Internet slang refers to the informal language and abbreviations used online and in text messaging to communicate quickly and casually. It emerged in the early days of the internet – especially in chat rooms, forums and gaming communities, where fast typing and brevity were essential. Over time, social media, memes and pop culture further shaped and spread internet slang globally. Internet slang often reflects generational identity and serves as a marker of online cultural literacy.
Here is a list of some common internet abbreviations at the time of writing.
AFK: Away From Keyboard
AMA: Ask Me Anything
BFF: Best Friends Forever
BRB: Be Right Back
BTW: By The Way
DM: Direct Message
DYK: Did You Know?
ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival
FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out
FTFY: Fixed That For You
FTW: For The Win
FWIW: For What It’s Worth
FYI: For Your Information
GG: Good Game
GOAT: Greatest Of All Time
GRWM: Get Ready With Me
GTG / G2G: Got To Go
HBD: Happy Birthday
HBU: How About You?
HMU: Hit Me Up
ICU: I See You
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
IDC: I Don’t Care
IDK: I Don’t Know
IK: I Know
IKR: I Know, Right?
ILY: I Love You
ILYSM: I Love You So Much
IMHO: In My Humble Opinion
IMO: In My Opinion
IRL: In Real Life
IYKYK: If You Know, You Know
JK: Just Kidding
JFC: Jesus Fucking Christ (frustration/shock)
LMFAO: Laughing My Fucking Arse Off
LMK: Let Me Know
LOL: Laugh Out Loud
LMAO: Laughing My Arse Off
MFW: My Face When
MRW: My Reaction When
NBD: No Big Deal
NGL: Not Gonna Lie
NVM: Never Mind
NSFW: Not Safe For Work
OMFG: Oh My Fucking God
OMW: On My Way
OP: Original Poster
OOTD: Outfit Of The Day
OOTW: Out Of This World
POV: Point Of View
QQ: Crying or Complaining
RIZZ: Short for charisma
RN: Right Now
ROFL: Rolling On the Floor Laughing
SMH: Shaking My Head
STFU: Shut The Fuck Up
SUS – Suspicious or shady
TBH: To Be Honest
TBF: To Be Fair
TBT: Throwback Thursday
TFW: That Feeling When
TIL: Today I Learned
TL;DR: Too Long; Didn’t Read
TMI: Too Much Information
TTFN: Ta-Ta For Now
TTYL: Talk To You Later
TTYLXOX: Talk To You Later, Hugs and Kisses
WBU: What About You?
WTAF: What The Actual Fuck
WTH: What The Heck
WTF: What The Fuck
WYD: What You Doing?
WYD RN: What You Doing Right Now?
YOLO: You Only Live Once
Postscript
Internet slang is not only a reference to acronyms such as the examples given. The category also includes emojis, emoticons, memes, catchphrases and onomatopoeic or stylised spellings like the abbreviation for laughter – “hahaha” in English, “jajajaja” in Spanish or “55555” in Thai, because 5 in Thai (ห้า) is pronounced ha.
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References
ChatGPT
thedrum.com/opinion/2023/12/12/how-make-your-brand-rizz-without-being-laughed
Images
1. TL;DR: Too Long Didn't Read
2. ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
3. LMAO Emoji
4. RIZZ: Short for charisma
5. Laughing. Credit: pixolog.wordpress.com
