I know, right?
Sorry, you and I both know I couldn't resist (despite your protests). Am off to Greece with the boy, will attempt to send you a postcard. 
~ahw
I've noticed some people chop off the "I know" and just say "Right?" as a response to something someone else is saying...
Man 1: Shoot, that chocolate cake looks really tasty.
Man 2: Right?
It's so backwards I can't even comprehend the severe psychological and self-esteem issues behind it.
i know! i hate that (right?)! it weirds me out. it's like, i just made a comment, and believe me *that* wasn't the appropriate response. it really throws me off.
Aw, Jessie, you said "shoot"! That's so Old Man Dallas.
And you're right (correct, I should say) — it's possible that "I know, right" becomes even more annoying when the "I know" is dropped. That's being stupid and lazy! Except when you add lots of i's to "right" and get all Brooklyn.
Riiiiiight?
Sometimes I wish I were an Old Fat Wealthy Dallas man.
Most times I don't.
Ha! I think you are laving out the all important question mark. I say this a lot, much like "right on," and the one i hate saying s much, "like."
You know that Ben Folds lyric, "you think I should take a class, to lose my southern accent?"
Every time I say "soda" it makes me feel like I have completely sold out my midwestern pop roots.
I googled the phrase 'i know, right?' because it's been pissing me off so much lately. i'm glad to have found your blog and those with a similar understanding. whenever i confront people about it they JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.
OMG I can't stand that phrase!!! The reason i hate it is because it just comes across so snotty when girls say it. I thought it came from Laguna Beach, but who knows. All my friends say it and it just sounds so bitchy! I could never say that! The way it is used around me, one uses it to interrupt someone when they want you to shut up.
Person 1: "Oh my gosh, i have so much homework, and my professor is such a jerk, and i have no money...((talk for 5 more minutes))..college is so tough and---"
Person 2: "--yeah i know, right?"
They don't even care what you have to say, they just wanna cut in with their "cool" catchphrase.
FIANLLY there are other people out there who can't stand it like me.
OH and now my MOM says it too! Real cool.
I am so relieved to find these comments! I HATE that phrase. It's vapid and close to meaningless. I keep trying to come up with a way to explain the twisted logic behind it, but it hurts my brain! It's the sound of one hand clapping.
"I know, right?" is the most annoying phrase in decades. It's something for dumb, uneducated kids. Just do what I've been doing lately: I answer every "I know, right" with a punch in the mouth!
It unfortunately comes from the movie "Mean Girls." It's from a quote in the movie, though the exact one escapes me at the moment. i hate the phrase with a passion.
ikr
Thank you for writing this, I'm glad at least one person shares my intense hate of that phrase. It is a self-conflicting oxymoron. If you really know, then why are you asking if you are correct? I think I'm going to steal your idea and start punching people in the face too, Mark.
Recently I came across the "I know right!" variant of the infamous "I know, right?" and decided to Google it since I wasn't so sure and/or clear of its meaning.
Then, I found definitions on Urban Dictionary and wasn't very satisfied with my discovery.
AND then, I found your post.
Thanks, it was really enlightening.
Now I hate it even more.
Sadly, your post is still relevant today. I just decided to type "i know right" into Google and see what came up, after having heard it for about a year or two. I had no idea it had been around since 2005 or longer. Yuck.
Everyone I know under the age of 30 (and over in some places) says it, with some notable exceptions, such as my lovely and talented girlfriend (who'd never even heard it).
I mean, think about: The anatomy of the sentence is completely ludicrous.
"I know, right?"
"I know," which is a statement of affirmation of the other person's statement, and "right?" which is seeking approval/affirmation/agreement with their first affirmation in the same sentence! They say they know, then they ask if they are right that they know.
So, let's say I say something of great wit and intelligence to some tard.
Tard: "I know, right?"
Me: "I DON'T KNOW! *DO* YOU KNOW?!"
Tard: "HURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!"
I am glad to see I am not alone in this sea of idiocy. Thank you for your little beacon of sanity here, and I also thank the other commenters who think likewise. Surf Wisely!
It's definitely not from the movie Mean Girls. They say it, but it was around before that.
In 2003, I graduated from college in Minnesota, where I had NEVER heard that phrase. I moved to NYC and heard several people say it, and it intrigued me. I moved back to Minnesota in 2004 and told people about it. They also found it bizarre and funny. Then I noticed it on a few TV shows and movies (Will and Grace springs to mind for some reason)...
My guess is that it originated on the East Coast in the early 2000s, but I've got nothing to back that up - it's just where I noticed it being used... and since lots of people were saying it by 2003, then I know it must have cropped up even before that.
It is nice to find other people who are annoyed with this phrase. It seems to me that it just popped up recently but I guess it's been around for some time. Even a good friend of mine used it in a chat we had online a few days ago. I wanted to cut off the conversation right there! Hey, he's a guy, former military, what the hell is he saying that for? Sounds like only valley girls should use it.
I did see it in a movie - but it was The House Bunny. The title character wants to live in a prestigious sorority house and the stuck up snobby girl living there says "I know, right? Every girl wants to live here!" I hate it.
Has anyone watched English TV or been around English people and noticed how they use the word "Right" ? They use it as a filler word, like "well" or "so" at the beginning of the sentence. Like "Right! Let's get started ...." It's not so much annoying just a little unusual to Americans. It took me some getting used to, but in a way I almost like it now.
Well, in my opinion, I don't have a problem with the phrase. However, its something that really needs to be thought about. I mean really, saying you know something or agree and then asking "right?" afterwards, it just sounds dumb if you think about it, but it's not that serious. A lot of people in my school say it a lot. My mom even says it sometimes but, you know, the one thing I like about this phrase is when someone says something offensive about you and then the person who agrees with them says "I know, right?", you can always backfire at them and say "Wrong! Totally wrong hun". lolzz Just my theory.
I'm with y'all. I get so pissed when people say it. I always thought it came from bad boys II. When will smith and martin lawerence are in the gun fight in the street, martin says this shit is crazy, and will says the famous qoute "I know, right?
We started it. At Cambridge, early 80s. Whenever someone made a statement with which one or all would agree, one would politely respond, "Indeed. How correct are you, sir?" Thus affording the speaker both a sense of affirmation and a moment to bask in the glory of such a unanimous observation, while also providing an opening with which others might easily continue the discussion.
Upon graduation, myself and a classmate moved to New York City where we lived for four years, working for RBS on Wall Street. Americans in the office began to pick up on this particular bit of banter between the two of us. We occasionally used shortcuts ("Indeed, how correct...?") and the Americans, being Americans, took it upon themselves to change and substitute certain words.
"Indeed, isnt that right?" lasted a few weeks at best. Before we knew it, it was, "I know, right?" and later even just, "Right?" A complete inversion of the original phrase (one that doesn't actually make sense either) and a now a seeming permanent blight on the English language as we know it. As if we don't have enough already in this age. And yes, I completely made this up. Totally lame... right?
What do you mean you hate it? It's just a frickin' sentence.
Some people will find an excuse to hate everything.
It's just the sentence "I know" plus the suffix "right".
I know = "I understand what you are talking about."
right? = "wouldn't you agree?"
I know + right? = I understand what you are talking about + wouldn't you agree? = I know, right? = I understand what you are talking about, wouldn't you agree?
I don't see anyone complaining about the sentence "thank you". It's so backwards! Who's "thanking you"? They completely dropped out the main part of the sentence: the subject! It should be "I thank you."
But no one complains about that, now do they? You know why? Because we know what they mean! Just like saying "Thank you" is short for saying "I thank you", saying "right?" is short for saying "I know, right?" But for some reason, we don't point out the things we've been making all our lives, but if it's new, then we must attack it and call it a mistake!
Ooh, an "I know, right?" apologist. Please look up "suffix." Also, re-read your last paragraph. Does it really make sense?
"I know" doesn't mean "I understand what you're talking about." Even if it did, the statement would still be self-contradictory: "I understand what you're talking about, don't I?"
"Right" is not a suffix, either.
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