U+1F631 · emoji since 2010
Modeled on the famous Scream painting, this face is shock at full volume. Horror movies, plot twists, deadlines remembered at midnight: all scream worthy.
In practice it's used for excitement as much as fear. Concert announcements and exam results get the same scream, just happier.
In texting, 😱 does not carry a widely used hidden or slang meaning, so you can usually take it at face value. People send it just as it looks, to add a little visual touch or set the mood of a message. Only a handful of emoji have a separate texting code, and 😱 is not really one of them.
Its official Unicode name is the Face Screaming in Fear emoji. In everyday chat most people just call it the face screaming in fear emoji or describe what it shows. Copy and paste it from the button at the top of this page.
The 😱 leads off a short phrase, and the rest of the words are written in cipher, every letter disguised as another emoji. Tap decipher to reveal the whole line.
Or make your own cipher in the translator.