Text abbreviations every parent should know
If there is one thing that never changes through the ages it has to be the language of the youth! I swear to you it's like I have entered a…
If there is one thing that never changes through the ages it has to be the language of the youth! I swear to you it's like I have entered a parallel universe when I hear a group of kids talking to each other! I am far from ancient but can now admit that I am no longer down with the youth and their lingo, but luckily for you, I have discovered the meaning behind many of the abbreviations that they use, with thanks to Google and also my amazing wife for translating the below handy list.
This is a list of as many abbreviations as I could find on the internet.
Affection and romantic rejection
11:11 — make a wish
143 — I love you (derives from the number of letters used to spell each word)
bae — before anyone else (refers to a favourite person), also a shortened form of babe or baby
BFF — best friends forever
curve (someone) — reject their romantic interest or advances in a subtle or kind way
fimh — forever in my heart
ghost — when someone disappears, stops calling, stops texting
ily — I love you
imu — I miss you
wywh — wish you were here
Laughter
jk — just kidding
lol — laughing out loud
rofl — rolling on the floor laughing
lmao — laughing my a** off
tntl — trying not to laugh
Miscellaneous reactions
awks — awkward
aymm — are you my mother?
bet — sure, yes
bop — good song
cap — lie
cwot — complete waste of time
dead — I think this is hilarious
f — my condolences
facts — I agree
flex — show off
ftw — for the win
gmta — great minds think alike
hundo p — 100% agree
idc — I don’t care
ifyp — I feel your pain
low-key — modest, not showy (adjective)
mood — I feel the same way, relatable feeling
o7 — salute (emoticon, paying respect)
omdb — over my dead body
omg — oh my God!
qq or q_q — crying (emoticon)
slaps — excellent
smh — shaking my head (meaning, that’s so dumb)
srsly — seriously
ssdd — same stuff, different day
sus — suspicious / suspect / questionable / dishonest
Opinions, warnings and disclaimers
afaik — as far as I know
diy — do it yourself
dm — direct message
fwiw — for what it’s worth
fyi — for your information
icymi — in case you missed it
idk — I don’t know
ifykyk — if you know you know
imho — in my humble opinion
imo — in my opinion
jsyk — just so you know
nbd — no big deal
ngl — not gonna lie
nsfw — not suitable for work (signals nudity, violence or other potentially offensive material)
pov — point of view
rbtl — read between the lines
tbh — to be honest
tia — thanks in advance
tldr or tl;dr — too long (lazy) didn’t read
tw — trigger warning (indicates content that can possibly cause emotional harm)
ygtr — you got that right
ymmv — your mileage (experience) may vary
ynk — you never know
Warnings about parents being nearby
3o3 — mom
9 — parent around
99 — parent gone
aitr — adult in the room
cd9 — parents around (code 9)
kpc — keeping parents clueless
m/pos — mother/parent over shoulder
pa / pa911 — parent alert
pah — parent at home
pal — parents are listening
paw — parents are watching
pbb — parent behind back
pir — parent in the room
Notifications, wishes, greetings, closings
afk — away from keyboard
atm — at the moment
brb — be right back
g2g or gtg — got to go
gl — good luck
irl — in real life
l8 — late
lmk — let me know
omw — on my way
ruok — are you OK
spill the tea — tell me the gossip
ttyl — talk to you later
w8 — wait
wya — where you at?
wyd — what you doing?
yktv — you know the vibe
Signaling humor or sarcasm (followed by a situation, a gif or a meme)
hifw — how I feel when
mfw — my face when
mrw — my reaction when
tfw — that feeling when
til — today I learned
I will add to this list over time as I learn more of this new language in use by the cool kids of today.
On a serious note though this is another great reason to ensure that you have good communication in place with your child if you don’t recognise some of the language they are using then just have a chat with them about it and show an interest.
The use of these abbreviations shouldn’t generally cause you any concerns apart from the section on warning when parents are around that one might be worth a further chat.
If you know of any secret abbreviations or language to add to the list please drop me an email at cybersafetyguy@gmail.com
