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Abbreviations

Welcome to our Abbreviations tables page. Some of the more established abbreviations used in all types of electronic communication are listed below. We hope you find the information here useful.

 

Abbreviation Meaning   Abbreviation Meaning  
@ at   MOB mobile  
AFAIK as far as I know   MSG message  
AFK away from the keyboard   MYOB mind your own business  
ASL age, sex, location   NE1 anyone  
ATB all the best   NOYB none of your business  
AWOL absent without leave   NO1 no one  
B be   OTOH on the other hand  
BAK back at the keyboard   OIC oh I see  
BBL be back late(r)   PCM please call me  
BCNU be seeing you   PLS please  
BFN bye for now   PPL people  
B4 before   R are  
BRB be right back   ROTF(L) rolling on the floor (laughing)  
BTW by the way   RUOK are you okay?  
C see   SIT stay in touch  
CUL8R see you later   SOM1 someone  
F2F face to face   SPK speak  
F2T free to talk   TTYL talk to you later  
FWIW for what it¿s worth   TX thanks  
FYI for your information   U you  
GAL get a life   WAN2 want to  
GR8 great   W/ with  
HAND have a nice day   WKND weekend  
H8 hate   WU what's up?  
HSIK how should I know?   X kiss  
HTH hope this helps   XLNT excellent  
IANAL I am not a lawyer, but - (as a disclaimer)   XOXOX hugs and kisses  
IMHO in my humble opinion   YMMV your mileage may vary (i.e. your experience may differ)  
IMO in my opinion   YR your  
IOW in other words   2 to, too  
JIC just in case   2DAY today  
JK just kidding   2MORO tomorrow  
KIT keep in touch   2NITE tonight  
KWIM know what I mean   3SUM threesome  
L8R later   4 for  
LOL lots of luck / laughing out loud        
           

Emoticons

Emoticons typically represent a facial expression and are used chiefly to mark the tone of the preceding sentence or to indicate the writer's feelings. The following are some of the more commonly seen:

 
Abbreviation Meaning   Abbreviation Meaning  
:-) happy (a 'smiley')   :-( unhappy
:-D laughing   :-|| angry
;-) winking; just kidding   :-V shouting
:-* kiss   |-O yawning
:-o surprised   :-Q I don't understand
:-( frowning   :-& tongue-tied
:-c very unhappy   :-X my lips are sealed
X= fngers crossed   :-P sticking one's tongue out
:'-( crying   :-/ sceptical
:-| bored, indifferent   :-Y aside comment