Unless you regularly chat online you may not understand the new language that has evolved to fit the new generations desire for instant communication. Everything must be super speedy so they’ve revised standard spelling and sayings to make them quick and easy to type. However, if you’re not familiar with these abbreviations, they’re not so easy to understand. Here’s a guide to some of the most used chat slang. It is certainly not comprehensive but it will give you a start and hopefully give you a sense of how chat slang forms.
a/s/l or asl Age/Sex/Location
Sometimes this can be asked as mere information, unfortunately, everytime I’ve encountered this phrase it’s been followed with “Wanna hook up?”
b4 Before
Pretty obvious I think.
BBL Be Back Later
BRB Be Right Back
These two are sometimes used interchangeably, but really, they are quite different. BRB implies that the subject will be back momentarily. BBL implies that the subject will be absent for some amount of time. Be careful when using these. A BRB that’s used when you meant BBL can irritate the person on the other side of the computer.
BTW By The Way
Pretty simple.
IDK I Don’t Know
Once again, simple.
ILU or ILY I Love You
This chat slang is usually used by pre-teens who don’t want their parents knowing what they’re saying.
IMInstant Message
If you don’t know this one…. you must have been living under a rock for the last ten years.
JKJust Kidding
This one has actually made it into everyday language. I have actually heard some of my peers say “Jay-Kay-” instead of “Just Kidding”.
L8R Later
Don’t let the number throw you. You just prounce it with the letters.
LMAOLaughing My Ass Off
LFFAO Laughing My F***(freaking) Ass Off
LOLLaughing Out Loud
All of these are intended to show amusement. Which one you choose to use depends on how amused you are.
OMG Oh My Gosh
Usually the “G” in this slang references a deity.
P911 My parents are in the room. P=Parents, and 911=emergency
This is incredibly helpful to younger folks who don’t like their parents knowing what they’re talking about for whatever reason.
PLZ Please
Easy stuff.
POS Parents are looking Over my Shoulder.
POTS Parents Over The Shoulder – (My parents are watching, I can’t really talk)
Other variations of parental warnings.
PPL People
Simple.
ROFL Rolling On Floor, Laughing
ROTFRolling On The Floor (laughing is implied)
ROTFLMAO Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off
ROTFLMFAO Rolling On The Floor Laughing F(***ing) My Ass Off
All variations on the same thing. Something was very, very funny.
SN Screen Name
I actually haven’t seen this one in a while but I’m sure it’s still used.
TCTake Care
A standard good-bye.
THX Thanks!
Even appreciation gets abbreviated now.
TTFN Ta-Ta For Now
Taken from that oh so lovable Tigger of the Winnie-the-Pooh series.
TTYL Talk To You Later
Another standard goodbye. Strangely enough, as abbreviations have gotten shorter, good-byes have gotten longer. It seems standard to go through the whole muck of good-bye abbreviations before finally signing off.
TYThank You
This is an even shorter version of appreciation.
WTFWhat The F**K
Used to express great confusion or misunderstanding. Now it often used as a part of humor.
This list is not comprehensive and not everybody uses all of these. Some of these have actually fallen out of favor. Feel free to add to the list in the comments section.
