What is Text message abbreviations and acronyms? | Definition from TechTarget (2024)

Text abbreviations are shortened versions of a word or phrase used. The abbreviations and acronyms are used to save time, avoid typing and ensure a social media post stays within a certain character limit. Although many seem as if they are misspelled, grammatically incorrect or confusing, texting abbreviation and texting acronyms are commonly used and are meant to expedite communications by shortening them so that the user doesn't have to spell out phrases, expressions or sentences. The use of emoticons is also pervasive in online communications and texting.

AbbreviationMeaning
?4UI have a question for you
<3Love/friendship (more 3s is a bigger heart)
121One to one
2To (in texting)
2EZToo easy
2F4UToo fast for you
2G2BTToo good to be true
2M2HToo much to handle
2MOROTomorrow
2NITETonight
4For (in texting)
8L3WEight letters, three words (I love you)
AAMOFAs a matter of fact
AAQAssumed asinine question
AFKAway from keyboard
ABCAlready been chewed
ABTAbout
ADDYAddress
ADMINAdministrator
AMIICAsk me if I care
ANDAny day now
AFAIKAs far as I know
AHAt home
AIGHTAlright
AISBAs it should be/as I said before
AKAAlso known as
ALOLActually laughing out loud
APPApplication
ASAPAs soon as possible
A/S/LAge/sex/location
ATBAll the best
AYDYAre you done yet?
AYSAre you serious?
AYTAre you there?
B2WBack to work
B4Before
BAEBefore anyone else/slang for "baby"
BAKBack at keyboard
BAMFBada** motherf*****
BAUBusiness as usual
BBLBe back later
BBSBe back soon
BCBecause
BCNUBe seeing you
BDBig deal
BDAYBirthday
BFFBest friends forever
BFDBig freaking deal
BFNBye for now
BIFBefore I forget
BLNTBetter luck next time
BOLBest of luck
BRBest regards
BRBBe right back
BRTBe right there
BTDTBeen there, done that
BTWBy the way
BYOBBring your own beer
BYOCBring your own computer
BYODBring your own device
BYTMBetter you than me
CHKCheck
CIDConsider it done
CLDCould
CLKClick
CMONCome on
COBClose of business
CRAYCrazy
CRE8Create
CUSee you
DBEYRDon't believe everything you read
DERPMeaning stupid or silly
DGTDon't go there
DILLIGASDo I look like I give a s***?
DIYDo it yourself
DKDCDon't know, don't care
DLDownload
DMDirect message (Twitter)
DQMOTDon't quote me on this
DUPEDuplicate
EAKEating at keyboard
EOBDEnd of business day
EODEnd of day/end of discussion
EOMEnd of message
ETAEstimated time of arrival
EZEasy
F2FFace to face
FAFFunny as f***
FAQFrequently asked questions
FBFacebook
FBMFine by me
FBOWFor better or worse
FFFollow Friday (Twitter)
FIMHForever in my heart
FOAFFriend of a friend
FOMOFear of missing out
FRTFor real though
FTBOMHFrom the bottom of my heart
FTLFor the loss
FTWFor the win
FUBARF***** up beyond all recognition
FWBFriend with benefits
FWIWFor what it's worth
FWMFine with me
FYAFor your amusem*nt
FYEO/4YEOFor your eyes only
FYIFor your information
G2CUGood to see you
G2GGot to go
GBGoodbye
GB2WGet back to work
GDGood
GFIGo for it
GLGood luck
GOIGet over it
GR8Great
GRATZCongratulations
H8Hate
HAK/H&KHug(s) and kiss(es)
HANDHave a nice day
H-BDAYHappy birthday
HRUHow are you?
HWHomework
IAEIn any event
ICI see
ICBWIt could be worse
ICYMIIn case you missed it
IDCI don't care
IDGAFI don't give a f***
IDKI don't know
IFYPI feel your pain
IGNI've got nothing
ILY/ILUI love you
IMInstant message
IMHOIn my humble opinion
IMOIn my opinion
IMSI am sorry
IMUI miss you
IRLIn real life
ISOIn search of
ITYKI thought you knew
IYKWIMIf you know what I mean
IYSSIf you say so
JICJust in case
JKJust kidding
JWJust wondering
KOK
KKCool cool
KEWLCool
L8RLater
LICLike I care
LMAOLaughing my a** off
LMFAOLaughing my f****** a** off
LMKLet me know
LOLLaughing out loud
LOTILaughing on the inside
LTDLiving the dream
LTNSLong time no see
LULZLOL (slang)
LYSMLove you so much
MEHSo-so or just OK
MHOTYMy hat's off to you
MKAYMmm, OK
MSGMessage
MYOBMind your own business
N00bNewbie, novice
N2MNot too much
NBDNo big deal
NGLNot gonna lie
NFSNot for sale
NFWNo f****** way
NIMBYNot in my backyard
NLTNo later than
NMNothing much
NMUNot much, you?
NOYBNone of your business
NPNo problem
NSFWNot safe for work
NVMNevermind
NOWNo way out
OBVObviously
OHOverheard
OGOriginal gangster
OICOh, I see
OMDBOver my dead body
OMFGOh my f****** God
OMGOh my God
OMWOn my way
OPOriginal poster/original post
OSOperating system
OTOff-topic
OTBOff to bed
OTFLOn the floor laughing
OYOOn your own
PDAPublic display of affection
PEBCAKProblem exists between chair and keyboard
PITAPain in the a**
PLSPlease
PMPrivate message
POVPoint of view
PPLPeople
PROLLYProbably
PRTPlease Retweet (Twitter)
PTFOPass the f*** out
PTLPraise the Lord
PTMMPlease tell me more
PWNOwn (slang)
Q4U(I have a) question for you
QOTDQuote of the day
QQQuick question
RAre
RBTLRead between the lines
RLYReally
ROFLRolling on the floor laughing
ROFLCOPTERRolling on the floor laughing and spinning around
ROFLMAORolling on the floor laughing my a** off
RTRetweet (Twitter)
RTMRead the manual
RTFMRead the f****** manual
SHS*** happens
SH^Shut up
SITDSitting in the dark
SK8Skate
SLAPSounds like a plan
SMHShaking my head
SNAFUSituation normal, all f***** up
SOBSon of a b****
SOLSooner or later
SRSLYSeriously
SRYSorry
STBYSucks to be you
STFUShut the f*** up
STR8Straight
SUPWhat's up?
SUXSucks or "it sucks"
SYLSee you later
SYSSee you soon
TBDTo be determined
TBHTo be honest
TBTThrowback Thursday (Twitter/other social media sites)
TCBTake care of business
TFTFThanks for the follow (Twitter)
TGIFThank God it's Friday
THXThanks
TILToday I learned
TLToo long
TLCTender loving care
TL;DRToo long; didn't read
TMBTweet me back (Twitter)
TMIToo much information
TMOTTrust me on this
TWSSThat's what she said
TTYLTalk to you later
TTYSTalk to you soon
TYTTake your time
TYSOThank you so much
UFBUn-f******-believable
UFNUntil further notice
UOKAre you OK?
VMVoicemail
VRYVery
WAHWorking at home
WAYFWhere are you from?
WBUWhat about you?
W/EWhatever
WH5Who, what, when, where, why
WDYKWhat do you know?
WDYTWhat do you think?
WRKWork
WTFWhat the f***?
WTGWay to go
WYSIWYGWhat you see if what you get
WYDWhat are you doing?
WYGAMWhen you get a minute
WYWHWish you were here
YWhy (?)
XOXOHugs and kisses
YHBWYou have been warned
YNKYou never know

This was last updated in April 2019

Continue Reading About Text message abbreviations and acronyms

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What is Text message abbreviations and acronyms? | Definition from TechTarget (2024)

FAQs

What is Text message abbreviations and acronyms? | Definition from TechTarget? ›

An abbreviation is a shortening of a word or a phrase. An acronym is an abbreviation that forms a word. An initialism is an abbreviation that uses the first letter of each word in the phrase (thus, some but not all initialisms are acronyms).

Why are acronyms and abbreviations used in SMS? ›

Text abbreviations are shortened versions of a word or phrase used. The abbreviations and acronyms are used to save time, avoid typing and ensure a social media post stays within a certain character limit.

What are abbreviations and acronyms in technical context? ›

Technical Abbreviations and Acronyms
A
AAmpere
dBVDecibel per Volt
DCDirect Current
DMMDigital MultiMeter
178 more rows

What is the abbreviation for target text? ›

(translation studies) The finished product of a translated text, often abbreviated as TT.

How do you use acronyms in text? ›

Abbreviations should only be used if the organization or term appears two or more times in the text. Spell out the full term at its first mention, indicate its abbreviation in parenthesis and use the abbreviation from then on, with the exception of acronyms that would be familiar to most readers, such as MCC and USAID.

What is the difference between a text message and a SMS message? ›

The first and biggest thing to know about the difference between SMS and text messages is that there is no difference. SMS, or Short Message Service, is a form of text message that's sent from one device to another.

What is the most used acronym in texting? ›

The most common texting abbreviations
  • LOL: Laugh out loud.
  • BRB: Be right back.
  • OMG: Oh my God.
  • ASAP: As soon as possible.
  • BTW: By the way.
  • IDK: I don't know.
  • TTYL: Talk to you later.
  • LMK: Let me know.
Mar 29, 2023

What are acronyms in communication? ›

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word used in place of the full word (e.g., Inc.). An acronym is a word formed from the first letters of each of the words in a phrase or name (e.g., NREL or DOE).

What are abbreviations and acronyms used for? ›

Abbreviations and acronyms are both used to shorten words or phrases. The only difference between the two is the way in which they are formed. Abbreviations usually take the first few letters of a word and also end in a full-stop.

What is the acronyms of technology? ›

List of information technology initialisms
AbbreviationMeaningPrimary Applicability
APIApplication Programming InterfaceSoftware
ARPAddress Resolution ProtocolLink layer
ATMAsynchronous Transfer ModeTelecom
BGPBorder Gateway Protocol (routing protocol)Application layer, Routers
119 more rows

What is TGT in text? ›

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of together.

What is WTI in text? ›

2022/12/02. The texting abbreviation wtw (or WTW) stands for What's the Word. Using this term means the same thing as the expressions “What's up?” or “What's going on?” The texting abbreviation wtw (or WTW) stands for What's the Word.

What does TMB stand for? ›

TMB means “Text me back” or — less commonly — “Text me, b*tch.”

Why are people using acronyms? ›

Acronyms and initialisms are common in formal content. If understood by users, they can make content easier to use. They communicate terms in as few letters as possible to make content easier and faster to read.

How do you find acronyms in text? ›

FIND ACRONYMS IN MS WORD DOCUMENTS
  1. Open the 'Find' window (Ctrl + F).
  2. Check the box labeled 'Use Wildcards. '
  3. In the 'Find what' field, put this phrase: <[A-Z]{2,}> (no spaces)
  4. Click 'Highlight all items found in:' and choose 'Main Document. '
  5. Click 'Find All. '
  6. Voila! All of your acronyms will be highlighted.

Why is SMS an acronym? ›

abbreviation for

short message service: a system for sending short text messages, as from one cell phone to another or from a computer to a cell phone. Compare EMS ( def 2 ). a message sent by SMS; a text message.

Why are acronyms used in mail messages? ›

Acronyms are helpful abbreviations that keep emails concise. Once you become an expert at the letters and punctuation, you'll have no trouble using them to communicate well at work.

What are the advantages of using abbreviations in texting? ›

Some benefits of using abbreviations when texting your customers: Text abbreviations save time and space without sacrificing clarity or meaning. They also convey a sense of familiarity between you and the receiver. You can use common text abbreviations to establish a personal connection with customers.

What does the abbreviation SMS mean? ›

SMS stands for Short Message Service and is commonly known as texting. It's a way to send text-only messages of up to 160 characters between phones.

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