Advanced Text Message Shorthand
Cell Phone Instant Messaging Texting Jargon & Code Letter Meanings
Learn text jargon used in IM instant messages on cell phones, e-mail, and chatting online. A dictionary guide to shorthand, lingo, acronyms, slang & text code meanings.
Text messaging shorthand slang and code is a kind of "foreign language" that many people today need to know in order to keep up to date, understand instant messages, emails, online chats, and to keep children safe online and on their cell phone.
In the past couple of years, kids' and teens are incorporating these letter-sentences and words into their speech (sometimes referred to as kidspeak). This jargon is even appearing in school papers and becoming a challenge to teachers and parents.
Here is an advanced guide to shorthand terms used in cell phone (IM) instant text messages, chat rooms, email, on online gaming, and on discussion boards.
Advanced Common Text Messaging Shorthand, Acronyms,Lingo and Codes
- @TEOTD At the end of the day
- ^5 High Five
- <3 Heart (love)
- 2moro Tomorrow
- 2nite Tonight
- 411 Information
- 4COL For crying out loud
- AAR8 At any rate
- AAS Alive and smiling
- AAYF As always, your friend
- ABT2 About to
- ACORN A completely obsessive really nutty person
- ADBB All done bye bye
- AFAIK As far as I know
- AIGHT All Right
- AML All my love
- AYSOS Are you stupid or something?
- B/C Because
- BTDT Been there, done that
- CD9 Code 9 (Parents are around)
- C-P Sleepy
- CTO Check this out
- DNBL8 Do not be late
- EZ Easy
- G2GLYS Got to go, love you so
- GAL Get a life
- GMAB Give me a break
- gratz Congratulations
- GWS Get well soon
- H&K Hugs and Kisses
- h/o Hold on
- H4U Hot for you
- HHIS Hanging head in shame
- HSIK How should I know?
- ID10T Idiot
- IDTS I don't think so.
- IYD In your dreams
- J/J Just joking
- JUADLAM Jumping up and down like a monkey
- K Okay
- KPC Keeping Parents Clueless
- LKITR Little kid in the room
- N1 Nice one
- natch Naturally
- NE Anyway
- NE1 Anyone
- NMU Not much, you?
- NRG Energy
- NUFF Enough said
- P&C Private and confidential
- P911 Parent alert
- PLZ Please
- :poof: Goodbye, gone
- POV Point of view
- PP People
- PU That stinks
- P-ZA Pizza
- QL Quit laughinh
- BR@Ya Right Back at ya
- RBTL Read between the lines
- RUOK Are you okay?
- S^ What's up ('sup)
- S2U Same to you
- SEC Wait a second
- SLAP Sounds like a plan
- SM Senior moment
- T@YL Talk at you later
- TAP Take a pill
- TAW Teachers are watching
- THX Thanks
- TISL This is so lame
- U2 You too
- U8 You ate?
- UG2BK You've got to be kidding
- UR2K You are too kind
- W/O Without
- WAI What an idiot
- WIM Woe is me
- wkewl Way cool
- WMMOWS Wash my mouth out with soap
- WRUDATM What are you doing at the moment?
- WTG Way to go
- WX Weather
- WYS Whatever you say
- XLNT Excellent
- Y Why?
- YYSSW Yeah yeah sure sure whatever
- ZZZ Sleeping, bored or tired
According to Netlingo online, the term acronym is being misused by many people. They state: "The majority of the expressions you see above are not acronyms, but rather shorthand used while text messaging or IMing."
This is substantiated by the definition of an acronym, as stated by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary as "+a word (as NATO, radar, or laser) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term; also an abbreviation."
So it is more correct to call the IM shorthand just that... Shorthand.
Whatever one calls it, these funny little shorthand "sentences and words" seem to be here to stay. One unknown blogger remarked that someday all writing would be in IM speak, or this type of shorthand. YYSSW... T@YL.
For more introductory information and shorthand codes, see Text Message & E-Mail Shorthand: Cell Phone Instant Messaging Texting Jargon & Code Meaning and Business Text Messaging Shorthand.
Resources
Netlingo website.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
