TTYS….BRB…..IDK…what do all these abbreviations mean? If you’ve ever been online and come across an abbreviation that you are not sure about, this article is here to help. Many websites from Reddit to Facebook to your mobile phone texts to thousands of message boards, blogs, and other online destinations – seem to have a language that is unique and indecipherable to the casual visitor, but once you figure out what these acronyms really mean, you’ll start being able to contribute to the conversation.
Here is a list of the most common abbreviations used when online. These acronyms are some of the most current that you’ll come across on the Web. As the Web continues to evolve, and more people continue to interact, communicate, and collaborate online, the lexicon of abbreviations will only continue to grow.
| ?/10 | Funny stats, like “10/10 would snuggle that puppy”, or “10/10 that car is amazing” |
| AFAIC | As Far As I’m Concerned |
| AFAIK | As Far As I Know |
| AFAIR | As Far As I Recall/Remember |
| BAE | Before Anyone Else |
| BFF | Best Friends Forever |
| CSB | Cool Story Bro (usually said sarcastically) |
| DAE | Does Anyone Else, Did Anyone Else |
| FIFY | Fixed It For You (usually meant ironically/sarcastically) |
| FTFY | Fixed That For You |
| FTW | For The Win (indicating that something is extremely good) |
| FUBAR | F***ed Up Beyond All/Any Reason/Recognition/Repair |
| GG | Good Game, Good Going, Good Guy, Good Girl – usually used sarcastically |
| HIFW, HIFRW | How I Feel When, How I Feel Right When |
| IANAL | I Am Not A Lawyer (disclaimer for when giving legal information) |
| IDK | I Don’t Know |
| IIRC | If I Recall Correctly, If I Remember Correctly |
| IKR? | I Know, Right? |
| IMHO | In My Humble Opinion, In My Honest Opinion |
| IMO | In My Opinion |
| inb4 | In Before (used to indicate superiority somehow) |
| IRL | In Real Life (used to talk about something that is not online) |
| MFW | My Face When |
| MRW | My Reaction When; Me Right When |
| MWF | Married White Female/Monday, Wednesday, Friday |
| NBD | No Big Deal |
| NGL | Not Gonna Lie |
| NSFB | Not Safe For Breakfast or Bedtime (disturbing content) |
| NSFL | Not Safe For Life (extremely disturbing content) |
| NSFW | Not Safe For Work (includes nudity or sex) |
| OC | Original Content |
| OMD | Oh My Damn |
| OMG | Oh My God, Oh My Goodness, Oh My Gosh |
| OP | Original Poster (original person who posted the story) |
| SMDH | Shaking My Damn Head |
| SMH | Shaking My Head |
| SOML | Story of My Life |
| TBH | To Be Honest |
| TBT | Truth Be Told |
| TIL | Today I Learned |
| tl:dr | too long, didn’t read (short summary at the end of a very long story) |
| TMYK | The More You Know |
| TTYTT | To Tell You The Truth |
| YMMV | Your Mileage May Vary; usually in reference to a personal anecdote that won’t be univerally applicable |
Is there another acronym that you’ve come across online, or an abbreviation that you’re curious about? Please share it with us in the comments below!