About

19 In French or Nineteen In French is a Don't Google meme that spread primarily on YouTube and Reddit in 2016 and resurfaced in September 2023 on Twitter / X. The translation for the number 19 in French (dix-neuf) sounded like the memetic phrase "Deez Nuts" in English to many, leading to various jokes referencing the pronunciation. The memes typically warn against searching for the translation, baiting people on social media to look it up and be surprised.

Origin

The earliest known mention of the "19 In French" joke was posted by Urban Dictionary ^[1] user E.W. Doom on December 1st, 2009. The post (shown below) explains that the French word for the number 19 (dix-neuf) can be "used as (and sounds similar too) Deez Nuts."

Spread

One of the earliest viral mentions of the joke was shared on YouTube^[2] by user kmlkmljkl on March 2nd, 2016. The video (shown below) is a screenshot of a Google Translate search for the translation of the number 19 in French, which amassed over 37,000 views and 480 likes in seven years.

On January 21st, 2023, the joke was referenced in a meme on Reddit's /r/okbuddyretard^[4] subreddit in an Uncle Ben What Happened? meme, receiving over 200 upvotes in roughly eight months (seen below).

The joke also made its way to X in September 2023. For instance, on September 24th, 2023, X^[3] user @PicturesFoIder posted the Shocked Miles Morales meme with the overlay text "Don't say 19 in French. Worst mistake of my life." The post (shown below) amassed more than 109,000 likes and 4,200 retweets in a day.

Various Examples

Me : Google translate what's 19 in FrenchGoogle : pic.twitter.com/5Gl8DyhUNm

— MemeNaughty (@Meminoti) September 24, 2023

Search Interest

External References