This updated resource helps parents and educators understand the abbreviations and acronyms commonly used by young people in text messages, social media, and online chat rooms. It is meant to serve as a bridge between generations, making it easier to monitor and understand youth conversations online, particularly when concerns about cyberbullying or online safety arise.
Citation
Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. (2025). Chat/Text Abbreviations & Acronyms. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved [insert date], from https://cyberbullying.org/pdfs/2025_Chat_Abbreviations_Acronyms.pdf
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1v1 | 1 versus 1 or one-on-one |
| 2v2 | 2 versus 2 or two-on-two |
| 4+4 | Means the person “8” (ate). They did good, they are awesome. |
| 2C4U | Too cool for you |
| 2Day/Tdy | Today |
| 420 | Marijuana reference |
| 4K UHD | 4K Ultra HD |
| 11:11 | A time to make a wish |
| 1437 | I love you forever |
| A/C | Accept/counter |
| A/D | Accept/decline |
| A/S/L? | Age/sex/location? |
| AA | Admin abuse |
| AAA | Games and game developers with large marketing budgets |
| AAMOF | As a matter of fact |
| ABT | About |
| ADIH | Another day in h*ll |
| ADN | Any day now |
| AF/ASF | As f**k |
| AFAIC | As far as I’m concerned |
| AFAICT | As far as I can tell |
| AFAIK | As far as I know |
| AFAIR | As far as I remember |
| AFK | Away from keyboard |
| Aggro | Refers to drawing the attention and attacks of enemies, typically NPC monsters |
| AIDA | Attention, Interest, Desire, Action |
| AKA | Also known as |
| ALR | Alright |
| AMA | Ask me anything |
| AoE | Area of effect |
| AOMM | Always on my mind |
| AOS | Arrest on sight |
| API | Application Programming Interface |
| ARPG | Action role-playing game |
| ASAIC | As soon as I can |
| ASAP | As soon as possible |
| ASB | As balls |
| ATM | At the moment |
| ATP | At this point |
| ATW | All the way |
| AYMM | Are you my mother? |
| AYOR | At your own risk |
| B@U | Back at you |
| B4 | Before |
| B4N | Bye for now |
| BA | Bad ailen |
| BAE | Before anything else |
| BAMF | Bad A** M*****f****r |
| BB | Baby |
| BBBB | Bye bye be good |
| BBIAB | Be back in a bit |
| BBIAS | Be back in a sec |
| BBL | Be back later |
| BBL | Brazilian Butt Lift (plastic surgery) |
| BBN | Bye bye now or Be back never |
| BC or b/c | Because |
| BD | Big deal |
| BDE | Big D*** energy |
| BET | Yes |
| BF | Boyfriend or best friend |
| BFD | Big f*****g deal |
| BFF | Best friend forever |
| BFFR | Be fuc***g for real |
| BFN | Bye for now |
| BOL | Be on later/Best of luck/ Bust out laughing |
| BR | Battle royale |
| BRB | Be right back |
| BRT | Be right there |
| BSAAW | Big smile and a wink |
| BTAIM | Be that as it may |
| BTDT | Been there, done that |
| BTS | Behind the scenes |
| BTW | By the way |
| Buff/Nerf | Changes to a character or weapon that make them better or worse |
| BUMP | Bring up my post |
| BW | Best wishes |
| BWL | Bursting with laughter |
| BYOB | Bring your own booze/beer |
| Cap | Lie |
| CB | Closed beta |
| CoD | Call of Duty |
| CPM | Cost per thousand |
| CS | Career suicide or Creep score |
| CSAM | Child Sexual Assault Material |
| CSL | Can’t stop laughing |
| CTA | Call-to-action |
| CU | See you |
| Cuz | Cousin; friend. “What up cuz?” |
| CWOT | Complete waste of time |
| CX | Customer experience |
| CYA | See ya or Cover your a** |
| CYT | See you tomorrow |
| DAE | Does anyone else? |
| DBMIB | Don’t bother me I’m busy |
| DC | Dance credit(s) |
| DC | Disconnect |
| DD | Designated driver |
| DD | Dishonorably discharged |
| DFTBA | Don’t forget to be awesome |
| DIML | Day in my life |
| Diss | Disrespect |
| DIY | Do it yourself |
| DL | Down low |
| DLC | Downloadable content |
| DM | Direct message |
| DND | Do not disturb |
| DOT | Damage over time |
| DOTA | Defense of the Ancients |
| DPS | Damage per second |
| DTF | Down to f**k |
| DW | Don’t worry |
| DWH | During working hours |
| DUB | Win (the first syllable in the letter ‘W’) |
| E123 | Easy as one, two, three |
| EBGD | Evidence-based game design |
| ELI5 | Explain like I’m 5 |
| EMBM | Early morning business meeting |
| EOD | End of day |
| ESB | Everyone snap back (sent to ensure users keep up with Snap streaks) |
| ETA | Estimated time of arrival |
| EYC | Excited Yet Calm |
| EZ | Easy |
| F2F | Face to face |
| F2P | Free to play |
| F4F/FFF | Follow for follow |
| FAM | Family |
| FAQ | Frequently-asked question(s) |
| FaTH | First and Trust Husband |
| FAWC | For anyone who cares |
| FB | |
| FBF | Flashback Friday |
| FBO | Facebook official |
| FBOI | F**k boy |
| FF | Follow Friday or Friendly fire |
| FFA | Free for all |
| FGC | Fighting game community |
| FIMH | Forever in my heart |
| FINSTA | Fake Instagram account |
| FML | F*** my life |
| FOB | Fresh Off the Boat |
| FOMO | Fear of missing out |
| FOV | Field of view |
| FP | Free paint |
| FPS | First-person shooter or frames per second |
| FR | For real |
| FRP | Fail roleplay |
| FTF | Face to Face |
| FTFY | Fixed that for you |
| FTL | For the loss |
| FTW | F*** the world or for the win |
| FUTAB | Feet up, take a break |
| FW | Fuc* with it |
| FWB | Friends with benefits |
| FWIW | For what it’s worth |
| FYEO | For your eyes only (may indicate explicit content) (also 4YEO) |
| FYI | For your information |
| FYP | For you page |
| G | Friend (“What’s up my G”) |
| G2G | Got to go |
| GA | Go ahead or Google Analytics |
| GAHOY | Get a hold of yourself |
| GB | Goodbye |
| GBL | Game based learning |
| GDD | Game design document |
| GF | Girlfriend |
| GFN | Gone for now |
| GG/GGWP | Good game/ Good game, well played |
| GGP | Gotta go pee |
| GL | Good luck |
| GLHF | Good luck, have fun |
| GMTA | Great minds think alike |
| GNO | Girls night out |
| GOAT | Greatest of all time |
| GOI | Get over it |
| GR8 | Great |
| GRAS | Generally recognized as safe |
| GRATZ | Congratulations |
| GRWM | Get Ready with me |
| GTFO | Get the f*** out |
| GTG | Good to go or Got to go |
| GTR | Got to run |
| GYATT | Goddamn/Butt |
| GYPO | Get your pants off |
| H&K | Hug and kiss |
| H8 | Hate |
| HBD | Happy birthday |
| HBU | How about you? |
| HEAF | High expectations Asian father |
| HGS | Hot girl shit |
| HIFW | How I feel when |
| HMB | Hit me back |
| HMU | Hit me up |
| HP | Hit points or health points |
| HRU | How are you? |
| HT | Hat Tip |
| HTH | Hope this helps/Here to help/Happy to help |
| HTML | Hyper Text Markup Language |
| HUD | Heads up display |
| HW | Homework |
| IAC | In any case |
| IANAD | I am not a doctor (but) |
| IANAL | I am not a lawyer (but) |
| IB | Inspired by |
| IC | I see |
| IC | In character |
| ICL | I can’t lie |
| ICYMI | In case you missed it |
| IDC | I don’t care |
| IDEK | I don’t even know |
| IDGAF | I don’t give a f*** |
| IDK | I don’t know |
| IFYP | I feel your pain |
| IG | |
| IHU | I hear you |
| IIRC | If I recall/remember/recollect correctly |
| IKR | I know, right? |
| ILU or ILY | I love you |
| IM | Instant message |
| IMD | In my dreams |
| IMHO | In my humble opinion |
| IMing | Instant messaging |
| IMO | In my opinion |
| IMU/IMY | I miss you |
| IO | Insertion order |
| IOW | In other words |
| IRL | In real life (that is, when not chatting) |
| ISO | In search of |
| ISP | Internet service provider |
| ISTG | I swear to God |
| IU2U | It’s up to you |
| IWSN | I want sex now |
| IYKYK | If you know you know (meant to refer to an outside joke) |
| IYSWIM | If you see what I mean |
| J4F | Just for fun |
| JB | Jailbreak |
| JIC | Just in case |
| JJ | Jumping jacks |
| JK or j/k | Just kidding |
| JMO | Just my opinion |
| JS | Just saying |
| JSYK | Just so you know |
| JTLYK | Just to let you know |
| JV | Joint Venture |
| K | Ok |
| K/D Ratio | Kill-Death ratio |
| Kappa | Used to denote sarcasm or disingenuous humor |
| KFY | Kiss for you |
| KMS | Kill myself |
| KOs | Knockouts |
| KPC | Keeping parents clueless |
| KYS | Kill yourself |
| L | A loss (“You took an L”) |
| L4L | Like for like |
| L8 | Late |
| L8R | Later |
| L8RG8R | Later gator |
| LFG or LFP | Looking for group or Looking for a party |
| LFM | Looking for members |
| LI | |
| LIT | Cool/Positive |
| LMAO | Laughing my a** off |
| LMFAO | Laughing my f*****g a** off |
| LMGTFY | Let me Google that for you |
| LMIRL | Let’s meet in real life |
| LMK | Let me know |
| LMP | Like my pic or Lick my p***y |
| LMR | Like my recent (picture) |
| LMS | Like my status or Learning management system |
| LOL | Laughing out loud |
| LOLz | Laughing out loud (plural/sarcastic) |
| LOML | Love of my life |
| LoS | Line of sight |
| LSR | Loser |
| LTR | Long-term relationship |
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| LY | Love ya |
| MCM | Man crush Monday |
| MFW | My face when |
| MID | Average |
| MIRL | Me in real life |
| MM | Music Monday |
| MMO | Massively multiplayer online |
| MMOG | Massive multiplayer online game |
| MMORPG | Massively-multiplayer online role-playing game |
| MMS | Made me smile |
| MOBA | Multiplayer online battle area |
| MOOC | Massive online open course |
| MorF | Male or female |
| MOS | Mom over shoulder |
| MOSG | Massive online serious games |
| MP | Magic points or Mana points or Multiplayer |
| MRW | My reaction when |
| MSG | Message |
| MT | Modified tweet |
| MTFBWY | May the force be with you |
| MUSM | Miss you so much |
| MVP | Most valuable player |
| MWAH | Kisses |
| MYOB | Mind your own business |
| N/A | Not applicable |
| N&C? | Netflix and chill (implying wanting to hook up and get together) |
| NADT | Not a darn thing |
| NAGI | Not a good idea |
| NB | Not bad |
| NBD | No big deal |
| NC | No cap |
| NFG | No f*****g good |
| NFS | Not for sale |
| NFT | Not for trade |
| NFW | No f*****g way |
| NGF | Not going first |
| NGL | Not going to lie |
| NIFOC | Naked in front of computer |
| NM | Not much/never mind |
| NMU | Not much, you? |
| NP or N/P | No problem |
| NPC | Non-playable character |
| NPI | No pun intended |
| NRN | No response (or reply) necessary |
| NRS | No replies |
| NSFL | Not safe for life |
| NSFW | Not safe for work |
| NTH | Nice to have |
| NTS | Note to self |
| NTY | No thank you |
| NVM | Nevermind |
| OAN | On another note |
| OB | Open beta |
| OBV | Obviously |
| OC | Original content, Original character, or Open crib (no parents home) |
| ODer | Online Dater |
| OFC | Of course |
| OH | Overheard |
| OIC | Oh, I see |
| OMDB | Over my dead body |
| OMFG | Oh my f*****g God |
| OMG | Oh my God |
| OMW | On my way |
| ONG | On God (I swear) |
| OoC | Out of character |
| OoG | Out of game |
| OOH | Out of hours |
| OOM | Out of mana or Out of Magic |
| OOO | Out of the office |
| OOTD | Outfit of the day |
| OP | Overpay or Original poster or Over-powered |
| ORLY | Oh, really? |
| OT | Off-topic |
| OTP | On the phone or One true pairing |
| OTW | On the way |
| P2P | Person to person or peer to peer |
| P2W | Pay to win |
| P911 | Parent alert |
| PAH | Parent at home |
| PAW | Parents are watching |
| PBB | Parents behind back |
| PC | Player character |
| PCM | Please call me |
| PDA | Public display of affection |
| PFP | Profile picture |
| PGed | Password guessed |
| PH | Product Hunt |
| PI | Pun intended |
| PITR | Parent in the room |
| PK | Player kills |
| PLS/PLZ | Please |
| PM | Private message |
| PMOYS | Put me on your Snapchat |
| POMS | Parent over my shoulder |
| POS | Piece of s**t |
| POTD | Photo of the day |
| POV | Point of view |
| PPC | Pay per click |
| PPL | People |
| PR | PageRank or Public relations |
| PRT | Please retweet |
| PS | Private server |
| PTB | Please text back |
| PU | Pop up (implying for someone to message the other person on Snapchat) |
| PV | Pageviews |
| PvE | Player vs. Entertainment |
| PvP | Player vs. Player |
| QA | Quality assurance |
| QOTD | Quote of the day |
| Crying | |
| QT | Cutie |
| RAK | Random act of kindness |
| RAP | Recent average price |
| RBF | Resting Bitc* Face |
| RBTL | Read between the lines |
| RDM | Random death match |
| RK | Randomly killing |
| RL | Real life (that is, when not chatting) |
| RLRT | Real life retweet |
| RN | Right now |
| ROI | Return of investment |
| ROTFL | Rolling on the floor laughing (or ROTFLMAO (my a*** off) |
| RPG | Role-playing games |
| RSS | Really simple syndication |
| RT | Real tweet |
| RT | Retweet |
| RTC | Roblox Twitter Community |
| RTD | Real-time data |
| RTS | Real time strategy |
| RUOK? | Are you okay? |
| RYO | Roll your own (write your own program, do it yourself) |
| S4S/SFS | Snap for Snap or Shout out for shout out |
| SaaS | Software as a service |
| SB | Snap Back |
| SCM | Snapchat me |
| SFW | Safe for work |
| SH | S**t happens |
| SIM | Stimulation Games |
| Skid | Script kiddie |
| SM | Social media |
| SMB | Small business |
| SMDH | Shaking my damn head |
| SMFH | Shaking my f*****g head |
| SMH | Shake my head |
| SMO | Serious mode on or social media optimization |
| SMP | Social media platform |
| SNOW | Cocaine |
| SO | Significant other |
| SOB | Son of a b**** |
| SOL | S*** out of luck |
| SoLoMo | Social, Local, Mobile |
| SOML | Story of my life |
| SOS | Someone over shoulder |
| SOV | Share of voice |
| SR | Slow replies |
| SRS | Serious |
| SRSLY | Seriously |
| SSDD | Same stuff different day |
| STFU | Shut the f*** up |
| STFW | Search the f*****g Web |
| STW | Search the Web |
| SU | Shut up or Swipe up |
| SUFF | Shut up f**k face |
| SUP | What’s up |
| SUS | Suspicious |
| SWAK | Sealed with a kiss |
| SWYP | So, what’s your point? |
| SYS | See you soon |
| T&C | Terms and conditions |
| TA | Thanks again |
| TBA/TBD | To be announced/To be decided (or determined) |
| TBC | To be continued |
| TBH | To be honest |
| TBR | To be real |
| TBS | Turn based strategy |
| TBT | Throwback Thursday |
| TCG/CCG | Trading/Collectible card game |
| TD | Tower defense |
| TDTM | Talk dirty to me |
| Tea | Gossip |
| TF | The f**k |
| TFLOPS | Teraflops |
| TFW | That feeling when |
| TGIF | Thank God it’s Friday |
| THOT | That h** over there |
| THX | Thanks |
| TIA | Thanks in advance |
| TIL | Today I learned |
| TIME | Tears in my eyes |
| TINLA | This is not legal advice |
| TL;DR | Too long; didn’t read |
| TM | Text Message |
| TMB | Tweet me back |
| TMI | Too much information |
| TMRW | Tomorrow |
| TMW | That moment when |
| TN | Tonight |
| TNT | Till next time |
| TNTL | Trying not to laugh |
| TOS | Terms of Service |
| TOTES | Totally |
| TOY | Thinking of you |
| TPS | Third-person shooter |
| TT | TikTok |
| TT | Transformation Tuesday |
| TTT | Thought that, too (when someone types in what you were about to type) |
| TTYL | Talk to you later |
| TTYN | Talk to you never |
| TTYS | Talk to you soon |
| TW | Trigger warning |
| TXT | Text |
| TY | Thank you |
| TYIA | Thank you in advance |
| TYSM | Thank you so much |
| TYT | Take your time |
| TYVM | Thank you very much |
| U | You |
| UGC | User generated content |
| UI | User interface |
| Unc | Uncle; cool older person |
| UP | Underpowered |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator |
| UV | Unique visitor |
| UX | User experience |
| V | Very or Via |
| VSF | Very sad face/very severely f****d (in big trouble) |
| W | Win |
| W or W/ | With |
| W/E | Whatever |
| W/O | Without |
| W8 | Wait |
| WaaPP | Work at a pizza place |
| WAP | Wet a** p***y |
| WB | Welcome back |
| WBU | What about you? |
| WCW | Woman crush Wednesday |
| WDYMBT? | What do you mean by that? |
| WFM | Works for me |
| WIBNI | Wouldn’t it be nice if |
| WIP | Work in progress |
| WOM | Word of mouth |
| WOs | Wipeouts |
| WOTD | Word of the Day |
| WoW | World of Warcraft |
| WRK | Work |
| WTF | What the f***! |
| WTG | Way to go! |
| WTH | What the h**l |
| WTPA? | Where the party at? |
| WTT | Want to trade |
| WU? | What’s up? |
| WUF? | Where are you from? |
| WUZUP | What’s up? |
| WYA? | Where you at? |
| WYCM? | Will you call me |
| WYM | What do you mean? |
| WYD | What’re you doing? |
| WYWH | Wish you were here |
| XP | Experience or Experience points |
| Y | Why |
| YEET | Throw it out |
| YGM | You get me |
| YGTR | You got that right |
| YMMV | Your mileage may vary. |
| YNK | You never know |
| YOLO | You only live once |
| YSK | You should know |
| YT | White (normally referring to someone’s race) |
| YT | YouTube |
| YW | You’re welcome |
| Za | Pizza |
| Zaza | Weed |
| ZOMG | Oh my God (empathatic) |
| ZZZ | Sleeping/bored/tired |
Before you start commenting Stephen, first, learn how to communicate.
Before you start commenting Stephen, first, learn how to communicate.
Hey guys, I have a guy in my class and he calls me names like bastard and just nasty things I don’t wanna think about. Recently it only started happening and when I’m with my friends and I’m talking and say if we’re sitting around a table in class and I try to speak, he’ll abruptly just shout in my face to shut up. I’m scared to even speak.
What’s worse is that my friends are not being friendly, recently they’re just been pure “salty” and suddenly so judgemental and critical and I think it’s because they see me as vulnerable from that one bully, so in turn I think it makes them more powerful to pick on their own friend.
I know I haven’t got it the worst I the world, people are going through much tougher times than me. I just don’t know what to do.
I’m sorry this guy is intimidating you. You don’t have to let him know he is bothering you, because that is likely what he is after. You keep doing you. I’m sorry also that your friends are not really being there for you. It kind of shows you that maybe they aren’t really the best kind of friends you should have. I sincerely hope that you can find at least one person out there who is genuine and kind and has your back no matter what. I hope it comes soon. Meanwhile, just focus on your future, and making it the best possible, and don’t let the haters get in the way.