Paste a text below and this free decoder tells you what each abbreviation and slang word in it means. It knows 187 terms, from wyd and lmk to no cap and delulu. It works inside your browser and does not send your text anywhere. Every meaning was checked against a dictionary or one of our own guides.
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How to decode a text in three steps
Copy the message you got and paste it into the box. The decoder reads it as you type and marks every term it knows. Under the message you get a card for each term with its meaning, a note when it can mean two things, and a link to our full guide when we have one. You can also press one of the sample texts to see how it works.
Five sample texts, decoded
Here is what the decoder shows for the five sample texts. The rough version swaps each abbreviation for its words, so it reads a bit stiff, but the meaning comes through. Slang words that are not abbreviations stay as they are and get a card of their own.
| Text | Rough word-for-word version | Terms found |
|---|---|---|
| wyd rn? omw to the mall, lmk if u want anything | what are you doing right now? on my way to the mall, let me know if you want anything | WYD: what are you doing?; RN: right now; OMW: on my way; LMK: let me know; U: you |
| ngl the movie was mid, idk why ppl hype it | not gonna lie the movie was mid, I don’t know why people hype it | NGL: not gonna lie; Mid: average; nothing special; IDK: I don’t know; PPL: people |
| gng wtw tonight? i’m gng home first tho | gang/going what’s the word tonight? i’m gang/going home first though | GNG: gang, meaning your close friends, or going; WTW: what’s the word?; THO: though |
| hbu? ion know if i can come, i’ll lyk tmrw | how about you? I don’t know if i can come, i’ll let you know tomorrow | HBU: how about you?; ION: I don’t; LYK: let you know; TMRW: tomorrow |
| no cap the tacos were bussin, ty fr | no cap the tacos were bussin, thank you for real | No cap: no lie; I mean it; Bussin’: really good, mostly said about food; TY: thank you; FR: for real |
What the three labels mean
Every card carries one of three labels. Abbreviation means the letters stand for words, like rn for right now. Slang means a word or phrase that has this meaning only in casual talk, like rizz or no cap. Could be slang means a normal English word, like tea or ate, that may or may not be slang in your text.
That last group needs a human eye. “I ate lunch” is only about lunch, but “she ate that solo” means she did it really well. Read the words around it and pick the meaning that fits. The decoder marks these words so you can check them, not because they are always slang.
What if a term has two meanings?
Some short forms mean different things in different chats. GNG can mean gang, your close friends, or going, as in “I’m gng home.” WYD usually asks what you are doing, but it can also ask what you would do. When this happens the card says so, and our guide to gng shows how to tell the two apart.
What this decoder cannot do
The decoder only knows the 187 terms in its list. A brand-new word, a typo or an inside joke will not match, and it will not guess. When it sees a short run of letters with no vowels that it does not know, it lists it as not in our list yet. It does not read emojis either.
It also cannot read tone. A dry “k” or a sudden “nvm” can feel cold, and only the sender knows how they meant it. Some of our guides, such as the ones on nvm and mk, talk about tone in more depth. For a full reading of a long or tricky message, try the AI text slang translator on our home page.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. The decoder does its work inside your browser, on your own phone or computer. It does not send your text to us, to an AI service or anywhere else, and it does not save it. When you press Decode or a sample text, our analytics only counts that the tool was used and how many terms it found.
Who finds a text decoder useful?
Parents use it to make sense of a teen’s group chat without asking ten questions. People who learned English as a second language use it when a friend’s text is all short forms. Anyone who gets a “wya rn” from a younger coworker can use it too. If you would rather test yourself, try our Gen Z slang quiz.
Every term the decoder knows
These two tables are the decoder’s full word list. The script reads its meanings straight from them, so what you see here is exactly what the tool uses. The first table holds abbreviations and slang, and the second holds normal words that can also be slang. Where we have a full guide to a term, the last column links to it.
Abbreviations and slang (157)
| Term | Means | Note | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2DAY | Today | ||
| 2NITE | Tonight | ||
| ABT | About | ||
| AFAIK | As far as I know | ||
| AFK | Away from keyboard | Used when someone steps away from a game or chat for a bit. | What AFK means |
| AIBU | Am I being unreasonable? | What AIBU means | |
| AKA | Also known as | ||
| ASAP | As soon as possible | ||
| ATM | At the moment | Also short for a cash machine. | |
| ATP | At this point | What ATP means | |
| Aura farming | Doing things mostly to look cool | ||
| B4 | Before | ||
| B4N | Bye for now | ||
| BBL | Be back later | ||
| BC | Because | ||
| BFR | Be for real | ||
| Brainrot | Feeling foggy from too much online content | ||
| BRB | Be right back | ||
| BSF | Best friend | What BSF means | |
| BTW | By the way | ||
| Bussin’ | Really good, mostly said about food | ||
| Chisme | Gossip | A Spanish word, also dropped into English. | What Chisme means |
| CU | See you | ||
| CUZ | Because | It can also mean cousin, or work as a friendly name for someone. | |
| CYA | See ya | ||
| Delulu | Playfully delusional; believing what you wish were true | What Delulu means | |
| DM | Direct message | A private message on a social app. | |
| Doomscroll | To keep scrolling through bad news | ||
| EOD | End of day | ||
| ETA | Estimated time of arrival | Asks when someone will get there. | |
| Fam | Family, or friends who feel like family | ||
| Finsta | A private second Instagram for close friends | ||
| FOMO | Fear of missing out | ||
| FR | For real | ||
| FRFR | For real, for real | A stronger fr. | |
| FS | For sure | ||
| FTW | For the win | Used to show approval or support. | What FTW means |
| FWIW | For what it’s worth | ||
| G2G | Got to go | ||
| GF | Girlfriend | ||
| GG | Good game | Said at the end of a game. | |
| Girl math | Playful logic used to justify buying something | ||
| Glow up | A big change for the better in looks or confidence | ||
| GM | Good morning | It can also mean group message or general manager. | What GM means |
| GNG | Gang, meaning your close friends, or going | Two meanings. If it sits where an action word should be (“I’m gng home”), it means going. | What GNG means |
| GR8 | Great | ||
| GRWM | Get ready with me | Common as a video title. | What GRWM means |
| Hard launch | Posting a clear photo to announce a relationship | ||
| HBU | How about you? | ||
| HMU | Hit me up | Means get in touch with me. | |
| HYD | How you doing? | What HYD means | |
| ICL | I can’t lie | What ICL means | |
| ICYMI | In case you missed it | Points to something posted earlier. | |
| IDC | I don’t care | ||
| IDEK | I don’t even know | What IDEK means | |
| IDK | I don’t know | ||
| IDTS | I don’t think so | What IDTS means | |
| IIRC | If I recall correctly | ||
| IJBOL | I just burst out laughing | ||
| IKR | I know, right? | Shows you agree. | |
| IKTR | I know that’s right | Used to agree strongly. | What IKTR means |
| ILY | I love you | ||
| IMHO | In my humble opinion | ||
| IMO | In my opinion | ||
| ION | I don’t | Also a science word for a charged atom, so check the sentence. | What ION means |
| IRL | In real life | As opposed to online. | |
| ISTG | I swear to God | Can be a promise, a sign someone is fed up, or shock. | What ISTG means |
| It’s giving | A way to name the vibe something gives off | ||
| IYKYK | If you know, you know | Points to a shared inside joke or experience. | |
| JK | Just kidding | ||
| JMO | Just my opinion | ||
| JOMO | Joy of missing out | ||
| K | Okay | ||
| L8R | Later | ||
| Left on read | Your message was read, but you got no reply | ||
| LMK | Let me know | The sender wants an answer, an update or your opinion. | What LMK means |
| LOL | Laugh out loud | ||
| Lowkey | A little, or quietly | ||
| LYK | Let you know | What LYK means | |
| Main character energy | Acting like the star of the story | ||
| MK | Mm, okay | Usually a plain yes, but it can read as quietly annoyed. | What MK means |
| Moots | Mutual followers, people who follow each other | ||
| NBD | No big deal | ||
| NGL | Not gonna lie | Flags an honest opinion. On Instagram, NGL is also an app for anonymous messages. | What NGL means |
| No bueno | Not good | Made from two Spanish words, but not how Spanish speakers say it. | What No bueno means |
| No cap | No lie; I mean it | ||
| NP | No problem | ||
| NSFW | Not safe for work | A warning that a link or post should not be opened at work or school. | |
| NVM | Never mind | Timing and punctuation can make it sound cold. | What NVM means |
| OFC | Of course | A quick, friendly yes. | What OFC means |
| OMG | Oh my God, or oh my goodness | ||
| OMW | On my way | It can also mean oh my word. | |
| ONG | On God, a way to say I swear | What ONG means | |
| OOMF | One of my followers | ||
| OOO | Out of office | ||
| OOTD | Outfit of the day | ||
| Opps | The opposition: people who are against you | In texts it is mostly a joke. In rap lyrics it names real rivals. | What Opps means |
| OTOH | On the other hand | ||
| OTP | On the phone | ||
| OTW | On the way | What OTW means | |
| PIR | Parents in room | A warning that a parent can see the screen. | |
| PLS | Please | ||
| Pookie | A sweet nickname for someone you love | ||
| POV | Point of view | ||
| PPL | People | ||
| Rizz | Charm, mostly when flirting | ||
| RLY | Really | ||
| RN | Right now | ||
| ROFL | Rolling on the floor laughing | ||
| RQ | Real quick | What RQ means | |
| RUOK | Are you OK? | ||
| Say less | I’m in, no need to explain more | ||
| Situationship | A romance with no clear label | ||
| SM | So much | ||
| SMH | Shaking my head | Shows disappointment. | What SMH means |
| SMTH | Something | ||
| Soft launch | Hinting at a relationship without showing who | ||
| SRY | Sorry | ||
| STG | Swear to God | What STG means | |
| Sus | Suspicious or shady | ||
| TBA | To be announced | ||
| TBD | To be determined or decided | ||
| TBF | To be frank | ||
| TBH | To be honest | What TBH means | |
| TFW | That feeling when | ||
| THO | Though | ||
| THX | Thanks | ||
| TIA | Thanks in advance | ||
| TL;DR | Too long; didn’t read | Comes before a short summary. | |
| TMI | Too much information | ||
| TMRW | Tomorrow | ||
| Touch grass | Log off and go outside | ||
| TTFN | Ta-ta for now, a way to say goodbye | ||
| TTYL | Talk to you later | ||
| TY | Thank you | ||
| TYSM | Thank you so much | ||
| U | You | ||
| UR | Your, or you’re | ||
| Villain era | A phase of putting yourself first without guilt | ||
| WBU | What about you? | ||
| WDYM | What do you mean? | ||
| Womp womp | A teasing way to say too bad | ||
| WSG | What’s good? | A greeting, like what’s up. | |
| WSP | What’s up? | What WSP means | |
| WTM | What’s the move? | Wiktionary also lists “what’s the mood.” The words around it tell you which. | |
| WTV | Whatever | What WTV means | |
| WTW | What’s the word? | Asks what is going on or what the plan is. | What WTW means |
| WYA | Where you at? | Asks where someone is right now. | What WYA means |
| WYD | What are you doing? | It can also ask “what would you do?” or question a choice someone made. | What WYD means |
| WYF | Where you from? | In some chats it means what’s your favorite? | What WYF means |
| WYM | What you mean? | ||
| WYS | What you saying? | ||
| Yeet | To throw something hard | ||
| YH | Yeah | Casual. Now and then it reads as bored. | What YH means |
| YK | You know | What YK means | |
| YOLO | You only live once | ||
| YW | You’re welcome |
Normal words that can also be slang (30)
| Word | Slang meaning | Note | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ate | Did something so well there is nothing to pick at | ||
| Bet | Okay or for sure; a quick way to agree | ||
| Cap | A lie | ||
| Cooked | Done for; in deep trouble | ||
| Crash out | To lose control from stress or anger | ||
| Cringe | So awkward it is hard to watch | ||
| Drip | Great style or a great outfit | ||
| Era | A phase of your life | ||
| Fit | An outfit | ||
| Flex | To show off | ||
| Gatekeep | To keep something good to yourself instead of sharing | ||
| Ghost | To stop replying to someone with no explanation | ||
| GOAT | Greatest of all time | In capitals it is the abbreviation, not the animal. | |
| Ick | A sudden turn-off | ||
| Lit | Exciting and full of energy | ||
| Lock in | To focus hard | ||
| Lore | The backstory of a person or thing | ||
| Mid | Average; nothing special | ||
| Pressed | Upset, stressed or bothered by something | ||
| Ratio | When a post gets far more replies than likes | ||
| Receipts | Proof, often screenshots | ||
| Rent free | Stuck in your head | ||
| Salty | Bitter or annoyed, often after losing | ||
| Ship | To want two people to be a couple | ||
| Shook | Shocked or shaken up | ||
| Slay | To do something really well | ||
| Stan | A very devoted fan, or to be one | ||
| Tea | Gossip | ||
| Twin | A friend so close they feel like a sibling | ||
| Vibe | The mood or feeling of a person or place |
Where the meanings come from
We checked most abbreviations on October 13, 2026 against Merriam-Webster’s list of 93 common texting abbreviations. That list was last updated on August 25, 2026. The others were checked the same day against Wiktionary or Dictionary.com, or come from our own guides, and the Gen Z words come from our Gen Z slang quiz, where each one was checked on October 6, 2026. Every term with a guide link also matches what that guide says.
The list leaves out swear words, drug terms, sexual terms and slurs on purpose. That means a few very common short forms are missing, including ones that hide a swear word in their full form. If the decoder skips one of those, it is not a mistake. For the rest of the slang we cover, browse our Gen Z slang list.
Last checked: October 13, 2026.
