In this page, we’ll explore some of the most widely used SMS abbreviations in English, along with their meanings and examples. This will help us improve our texting skills, stay in the loop with native speakers, and make our overall language-learning journey more enjoyable and efficient. So, let’s dive in and start discovering these handy text shortcuts!
List of SMS Abbreviations in English
- 2moro = Tomorrow
- & = And
- 2 = Two, to
- 2DAY = Today
- 2nte = Tonight
- AEAP = As Early as Possible
- ALAP = As Late as Possible
- ASAP = As Soon as Possible
- ASL = Age / Sex / Location?
- B = Be
- B3 = Blah, Blah, Blah
- B4 = Before
- B4YKI = Before You Know it
- BF = Boyfriend
- BFF = Best Friends, Forever
- BM&Y = Between Me and You
- BRB = Be Right Back
- BRO = Brother
- BRT = Be Right There
- BT = But
- BTAM = Be that as it May
- C = See
- C-P = Sleepy
- CTN = Cannot talk now
- CUL = See you later
- CUS = See You Soon
- CWOT = Complete Waste of Time
- CYT = See You Tomorrow
- D8 = Date
- E123 = Easy as 1, 2, 3
- EM? = Excuse Me?
- EOD = End of Day
- F2F = Face to Face
- F8 = Fate
- FC = Fingers Crossed
- FOAF = Friend of a Friend
- GF = Girlfriend
- GR8 = Great
- HAK = Hugs and Kisses
- HAND = Have a nice day
- HRU = How are you
- IC = I see
- IDC = I Don’t Care
- IDK = I Don’t Know
- ILU / ILY = I Love You
- IMU = I Miss You
- IRL = In Real Life
- J/K = Just Kidding
- JC = Just Checking
- JTLYK = Just to Let You Know
- KFY = Kiss for You
- KMN = Kill Me Now
- KPC = Keeping Parents Clueless
- L8R = Later
- LOL = Laughing out loud
- LTNS = Long time no see
- M8 = Mate
- MoF = Male or Female
- MTFBWY = May the Force be with You
- MU = I miss you
- MYOB = Mind Your Own Business
- NAZ = Name, Address, ZIP
- NC = No Comment
- NIMBY = Not in my Backyard
- NM = Never Mind / Nothing Much
- NP = No Problem
- NSFW = Not Safe for Work
- NTIM = Not that it Matters
- NVM = Never Mind
- OATUS = On a totally Unrelated Subject
- OIC = Oh, I See
- OMW = On My Way
- OTL = Out to Lunch
- OTP = On the Phone
- OG = Original Gangster
- P911 = Parent Alert
- PAL = Parents are Listening
- PAW = Parents are Watching
- PIR = Parent in Room
- PLS = Please
- POS = Parent over Shoulder
- PROP(S) = Proper Respect / Proper Recognition
- QT = Cutie
- RN = Right Now
- RU = Are You
- RUOK = Are you ok?
- SEP = Someone else’s Problem
- SIS = Sister
- SITD = Still in the Dark
- SLAP = Sounds like a Plan
- SMIM = Send Me an Instant Message
- SO = Significant Other
- TMI = Too Much Information
- U = You
- UR = Your / You are
- W8 = Wait
- WB = Welcome Back
- WYCM = Will You Call Me?
- WYWH = Wish You Were Here
- XOXOXOX = Hugs, Kisses, …
Common SMS Abbreviations with Meanings
In the digital age, we often find ourselves sending texts to communicate with our friends, family, and colleagues. To make our messages more concise and easy to understand, we use a variety of SMS abbreviations. In this section, we’ll share some of the most common abbreviations you might come across while texting in English.
LOL – Laugh out loud. This is used to express amusement or that something is funny. For example: “I just saw a hilarious video, LOL!”
BRB – Be right back. When you need to step away for a moment, you can let the person know using this abbreviation. For example: “I need to get my charger, BRB.”
BTW – By the way. This is used to add extra information or change the topic of conversation. For example: “BTW, did you hear about the new movie release?”
IDK – I don’t know. When you’re unsure about something, you can use this abbreviation. For example: “IDK what time the event starts tonight.”
Here are more common SMS abbreviations you might find useful:
- TTYL – Talk to you later
- HMU – Hit me up
- FWIW – For what it’s worth
- IMO – In my opinion
- IMHO – In my humble opinion
- TBA – To be announced
- TGIF – Thank goodness it’s Friday
- TBH – To be honest
- TBF – To be frank
- RN – Right now
- QOTD – Quote of the day
- OOTD – Outfit of the day
These abbreviations are helpful in making our text conversations more efficient and enjoyable. As you continue to improve your English, incorporating these common SMS abbreviations into your texting vocabulary will help you communicate more effectively with native speakers. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don’t be afraid to use these abbreviations in your daily text conversations!
Special Characters in SMS Language
Use of Symbols
In SMS language, we often use special characters and symbols to convey meaning more quickly and efficiently. Some common symbols used in texting include:
@
: Used to mention someone in a message or social media post, e.g., “@John: Great job on the presentation.”#
: Hashtags help categorize messages for easy searching and connection with others discussing the same topic, e.g., “#ThrowbackThursday.”&
: A shorthand for ‘and’ in messages, e.g., “We went shopping & had lunch together.”%
: Represents the word ‘percent’ to indicate a portion or rate, e.g., “There’s a 50% chance of rain today.”
Using these symbols can shorten messages and make it more comfortable for the recipient to understand the context quickly.
Emoticons and Emojis
Emoticons and emojis are another essential aspect of SMS language. They help express emotions, feelings, or reactions in digital conversations. It’s easy for us to include emotion in face-to-face interactions, but communicating those emotions through text can be tricky. That’s where emoticons and emojis come in!
- Emoticons are combinations of keyboard characters that resemble facial expressions, e.g.,
:-)
,;-)
,:-(
. They bring a touch of emotion to plain text messages, making communication more engaging. - Emojis are small digital images or icons that express emotions, ideas, and various other sentiments. They have become increasingly popular with the widespread use of smartphones. Examples include:
- 😂 (laughing with tears)
- 😍 (heart eyes)
- 💪 (strong/muscle arm)
- 🚀 (rocket)
- Linking Verbs: Definition, Form, Usage and Examples - August 30, 2024
- Compound Adjectives: Definition, Types and Examples - August 30, 2024
- Interrogative Adjectives: Definition, Usage, and Examples - August 29, 2024
Evangelina dela Cruz
Friday 17th of July 2020
Very helpful.
Jessic Lasxon
Tuesday 3rd of March 2020
this was not helpful for my english studies.....
lexus
Wednesday 17th of February 2021
If you can't say something nice than DNC
Barbra
Tuesday 3rd of March 2020
i agree
Arjun
Thursday 8th of August 2019
Really helpful n thnx for improving my English love it
Amit Kumar
Friday 22nd of March 2019
Thanks for improving my English studies online