Antisemitic dog whistles are coded signals—phrases, numbers, or symbols—that carry a hidden meaning. To most people, they look harmless, but to those inside extremist circles they are instantly recognizable. This coded language allows antisemitic ideas to spread in public spaces without being stated outright, making it harder for platforms and casual readers to spot what’s really being said.
The purpose of these dog whistles is to both disguise and connect. On one hand, they allow people to share hate while maintaining plausible deniability. On the other hand, they work as a kind of password: an easy way for people in the know to find each other and signal shared beliefs.
Social media gives dog whistles fertile ground to flourish. On fast-moving platforms such as X, Instagram, and TikTok, coded terms can circulate widely before moderators recognize them. In 2025, with antisemitic content continuing to rise online, dog whistles have become a way for extremists to embed their messages in everyday conversation, often spreading furthe because they look innocuous at first glance.
In this article, you’ll find a breakdown of the three types of dog whistles that have been especially common online
- Number-coded
- Word-coded
- Symbol-coded
Number-Coded Dog Whistles
Numbers are some of the most common antisemitic dog whistles because they can pass by unnoticed in everyday conversation and on social media. One of the most notorious is 1488. The “14” refers to the “14 Words,” a white supremacist slogan about protecting the future of white children. “88” stands for “Heil Hitler” (H being the 8th letter of the alphabet). Used together, “1488” functions as shorthand for neo-Nazism. It often appears in usernames, hashtags, or as a standalone post, signaling allegiance without needing to say anything openly. Variants like “14/88” or “14-88” are common as well; however, in some cases, users will post innocuous sentences using exactly 14 words or capitalize the letter “H” to signal the same ideas in a different way.
Another example of a numeric code is the number 109 or 110, tied to the antisemitic myth that Jews have been expelled from 109 countries, with “110” implying the next one, often advocating it should be the United States. Online, this shows up in hashtags such as #110 or comments such as “make it 110,” often beneath political news. It is a way of echoing centuries-old bigotry with just three numbers.
Word-Coded Dog Whistles
In some cases, hateful actors will use words and phrases to carry hidden meanings online. These phrases will often be oddly worded or placed. One increasingly common example is “the noticing,” a phrase extremists use to describe “noticing Jewish influence” without saying it directly.
On social media, it often appears as a standalone post, a phrase or hashtag (#TheNoticing). Extremists will often play it off by saying they are just “pointing out a pattern” and calling it out, which has given rise to variations of the phrase like “impossible not to notice” or “noticing will continue.” While “the noticing” is the main and consistent manifestation of this dog whistle, its variants spike on social media at more concentrated times as depicted by the graph below.
The use of all three phrases has increased on social media in 2025 so far compared to the previous 8 months. Mentions of the phrase “the noticing” increased by 92%; “impossible not to notice” increased by 2,261%, and “noticing will continue” by 36%. To outsiders, it looks vague or even meaningless. To insiders, it’s a wink and nod that they see the same conspiracies.
“The Noticing” Dog Whistles in Social Media Conversations Related to Antisemitism, Jewish Culture, and Israel in 2025
Another, more recent example of a word-based dog whistle is the phrase “Have a Totally Joyful Day,” which stands for the acronym TJD and “Total Jew Death.” After October 7, 2023, we tracked its spread across X, TikTok, and Reddit, where extremists used it as a way to disguise violent intent behind cheerful language.
This dog whistle also transcends beyond the targeting of Jews, with extremists employing the “totally __ day” format to target many different minority groups, each variation maintaining the same structure, but changing the target.
Also prevalent and growing is the sarcastic phrase “Our Greatest Ally,” referring to Israel. While it can be used sincerely by people and advocates, in antisemitic spaces it’s deployed ironically, often paired with references to U.S. aid or military policy. The phrase now circulates widely on X, where it serves as a way to imply Jewish or Israeli control over the U.S.
Symbol-Coded Dog Whistles
Lastly, symbols and emojis are especially useful for dog whistles because they are visual, quick to post, and easy to dismiss as harmless. As we have previously reported animal emojis like 🐀, 🐍, 🐷, and 🐙 are frequently used to refer to Jews or Zionists, recycling dehumanizing imagery used in Nazi propaganda.
Another symbol is the “👌” emoji, which was repurposed in 2017 as a coded “White Power” sign (with the fingers forming a W and the circle + wrist forming a P). While most people still use 👌 to mean “okay,” in extremist circles it remains a signal of white nationalist identity. Online, it often appears as a symbol in commentary by users and at times next to other hateful symbols and dog whistles.
Finally, symbols from meme culture function as dog whistles too. Pepe the Frog 🐸, once a harmless cartoon character, has been adopted widely by extremists to signal affiliation. Not every Pepe the Frog meme is antisemitic, but in certain contexts—especially when paired with phrases like “the noticing” or numbers like 1488—it becomes part of the same coded language. The frog itself becomes a marker for those in the know.
Dog whistles may look small or even silly on the surface, but their impact is serious. They allow antisemitic ideas to circulate in plain sight, where they can be amplified, normalized, and shared without immediate pushback. Learning to spot dog whistles means looking at how ordinary language is used in unusual ways.
A number that seems out of place, a phrase that carries a strange emphasis, or a familiar emoji that shows up in the wrong context can all be clues. On social media in 2025, these codes thrive in the fast pace of conversation, giving extremists a way to signal hate while staying just under the radar of moderators and casual readers. It’s important to note that not every use of a number, phrase, or symbol is antisemitic in itself—but when used in certain contexts, these everyday elements become vehicles for coded hate.
The danger is not just in the speech itself but in the community it builds: each emoji, number, or phrase becomes a quiet invitation into a larger world of conspiracies and hate. That is why recognizing these signals matters now—not to give them more power, but to strip away their cover and understand how antisemitism continues to adapt and spread in today’s digital spaces.
