
- If either of you were to drop Friend #1 as your best friend (either intentionally or unintentionally), that 😬 emoji will disappear.

Section 5 of 5:

Other Common Snapchat Emojis

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🔥 (fire emoji) You have a snapstreak going! A snapstreak is where you snap someone at least every 24 hours. After 3 days of persistent snapchatting, the 🔥 will appear. It will stick around for as long as you keep that snapstreak going.^{[3]
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⌛ (hourglass emoji) If you see the hourglass emoji next to someone’s name, it means that your streak with them is about to end! Fire off a quick snap to keep your streak alive if you’d like.^{[4]
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😊 (smiling emoji) This emoji means that you and the other person send one another snaps regularly. You aren’t quite best friends, and you may not even have a streak going, but you stay in touch!^{[5]
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😏 (smirking emoji) The smirking emoji pops up whenever someone sends you a lot of snaps, but you don’t send a whole lot back. It’s sort of like, “Look at you over there. You’re so cool, you’re too busy to snap back!”^{[6]
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😎 (sunglasses emoji) This cool emoji shows up when your best friend and this person’s best friend are the same, and the two of you snap one another all the time. It’s sort of like the 😬 emoji, except the 😎 emoji implies all of you are good friends.^{[7]
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