3 Netherite Ingots
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
How It Spread
How to Use This Meme
The 3 Netherite Ingots format typically works in one of three ways:
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.
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."
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
References (2)
- 13 Netherite Ingots - Urban Dictionarydictionary
- 23 Netherite Ingots - Know Your Memeencyclopedia