Understanding Text Abbreviations: A Guide for Staying Connected

Ever felt like your children, grandchildren, friends and younger relatives are speaking a different language when you receive a messages full of abbreviations that look like a secret code.

Don’t worry—you’re not alone! Here’s a quick guide to some common text abbreviations so you can feel confident in your digital conversations. Think of them as modern-day shorthand!

So, next time you get a text full of abbreviations, you’ll be ready to decode it like a pro. And who knows—you might even surprise your grandkids by using a few yourself! 😊

abbreviationsABBREVIATION	Meaning
AKA	Also Known As
ASAP	As Soon As Possible
BFF	Best Friends Forever
BRB	Be Right Back
BRB	Be Right Back
BTW	By The Way
CYA	See You
ETA	Estimated Time of Arrival
FOMO	Fear Of Missing Out
FYI	For Your Information
GG	Good Game (commonly used in gaming)
GR8	Great
GR8 - Great
ICYMI	In Case You Missed It
IDK	I Don’t Know
ILY	I Love You
IMO/IMHO	In My Opinion / In My Humble Opinion
L8R	Later
LOL	Laugh Out Loud
NP	No Problem
NSFW	Not Safe For Work (content warning)
OK/KK	Okay (KK is a casual version of OK)
OMG	Oh My Gosh (or Oh My God)
R	Are
ROFL	Rolling On the Floor Laughing
SMH	Shaking My Head (disappointment or disbelief)
TBH	To Be Honest
THX/TY	Thanks / Thank You
TMI	Too Much Information
TTFN	Ta For Now (goodbye)
TTYL	Talk To You Later
U	You
YOLO	You Only Live Once
YW	You’re Welcome