About

IWL or IWEL is a slang acronym that stands for "I won't lie" or "I won't even lie." The phrase is typically used to confess to something or to announce that someone is about to say something truthfully. While abbreviations "IWL" and "IWEL" have been in use on the internet since the 2010s, questions about what the acronyms mean began making the rounds on TikTok in June 2025 as they saw renewed interest and usage online.

Origin

On February 13th, 2018, X^[1] user @badgalliah_ tweeted, "I've been looking like I don't care about myself lately 😭 it's time to get cute iwel," providing an early notable use of the slang acronym "IWEL" and gathering over 100 likes in seven years.

The acronym "IWL" was added to Urban Dictionary^[3] on September 14th, 2018, by user eu_phoria, who defined the acronym as, "I won't lie," and used it in the sentence, "Iwl that ass was fat."

On November 2nd, 2019, X^[2] user @2wayvv tweeted, "Ireland has babes iwl," gathering over 100 likes in six years.

The acronym was also used in an October 9th, 2021, TikTok^[4] from user @iisimp4toosiipopp that read, "so I was the only one who thought 'iwel' literally meant 'i well.'" The post gathered over 15,000 views and 200 likes in four years.

Spread

On December 17th, 2024, TikToker^[7] @gmoneyy2uu posted a video captioned, "Iwel fullychop growing on me," gathering over 500,000 views and 40,000 likes in seven months.

Sporadic use of the phrase "IWL" continued into 2025, with TikToker^[5] @jessetmclive posting a video on May 3rd, 2025, repeating the phrase "I won't lie," and saying it's the best phrase Ireland has come up with. The post gathered over 7,000 views and 700 likes in roughly two months.

Also on May 3rd, 2025, TikToker^[6] @_officialbigniy posted a video using the slang, captioned, "iwel Chicago snappin onna music this summer," gathering over 5,000 plays and 500 likes in roughly two months.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References