In the early days of SMS sending, longer texts were more expensive to send. Therefore, the early adopters of SMS developed abbreviations and acronyms that made sending messages easier and cheaper. These acronyms are still common in text messages, but have also found their way onto social media, message boards, and even colloquialism. Check out a helpful online slang list to help you keep up with the times – and the letters!
Abbreviations for parts of sentences
If you're trying to write long sentences quickly, consider abbreviations. You can make your message more concise without missing the point. Consider this list of common SMS abbreviations and their meanings. Each has an example in parentheses that uses correct capitalization and punctuation, but remember that proper grammar can make your writing seem more formal than necessary.
- @- NO ("CU @ noon.")
- 2- two/also/for("I work until 2." "Me 2. Do you want to go to the pool later?")
- 2g2bt- be too good to be true("UR 2g2bt!")
- 2moro- tomorrow ("CU 2moro")
- 2nein- tonight("Are you coming 2 nights?")
- 4- for four(“Come around 4 pm, I have a gift for you.”)
- 4always- forever("I love you forever!")
- 8- ate("I don't want pizza, I ate it last night").
- ?4U- A question for you("?4U. Can I borrow your lawn mower?")
- a3- anytime, anywhere, anywhere("I can find a3")
- California- one("I heard about your new job!")
- adbb- Okay bye("Joe and his girlfriend are adbb.")
- afk- Away from the keyboard("I'm afk now.")
- as soon as possible- As fast as possible("Please let me know as soon as possible.")
- ATM- no time("I'm not sure where the Vita ATM is.“)
- b4- before("Let's Meet at the Show").
- BCocontra ChroBecause- Because("I can't go because I have to babysit").
- boyfriend girlfriend- Freund/Bride("Lily broke up with her boyfriend?")
- The best girlfriend-Best friend forever ("My best friend told me about the party").
- bif- before I forget("Bif, are you coming tomorrow?")
- btt- Already knew("I don't want to go to the club. BTDT")
- By the way-By the way ("By the way, can I borrow the car?")
- C- ver("I'm going to C U you there!")
- cm- call me("I can't talk right now. Cm l8r.")
- csl- I can not stop laughing("This video is so much fun, I swear!")
- direct message-direct message ("Pm me the details later.")
- dnbl8- do not be late("The concert starts at 7, dnbl8!")
- g4i- Continue("There is an opening. You should g4i!")
- take parts- have a beer("Would you like to go out and chat?")
- Gas- You have a second?("Gasoline? I have a question").
- great- great("Gr8 news! I got promoted!")
- frozen- In case you missed it("Icymi, Joan broke up with her husband").
- iirc- if I remember correctly("The meeting starts at 8 p.m.")
- Soy- Instant message("It's me if you have any doubts").
- I have/am- Voy("I'll see Derek tonight").
- in my humble opinion- in my opinion / in my humble opinion("Imo, you should wear the red dress tonight.")
- now- in other words("Hey, Shawn's not coming tonight.")
- Irl- in real life("We should meet up, Irl!")
- j2 same- Just so you know("J2lyk, I can't go tonight").
- l8r- later("The fireworks aren't until 6 p.m.")
- lmk- Let me know("Tell me if you can bring something tonight").
- News- News(“Text me later if you want more information.”)
- norte- em("It is in the garage").
- aspect- People("Hey Leute! Leaving l8r?")
- Pita-Brot- pain in the ass("Studying for finals is a bitch.")
- please or please- Please("Can I borrow your computer, please?")
- People- People("A lot of people asked about you tonight.")
- R- they are("Are you OK?")
- empty/2mfile- tomorrow("Want 2 with a movie tone?")
- Of- Of("Where have you been today?")
- Of- you, you all("You left your camera at my house").
- w8- expected("W8 until Bernard gets there b4 opening presents").
- C/- com("Would you like a mayonnaise sandwich?")
- which- which("Don't leave without saying goodbye!")
- simulator - wife("I'll ask my YF if we have plans for 2 nights").
Notice
Independent text abbreviations
Text messaging and online communication are rapidly evolving. By the time you have an answer ready, the moment may be over. For this reason, stand-alone text abbreviations and acronyms are useful for maintaining a dynamic conversation.
response abbreviations
When someone sends you a funny messagememesor post an impactful ad, you can quickly respond with the correct answer. These abbreviations work on their own or as part of a longer sentence. Check out these examples of appropriate responses for text conversations.
- 10q,qq, oty- Gracias
- foll- fall to the ground laughing
- graceful- Cheers
- h&k- Hugs and kisses
- ilia- I love you
- IDC- I'm not calling
- I do not know- I do not know
- ftw- for victory (or "that is the best or very good“)
- j/kojk- I'm kidding
- k- OK
- HA HA HA- Laugh at my butt
- Ha ha ha- Laugh out loud
- mtf- Continue
- n1- Pleasant
- np/no problem- No problem
- hey- Oh I see
- Oh my god- oh my god oh my god
- Orly- Oh really?
- prv- The parents are watching.
- rotfl/rofl/fotfl-rolling on the floor, laughingfalls to the ground laughing
- many- everything's fine
- mustosorry- Sorry
- and from?- and from?
- in front of- Thanks again
- Gracias- Gracias
- tl; dr-too long; I have not read
- tmi- a lot of information
- toy- thinking of you
- what the hell- what the hell?
- wru- Where are you?
- Hugs and kisses- Hugs and kisses
Notice
end the call
It's not polite to keep a courier colleague waiting. End the conversation politely with these text messaging shortcut options. You can choose the best one based on how long you will be away.
- see you later- see you later
- legal- We'll talk later
- cy- See you later
- b4n- See you soon
- brb- I'll be right back
- brt- I will be there
- light- Good night
- gtgb- I have to go bye
- witch- Have a nice day
- g2g/gtg- I have to go("We'll talk later, gtg.")
- second- One moment
- t.c.- be careful
- ttfn- ta ta for now
- Bis-We'll talk later
- ttyt- I'll talk to you tomorrow
- syllable- see you later
- t@yl- We'll talk later
- Yolo-You only live once
Emojis and Emoticons
It can be difficult to get your message across with just text.smileys(or "emotional/emotional symbols") used to be the standard way to send a quick image to set the tone for your writing. However,smileysKeyboards now allow users to choose an illustration that gets the point across.
Notice
smileys
Emoticons are simply combinations of keyboard characters that, when combined, resemble an expressive human face. They can be used as punctuation marks for a longer message or as standalone messages. Tilt your head to the left to see these examples:
- :)- Default happy face
- :Ö)- happy face with a big nose
- :-)- cheerful face with narrow nose
- :C)- happy face with flat nose
- =)- happy face with cartoon eyes
- 8-)- happy face with glasses
- :/- dissatisfied or skeptical face
- <:0)- clown face
- :(- sad face
- ^^- satisfied face (or "I agree with the previous message“)
- >:(- brave face
- :Ö- Surprise face
- :PAGE- stick out the tongue
- ;)- winking face
- (~_^)- other face wink
- :'(- crying face
- :*- kiss
smileys
An emoji is a picture version of a smiley. Emojis are more common these days than emoticons. Most devices will even change a smiley to the correct emoji. Take a look at the emoji keyboard on your phone to see all the possibilities!
Notice
More SMS features
Still not sure if your SMS skills are up to date? Watch a slideshow that will ensure youSend what you think you send. You can also read through athe longest list of SMS jargonto make sure you don't miss any important phrases.