3 Netherite Ingots

2022Viral video / TikTok trendsemi-active

Also known as: Netherite Ingot Incident · 2 Netherite Ingots Incident

3 Netherite Ingots is a viral TikTok trend built around a 2022 video of a kid playing Minecraft who stuttered while saying "netherite," accidentally producing a sound resembling the N-word2. The clip spawned a wave of videos and memes documenting similar verbal slip-ups, with creators tagging their posts as "3 netherite ingots ahh scenario" or referencing the "Netherite Ingot Incident." By late 2024, the phrase had become shorthand on TikTok for any moment a white person accidentally blurts something that sounds like a racial slur2.

Overview

The meme centers on an awkward moment during a Minecraft gameplay video where the word "netherite" (an in-game crafting material) gets mangled mid-sentence into something that sounds like the N-word1. The humor comes from the tension between the completely innocent gaming context and the accidental resemblance to a racial slur. On TikTok, the format expanded beyond the original clip into a broader trend where users compile or recreate moments of people stumbling over words in similarly unfortunate ways2.

Videos in this trend typically include captions like "3 netherite ingots ahh scenario" or reference the "Netherite Ingot Incident" as if it were a historically significant event, playing up the dramatic irony of a child's gaming stutter becoming internet lore1.

On August 31st, 2022, TikToker @borkzzisdaddy uploaded a video showing himself crafting netherite ingots in Minecraft's survival mode1. While explaining the process, he stuttered on the word "netherite," and the resulting sound closely resembled the N-word. The video blew up, pulling in over 20 million views and 2 million likes within two years1. The clip's appeal was straightforward: a completely innocent kid tripping over a Minecraft term in the worst possible way.

Origin & Background

Platform
TikTok
Creator
@borkzzisdaddy
Date
2022

On August 31st, 2022, TikToker @borkzzisdaddy uploaded a video showing himself crafting netherite ingots in Minecraft's survival mode1. While explaining the process, he stuttered on the word "netherite," and the resulting sound closely resembled the N-word. The video blew up, pulling in over 20 million views and 2 million likes within two years1. The clip's appeal was straightforward: a completely innocent kid tripping over a Minecraft term in the worst possible way.

How It Spread

The meme moved through several phases on TikTok over the next two years.

On October 20th, 2022, TikToker @bunchorabbits recreated the scenario inside the VR game Rec Room, earning around 4,000 likes1. This was one of the first signs the clip was becoming a replicable format rather than a one-off viral moment.

By mid-2023, "Netherite Ingot Incident" memes started circulating, often using the "Those Who Know" reaction format. Users posted cryptic references to the phrase, implying dark insider knowledge for anyone who recognized the original video. TikToker @witeeye contributed a version on July 18th, 2023 featuring a Serious / Despair xQc reaction that hit 7 million plays and 300,000 likes1.

On December 10th, 2023, @james.80085 posted a recreation of the original video where he carefully says "netherite ingots" without the slip-up, then pauses and jokes, "Wait, that doesn't sound right." The meta-humor landed well, pulling 10 million plays and 700,000 likes1.

Through 2024, the meme's scope widened. "3 netherite ingots" became a generic label for any clip where someone accidentally says something that sounds like a slur. A December 18th, 2024 TikTok by @lebronshakingass used the format to compile such moments, picking up over 100,000 plays and 4,000 likes1. The phrase had effectively graduated from a specific Minecraft blooper into a reusable category tag2.

How to Use This Meme

The 3 Netherite Ingots format typically works in one of three ways:

1

Direct recreation: Film yourself saying "3 netherite ingots" in a Minecraft context, either stumbling over the word or deliberately pausing to acknowledge what it sounds like.

2

Compilation clip: Gather footage of people (usually white) accidentally saying something that sounds like a racial epithet during normal conversation, then caption it as a "netherite ingots ahh scenario."

3

Reaction/reference: Post a "Those Who Know" style meme or cryptic text referencing the "Netherite Ingot Incident" without explaining it, relying on audience recognition.

Fun Facts

The original video sat at over 20 million views and 2 million likes two years after posting, making it one of the more durable Minecraft-related TikTok clips1.

Urban Dictionary's entry for the meme cuts itself off mid-word, mimicking the original stutter for comedic effect2.

The meme is sometimes called the "2 Netherite Ingots Incident" instead of "3," with no clear consensus on the correct number1.

Netherite is the rarest and strongest material in Minecraft, obtained by combining gold ingots with netherite scraps found in the Nether dimension.

Derivatives & Variations

Rec Room recreations:

Users recreated the scenario in VR games, with @bunchorabbits' October 2022 Rec Room version being an early example[1].

"Those Who Know" edits:

Memes using the knowing/unknowing face format to reference the "Netherite Ingot Incident" as forbidden knowledge[1].

Meta-recreations:

Videos like @james.80085's version that deliberately avoid the stutter and joke about the absence of the slip-up[1].

Compilation format:

The broader "netherite ingots ahh scenario" tag applied to unrelated verbal stumbles, turning the meme into a category rather than a single clip[1].

Frequently Asked Questions