Do you know your LMK from your IDK or even your IDC? Text abbreviations are so commonly used these days that they seem to be a language all of their own. The modern-day A to Z abbreviation list is so long that one could probably make it into a full-fledged dictionary!
Although you must be familiar with some texting lingo, you wouldn't be the only one absolutely clueless about some strange, suddenly-popular acronyms and chat abbreviations here and there.
In this article, we've listed over 250 most common abbreviations in chat that are used by people of all ages, along with their meanings. Use these to save time talking to friends and family or sending that special message on Valentine's Day. There's also a specific list of texting abbreviations for business messaging. But first, here's an explainer of the basics...
What are text abbreviations and acronyms?
Text abbreviations are short forms of words or phrases. There are many types of abbreviations.
One type is acronyms. These are abbreviated words that are formed from the first letters of each word in a phrase. You can also easily say them out loud like any other word. For instance, 'NASA' and 'POTUS' are common abbreviations in English that don't sound silly when spoken aloud.
But then there's another type called initialisms. Let's take two abbreviation examples, IKR and OMG. Try pronouncing them like regular words with a straight face. You can't. You'll have to spell each letter, like eye-kay-are and oh-em-jee.
Are formal and slang text acronyms and abbreviations really that useful?
This texting shorthand is often used in text messages, i.e., SMS and MMS messages, which have a fixed character limit. You have to get your message across without exceeding this limit.
(For instance, you only have 160 characters to play with in an SMS text message – any more, and you'll end up sending multiple texts. Based on a typical mobile texting plan, you're probably paying per text message. So going over the character limit, even by a couple of characters, will double your cost.)
That's why many popular acronyms and abbreviations can be your best friend for both personal and business text messages.
Also, remember the early days of texting before predictive text became a thing? Finding a particular letter on a mobile phone keypad was tedious; push-push-push-push, and finally, a 'T' is born! Punctuation marks were worse – infinite key-punching. Hence, mobile phone users began to use text abbreviations – shortened forms of words and phrases.
If we go as far back as 2011, a publication called The Hindu reported that two-thirds of adults started using text abbreviations. Seven out of ten people said they had started using text message abbreviations in their email communications as well.
Nowadays, it's much easier to type out a text message on a smartphone keyboard. But SMS abbreviations are more widely used than ever before. And not just by younger generations that use text slang words day in and day out. Age is just a number when it comes to incorporating texting abbreviations into everyday casual and formal interactions.
Text abbreviations are helpful for anyone who needs to be succinct when communicating through text messages. Businesses also use them when appropriate to stay "hip."
As they say, less is more. Using text abbreviations can help you fit more content into your text message and save you time. If you want to keep this professional, you should at least understand what some of the most popular text abbreviations mean so that you can respond in kind.
We've compiled two different lists of text shortcuts. The first is the text abbreviations list for everyday conversations with your family and friends. A lot of these are texting slang and internet abbreviations. The second one, significantly shorter due to the nature of professional texting, is a list of common text abbreviations more suitable for business or other formal uses.
200+ most common text acronyms and abbreviations for casual chatting
You'll probably have come across many of these text abbreviations before... even if you're not quite sure what they mean. Once you get the hang of them, they can be quite the time saver when you're chatting with friends and family via text messaging.
Here's a list of some of the most common texting abbreviations, along with their full forms, to help you better understand SMS messages from people you know.
GM – good morning
GN – good night
LOL – laughing out loud, laugh out loud
OMG – oh my god (or oh my gosh)
OMH – oh my heart (or oh my heavens)
OM – oh my!
OML – oh my lord
PTL – praise the lord
LYS – love yourself
YK – you know
AYT – are you there (or alright)
WB – welcome back
DNC – do not care
SMT – sucking my teeth
WBK – we been knew
IMK – in my knowledge
W/O – without
FWB – friends with benefits
PO – peace out
ACC – account
W/E – whatever
NGL – not going to lie
BRT – be right there
DTM – dead to me (or doing too much)
MBN – must be nice
IYKYK – if you know, you know
MFW – my face when
TFW – that feel when
IMO – in my opinion
IMHO – in my humble opinion (or in my honest opinion)
BTW – by the way
DW – don't worry
IK – I know
IC – I see
IDK – I don't know
LMK – let me know
MN – me neither
IKR – I know, right
TBH – to be honest
TBVH – to be very honest
TGIF – thank god it's Friday
TBT – throwback Thursday
ROFL – rolling on the floor laughing
LMAO – laughing my a** off
LMFAO – laughing my f****** a** off
ROFLMAO – rolling on the floor laughing my a** off
AH – ar*ehole (or, less commonly, at home)
BRB – be right back
BBL – be back later
TTYL – talk to you later
THX – thanks
TY – thank you
TYSM – thank you so much
TFTI – thanks for the invite
YW – you're welcome
ASAP – as soon as possible
POV – point of view
BD – big deal
NBD – no big deal
OMW – on my way
OTW – on the way
DIY – do it yourself
AKA – also known as
SMS – short message service
MMS – multimedia messaging service
OATUS – on a totally unrelated subject
ICYMI – in case you missed it
STFU – shut the **** up
BF – boyfriend; best friend
GF – girlfriend
SO – significant other
BFF – best friend forever
BFFL or BF4L – best friend(s) for life
LDR – long-distance relationship
ILY – I love you
ILYSM – I love you so much
PDA – public display of affection
YOLO – you only live once
WTG – way to go!
B4 – before
IRL – in real life
ISO – in search of
TMI – too much information
TIL – today I learned
VM – voice message
ATM – at the moment
RN – right now
RFN – right ******* now!
ATP – at this point
BYOB – bring your own beer
CU – see you
Cya – see ya
HMU – hit me up
CMB – call me back
UR – you are (you're) (or your)
FYI – for your information
FOMO – fear of missing out
JOMO – joy of missing out
GR8 – great
SMH – shaking my head
SMDH – shaking my damn head
L8R – later
JMO – just my opinion
NVM – never mind
GL – good luck
GG – good game
FWIW – for what it's worth
GBU – god bless you
IMNSHO – in my not-so-humble opinion
TL;DR – too long; didn't read
QOTD – quote of the day
TBF – to be frank (or to be fair)
DKDC – don't know, don't care
IDC – I don't care
IDGAF – I don’t give a ****
IDGI – I don’t get it
CBA – can't be ar*ed
K – okay
GTG or G2G – got to go
2NITE – tonight
CWOT – complete waste of time
MU – miss you
IMU/IMY – I miss you
SSDD – same stuff, different day
XOXO – hugs and kisses
NE1 – anyone
OTT – over the top
PLZ – please
PLS – please
DM – direct message
PM – private message
UOK – you okay?
RUOK – are you okay?
MIA – missing in action
AWOL – absent without leave
AFK – away from keyboard
BAK – back at keyboard
HBD – happy birthday
SPK – speak
SRY – sorry
IMS – I am sorry
MB – my bad
SUP – what's up?
NM – not much (or nothing much)
NTM – nothing much (or not too much)
EZ – easy
TTFN – ta ta for now
TC – take care
V – very
VN – very nice (or voice note)
HF – have fun
U2 – you too
BAE – before anyone else
WTF – what the ****
WTM – what's the matter?
WYD – what you doing?
Y? – why?
JK – just kidding
BC – because
Cuz – because (or cousin)
HRU – how are you?
WYA – where you at?
WBU – what about you?
OBV – obviously
OFC – of course
RD – real deal
WTW – what’s the word?
WDYS – what do you say?
BFN / B4N – bye for now
TMRW – tomorrow
NMU – not much, you?
GJ – good job
GTFO – get the **** out (or get the **** off)
GTFOH – get the **** outta here
IFHT – I f****** hate that
NFW – no f****** way
OIC – oh I see
TMB – text me back (or text me b**ch)
WYS – whatever you say (or what you sayin'?)
WDYT – what do you think?
WTV – whatever
FS – for sure
FR – for real
BR – be real
BFR – be for real
BFFR – be for f****** real
RLY – really
SRS – serious
SRSLY – seriously
NFS – no funny stuff (or no funny sh*t)
PPL – people
TYT – take your time
AF/ASF – as **** (e.g., the new episode is cool AF)
AS – as sh*t (e.g., the new episode is cool AS)
STG/ISTG – swear to god/I swear to god
FFS – for ****’s sake
FGS – for god’s sake
DAE – does anyone else
OOTD – outfit of the day
OOMF – one of my friends
FTW – for the win
YK – you know
YKTV – you know the vibe
M8 – mate
QT – cutie (or quote tweet)
RT – retweet
QRT – quote retweet
PQRT – private quote retweet
TWT – Twitter (or time will tell)
FB – Facebook
WA – WhatsApp
IG – Instagram (or I guess)
YT – YouTube
IYSWIM – if you see what I mean
IYKWIM – if you know what I mean
YMMV – your mileage may vary
DAM – don’t ask me
DND – do not disturb
NOYB – none of your business
SFW – safe for work
ELI5 – explain like I’m 5
AMA – ask me anything
AFAIK – as far as I know
IIRC – if I remember correctly
IDTS – I don’t think so
JSYK – just so you know
HIFW – how I felt when
JIC – just in case
NSFL – not safe for life
Sus – suspicious
WYWH – wish you were here
YGTI – you get the idea
FTT/F2T – free to talk?
NIMBY – not in my backyard
A text abbreviations list for use in business messaging
The text acronyms and abbreviations below are those you're more likely to use in a business setting when you're communicating with colleagues and customers.
(There are a few in the above list, too, such as DM, FYI, TY, ASAP, and POV, which we're not going to repeat in the following list. Also, make sure you avoid abbreviations from the previous list that are a tad too explicit and could be construed as tasteless or offensive.)
TBC – to be confirmed
TBA – to be announced
TBD – to be determined
POC – point of contact
VIP – very important person
FAQ – frequently asked question(s)
N/A – not applicable (or not available)
TIA – thanks in advance
OOO – out of office
IAM – in a meeting
T&C – terms and conditions
R&D – research and development
NP – no problem
NW – no worries
EOD – end of day
EOM – end of message
COB – close of business
OTJ – on-the-job
ETA – estimated time of arrival
EMBM – early morning business meeting
AGM – annual general meeting
AOB – any other business
RFP – request for proposal
RFQ – request for quotation
RFI – request for information
PFA – please find attached
FYA – for your action
FYR – for your reference
PS – post scriptum
AR – action required
PRB – please reply by
NRN – no reply necessary or no reply needed
Y/N – yes or no
NDA – non-disclosure agreement
LOI – letter of intent
MOU – memorandum of understanding
CTA – call to action
SOP – standard operating procedure
ROI – return on investment
VFM – value for money
CTR – click-through rate
KPI – key performance indicator
PMO – project management office
SME – subject matter expert
B2B – business-to-business
B2C – business-to-consumer
BOGOF – buy one get one free
FF – follow Friday
OTP – one-time password
HTH – hope this helps
WFH – work from home
F2F – face to face
BYOD – bring your own device
PTO – paid time off
NWR – not work-related
Tips for using text abbreviations in business text messages
It's perfectly acceptable to use certain common text abbreviations in business and marketing messages for brevity and relevance. Doing so can position your brand as one that's forward-thinking and modern. But bear in mind that too many texting abbreviations can make your message content hard to read and look unprofessional.
The trick is to strike a balance. Use well-known texting acronyms and abbreviations wisely (and only a couple per text message), and you'll connect with your customers in a way they'll recognise and appreciate.
Text abbreviations can work brilliantly in the following situations:
If your brand identity and messaging are fun, quirky, and modern.
If you know your audience is likely to understand your abbreviated text message content. (People age 34 and under are more likely to be familiar with most common text abbreviations, and an older audience may understand the mainstream ones, e.g., LOL, ASAP, FAQ, and T&C.)
When you're sending out 'good news' promotional SMS messages, such as special offers, flash sales, and product/service discounts. (Note: don't abbreviate gratitude in a business text message. It's important to say thank you the old-fashioned way: plain and simple.)
When you have quite a bit to say in a text message and need to save on character space.
When you're communicating with co-workers, and you're short on time.
An education in texting abbreviations!
Hopefully, our list of the top 250+ texting abbreviations will help you become a whizz in texting phrases commonly used by both old and young generations. At best, you will be able to casually throw around English slang abbreviations and acronyms used in texting and save lots of time in the process. At the very least, you'll have a rough idea of what people are talking about when you receive text messages full of cool abbreviations or acronyms!
Texting shouldn't be complicated, especially in business, where you need to send out communications urgently and efficiently. If you're using SMS for business text messaging, browse the Messente blog for tons of helpful articles that'll help you get the best out of your SMS campaigns.
