This page lists 142 text abbreviations with what each one stands for, and you can search them as you type. Every meaning was checked on October 16, 2026, against Merriam-Webster’s texting list, Wiktionary or one of our own guides. Swear words, drug terms and sexual terms are left out on purpose.
Pasting a whole message? The text slang decoder reads it word by word.
| Letters | Stands for | Use it with | Full guide |
|---|
How to read the list
Each table gives the letters, the words they stand for and a short note when one helps. The third column says whether a term suits friends only or also works in a work chat. That label is our guide, not a rule, because every workplace is different. If a message has several abbreviations at once, paste it into our text slang decoder.
Greetings, check-ins and people
These are the openers. Most of them ask how you are, where you are or what you are up to. A few hand a question back to you, so the polite move is to answer and then ask your own. Names for people, like GF and BSF, sit here too.
| Letters | Stands for | Use it with | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| WYD | What are you doing?Can also ask “what would you do?” | Friends | WYD guide |
| WYA | Where you at?Asks where you are right now. | Friends | WYA guide |
| HYD | How you doing? | Friends | HYD guide |
| HBU | How about you?Hands the same question back to you. | Friends | HBU guide |
| WBU | What about you?Asks you to answer the same thing they did. | Friends | WBU guide |
| WSP | What’s up? | Friends | WSP guide |
| WSG | What’s good?A greeting, like what’s up. | Friends | – |
| WTW | What’s the word?Asks what is going on or what the plan is. | Friends | WTW guide |
| WYF | Where you from?Some chats use it for “what’s your favorite?” | Friends | WYF guide |
| GM | Good morningAlso general manager or game master. | Friends | GM guide |
| RUOK | Are you OK? | Friends | – |
| HMU | Hit me upMeans get in touch with me. | Friends | – |
| GNG | Gang, your close friendsIt can also mean going. | Friends | GNG guide |
| BBG | Baby girlA pet name for someone close. | Friends | BBG guide |
| ILY | I love you | Friends | – |
| GF | Girlfriend | Friends | – |
| SO | Significant otherYour partner. | Friends | – |
| BSF | Best friend | Friends | BSF guide |
| OOMF | One of my followersCan also mean one of my friends. | Friends | – |
Plans, timing and stepping away
This group is about where someone is and when they will be free. A few of them, such as ETA and EOD, are fine in a work message. The rest belong in a chat with friends. Watch for OMW and G2G, since each can mean two things.
| Letters | Stands for | Use it with | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTW | On the way | Friends | OTW guide |
| OMW | On my wayCan also mean oh my word. | Friends | – |
| BRB | Be right back | Friends | – |
| BBL | Be back later | Friends | – |
| AFK | Away from keyboardStepping away from a game or chat. | Friends | AFK guide |
| G2G | Got to goCan also mean good to go. | Friends | – |
| GTG | Got to goCan also mean good to go. | Friends | – |
| TTYL | Talk to you later | Friends | – |
| B4N | Bye for now | Friends | – |
| TTFN | Ta-ta for nowA way to say goodbye. | Friends | – |
| RN | Right now | Friends | – |
| ATM | At the momentAlso a cash machine. | Friends | – |
| ETA | Estimated time of arrivalAsks when someone will get there. | Work too | – |
| ASAP | As soon as possible | Work too | – |
| EOD | End of day | Work too | – |
| OOO | Out of office | Work too | – |
| TBA | To be announced | Work too | – |
| TBD | To be determined or decided | Work too | – |
| LMK | Let me knowAsks for an answer, an update or your opinion. | Work too | LMK guide |
| LYK | Let you knowA promise to update you later. | Friends | LYK guide |
| RQ | Real quickAlso short for request. | Friends | RQ guide |
| PPU | Please pick upAbout a phone call. | Friends | – |
| OTP | On the phone | Friends | – |
| PIR | Parents in roomWarns that a parent can see the screen. | Friends | – |
Opinions, honesty and agreeing
People use these to say how sure they are or how honest they are being. NGL and TBH soften an opinion, while ISTG and ONG make a claim sound like a promise. IMO and FWIW are polite enough for a work chat. Promises like ISTG and ONG are best kept for friends.
| Letters | Stands for | Use it with | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGL | Not gonna lieFlags an honest opinion. | Friends | NGL guide |
| TBH | To be honest | Friends | TBH guide |
| TBF | To be frank | Friends | – |
| ICL | I can’t lie | Friends | ICL guide |
| IMO | In my opinion | Work too | – |
| IMHO | In my humble opinion | Work too | – |
| JMO | Just my opinion | Friends | – |
| ISTG | I swear to GodA promise, a sign someone is fed up, or shock. | Friends | ISTG guide |
| STG | Swear to God | Friends | STG guide |
| ONG | On GodAnother way to say I swear. | Friends | ONG guide |
| FR | For real | Friends | – |
| FRFR | For real, for realA stronger fr. | Friends | – |
| AFAIK | As far as I know | Work too | – |
| AFAIC | As far as I’m concerned | Friends | – |
| FWIW | For what it’s worth | Work too | – |
| IIRC | If I recall correctly | Work too | – |
| OTOH | On the other hand | Work too | – |
| IDTS | I don’t think so | Friends | IDTS guide |
| IKR | I know, right?Shows you agree. | Friends | – |
| IKTR | I know that’s rightStrong agreement. | Friends | IKTR guide |
| IYKYK | If you know, you knowPoints to an inside joke. | Friends | – |
| ATP | At this point | Friends | ATP guide |
| YFM | You feel me?Asks if you understand. | Friends | YFM guide |
| YK | You know | Friends | YK guide |
Reactions and feelings
These show a feeling in a few letters. LOL often just keeps the tone light, and SMH shows someone is let down. A short reply like IDC can sound harsh even when it is a joke. If you are not sure how a reaction landed, a quick follow-up text clears it up.
| Letters | Stands for | Use it with | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOL | Laugh out loudOften just keeps the tone light. | Friends | – |
| ROFL | Rolling on the floor laughing | Friends | – |
| IJBOL | I just burst out laughing | Friends | – |
| OMG | Oh my God, or oh my goodness | Friends | – |
| SMH | Shaking my headShows disappointment. | Friends | SMH guide |
| TG | Thank GodShows relief. | Friends | TG guide |
| IDC | I don’t care | Friends | – |
| DKDC | Don’t know and don’t care | Friends | – |
| IDK | I don’t know | Friends | – |
| IDEK | I don’t even know | Friends | IDEK guide |
| IONK | I don’t know | Friends | IONK guide |
| ION | I don’tAlso a science word, so check the sentence. | Friends | ION guide |
| NBD | No big deal | Friends | – |
| TMI | Too much information | Friends | – |
| TFW | The feeling when | Friends | – |
| FOMO | Fear of missing out | Friends | – |
| JOMO | Joy of missing out | Friends | – |
| FTW | For the winShows approval or support. | Friends | FTW guide |
| GOAT | Greatest of all time | Friends | – |
| VN | Very nice | Friends | – |
| AIBU | Am I being unreasonable?Asks others to judge a situation. | Friends | AIBU guide |
| WDYM | What do you mean? | Friends | – |
| WYM | What you mean? | Friends | – |
| WYS | What you saying? | Friends | – |
Quick replies, thanks and sorry
These are the answers people send without thinking. They save time, but a very short reply can sound cold to the person who wrote a long message. MK and NVM are the usual examples. TY, NP and TIA are short and still polite at work.
| Letters | Stands for | Use it with | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| K | Okay | Friends | – |
| MK | Mm, okayUsually a yes, but it can read as annoyed. | Friends | MK guide |
| YH | YeahNow and then it reads as bored. | Friends | YH guide |
| OFC | Of courseA quick, friendly yes. | Friends | OFC guide |
| FS | For sure | Friends | – |
| NP | No problem | Work too | – |
| TY | Thank you | Work too | – |
| THX | Thanks | Work too | – |
| TYSM | Thank you so much | Friends | – |
| TIA | Thanks in advance | Work too | – |
| YW | You’re welcome | Friends | – |
| SRY | Sorry | Friends | – |
| NVM | Never mindTiming can make it sound cold. | Friends | NVM guide |
| JK | Just kidding | Friends | – |
| WTV | Whatever | Friends | WTV guide |
| RGR | RogerMeans got it. | Friends | RGR guide |
Short spellings of everyday words
Not every abbreviation is a set of first letters. Some are just a word with letters dropped or swapped for a number, like GR8 for great. They are easy to read once you say them out loud. Most are casual, so spell the word out in anything formal.
| Letters | Stands for | Use it with | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABT | About | Friends | – |
| B4 | Before | Friends | – |
| BC | Because | Friends | – |
| CUZ | BecauseAlso means cousin. | Friends | – |
| CU | See you | Friends | – |
| CYA | See ya | Friends | – |
| L8R | Later | Friends | – |
| GR8 | Great | Friends | – |
| 2NITE | Tonight | Friends | – |
| 2DAY | Today | Friends | – |
| TMRW | Tomorrow | Friends | – |
| PLS | Please | Friends | – |
| PPL | People | Friends | – |
| RLY | Really | Friends | – |
| SMTH | Something | Friends | – |
| THO | Though | Friends | – |
| ND | AndIn a game chat it can mean nice double. | Friends | ND guide |
Online, gaming and social apps
The last group comes from social apps, games and forums. Many of them label a kind of post, like GRWM or OOTD, rather than a feeling. GG is said at the end of a game, and o7 is a typed salute. NSFW is a warning, so take it seriously before you open the link.
| Letters | Stands for | Use it with | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| DM | Direct messageA private message on an app. | Friends | – |
| IG | Friends | – | |
| IRL | In real lifeAs opposed to online. | Friends | – |
| POV | Point of view | Friends | – |
| OOTD | Outfit of the day | Friends | – |
| GRWM | Get ready with meCommon as a video title. | Friends | GRWM guide |
| ICYMI | In case you missed itPoints to something posted earlier. | Work too | – |
| TL;DR | Too long; didn’t readComes before a short summary. | Work too | – |
| NSFW | Not safe for workA warning about a link or post. | Work too | – |
| FAQ | Frequently asked questions | Work too | – |
| DIY | Do it yourself | Work too | – |
| AKA | Also known as | Work too | – |
| BTW | By the way | Work too | – |
| GG | Good gameSaid at the end of a game. | Friends | – |
| o7 | A saluteA typed salute in games and chats. | Friends | o7 guide |
| FCFS | First come, first servedCommon in buy and sell posts. | Work too | FCFS guide |
| OATUS | On a totally unrelated subject | Friends | – |
| YOLO | You only live once | Friends | – |
Which abbreviations have two meanings?
Some letters stand for more than one thing. The words around them almost always settle it. This table lists twelve from the list above, with the clue to look for in each case.
| Letters | Usual meaning | Other meaning | The clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| WYD | What are you doing? | What would you do? Or a comment on a choice you made. | A plain hello asks what you are up to. Right after you share a story, it may be questioning your choice. |
| GNG | Gang, your friends | Going | If it sits where an action word goes, as in “I’m gng home,” it means going. |
| OMW | On my way | Oh my word | If someone is coming to meet you, it is on my way. As a reaction to news, it is oh my word. |
| G2G | Got to go | Good to go | At the end of a chat it is a goodbye. As an answer to “are we set?” it means ready. |
| ND | And | Nice double | Merriam-Webster lists nice double for a play in an online game. Inside a normal sentence, it is and. |
| GM | Good morning | General manager or game master | At the start of the day it is a greeting. In sports or game talk it can name a role. |
| ION | I don’t | A charged atom in science | In a line like “ion know,” it can only be I don’t. |
| NGL | Not gonna lie | NGL, an app for anonymous messages | In a sentence it flags an honest opinion. A link on an Instagram story points to the app. |
| TG | Thank God | The Telegram app, or transgender | After good news it shows relief. Next to a username or a link, think of the Telegram app. |
| CUZ | Because | Cousin | Before a reason, it means because. Used to address someone, it means cousin. |
| RQ | Real quick | Request | Next to an action, as in “call me rq,” it is real quick. |
| WYF | Where you from? | What’s your favorite? | When two people are just meeting, it asks where you are from. In a chat about music or food, it may ask for your favorite. |
Which text abbreviations are OK at work?
In a work chat, stick to the terms marked “Work too” in the tables. They are plain and do not carry a joke or a mood. Good examples are ETA, EOD, OOO, TBD, TIA and LMK. Our LMK guide shows how it is used in texts, DMs and work chats.
Leave out anything that hides a swear word, even in letters. Short replies like K or MK can read as cold in writing, so add a word or two. When in doubt, spell it out.
A note for parents and teachers
This list is built for everyday texting, so it skips swear words, drug slang and sexual terms. That means some letters a child uses will not be here. Merriam-Webster’s own texting list, for example, mixes everyday terms with acronyms built on swear words. PIR, parents in room, is a real term meant to warn friends that a parent can see the screen.
If you see letters you do not know, paste the message into our text slang decoder, which explains each term it knows. Short forms it does not know are listed, so you can look them up. Asking your child what a term means is another way in, and it keeps the talk friendly. NGL is worth knowing too, since it is also the name of an app for anonymous messages.
Can you read these five texts?
Try five quick questions built from the list above. Tap an answer to see whether you got it right and why. Your score shows under the last question. Each answer comes with a short reason.
1. “omw, 5 min.” What does omw mean here?
On my way. The “5 min” tells you the sender is coming, so it is not the oh my word reaction.
2. Which one hands the question back to you?
HBU, how about you. The sender answered first and now wants your answer to the same question.
3. “ion even know what happened.” What does ion mean?
I don’t. In a sentence like this, ion stands in for “I don’t,” not the science word.
4. Which one fits a work message best?
EOD, end of day. It is plain and carries no joke or oath, so it suits a work chat.
5. “gg, that last round was close.” Where was this sent?
A game chat. GG means good game, and people say it at the end of a game.
How we checked this list
Every row was checked on October 16, 2026. Merriam-Webster’s “93 Common Texting Abbreviations,” last updated on October 15, 2026, gave most of the meanings. Wiktionary entries covered the newer terms, and our own guides covered the rest. Where a source gave a swear word, a drug meaning or a sexual meaning, the term was left out.
Terms with a full guide link to it in the table, and those guides give examples and more detail than one line can. For slang words rather than letters, browse our Gen Z slang list. It covers words like bussin and delulu that are not abbreviations. Start there when a word is not in these tables.
Last checked: October 16, 2026.
