Slang abbreviations
Ever wondered how a jumble of letters like "BRB" became a universal sentence? The internet didn't invent a new language—it hacked the old one. By applying five clever linguistic shortcuts, we built a faster, more expressive way to talk through screens. Let's break down the DNA of digital slang.
Slang abbreviations by categories:
2.1 Social
IRL – In Real Life (outside the internet).
BFF – Best Friends Forever (closest friend).
SO – Significant Other (partner/boyfriend/girlfriend).
OTP – One True Pairing (ultimate favourite fictional couple).
Ship – To support a romantic relationship (short for "relationship").
FWB – Friends With Benefits (friends who are physically intimate).
TFW – That Feeling When (prefaces a relatable mood/experience).
MFW – My Face When (my facial reaction to something).
MRW – My Reaction When (my overall reaction to something).
Moots – Short for "mutuals" (people who follow each other).
Mains – Primary social media accounts.
Alts – Alternative/anonymous accounts.
Lowkey – Secretly, privately, or somewhat.
Highkey – Openly, obviously, or very much.
Vibes – The atmosphere or emotional feel of something.
Vibecheck – Assessing someone's or something's energy.
Ghost – To suddenly cease all communication.
Breadcrumb – To give sporadic, minimal attention (like breadcrumbs).
Situationship – An undefined, non-committal romantic relationship.
NPC – Non-Player Character (someone who mindlessly follows trends).
Touchgrass – Go outside; you're too online.
Mutuals – People you follow who follow you back.
Rideordie – An intensely loyal person who sticks with you through anything.
Spillthetea – Share the gossip (tea = gossip).
Maincharacter – Acting like the protagonist of your own story.
Delulu – Delusional (often used jokingly about unrealistic hopes).
Sitch – Short for "situation."
FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out (anxiety about missing social events/trends).
2.2 The Praise Parade
GOAT – Greatest Of All Time.
W – A Win; something good or successful.
Slay – To do something exceptionally well.
King – Term of ultimate respect for a man.
Queen – Term of ultimate respect for a woman.
Based – Authentic, bold, and commendable.
Iconic – Legendary, defining, and highly memorable.
Valid – Correct, acceptable, and understandable.
Ate – To have performed flawlessly (e.g., "she ate that").
Nonotes – Perfect; no criticism (as in "no notes").
Builtdiff – Built different; exceptionally skilled/tough.
Fire – Amazing, excellent (🔥).
Bussin – Extremely good (often for food, but now general).
Bet – Agreement, "okay," or "you can count on it."
Drip – Excellent style, especially clothing.
Rizz – Charisma, charm, or flirtatious skill.
Sauce – Style, confidence, or swagger.
Majestic – Breathtakingly impressive.
Pristine – Flawlessly perfect.
Elite – Top-tier, among the very best.
Clutch – Coming through perfectly in a critical moment.
Godtier – At the highest possible level of quality.
Hitsdiff – Hits different; affects you in a uniquely powerful way.
Goatedtake – An exceptionally correct opinion.
Letthemcook – Let them work; they're onto something good.
Legend – A person of iconic status and respect.
2.3 Gamer Tongue
GG – Good Game (post-match sportsmanship).
GLHF – Good Luck, Have Fun (pre-game).
WP – Well Played.
OP – Overpowered (too strong).
Nerf – To weaken a game element.
Buff – To strengthen a game element.
PvP – Player vs. Player.
PvE – Player vs. Environment.
Noob – Novice player (often derogatory).
Newb – New player (more neutral than "noob").
Pro – Expert player.
Grind – Repetitive play for rewards/levels.
AFK – Away From Keyboard.
BRB – Be Right Back.
Lag – Slow connection causing delay.
Camp – To stay in one advantageous spot.
Salty – Bitter or angry after losing.
Tilted – Mentally frustrated, playing poorly.
Clutch – To win from a near-loss position.
Throw – To intentionally or accidentally lose a winning game.
KS – Kill Steal.
Farm – To collect resources or points efficiently.
Meta – Most Effective Tactic Available; the dominant strategy.
Main – Your primary character/class.
Alt – Your alternate character/account.
Leeroy – A reckless, suicidal charge.
PUG – Pick-Up Group (random team).
LFG – Looking For Group.
LFM – Looking For More.
Res – Resurrect/Revive.
2.4 Love & Affection
ILY/ILU – I Love You.
<3 – Heart symbol (love).
XOXO/XOX – Hugs and kisses.
Bae – Before Anyone Else; term for significant other.
Boo – Term of endearment.
Ship – To support a couple.
OTP – One True Pairing.
UWU – Cute, happy face (anime style).
OWO – Surprised or curious cute face.
Smol – Small and cute.
Cuddlepuddle – Group cuddling.
Hearteyes – Adoration (😍).
Soft – Tender, affectionate.
Simp – Someone who does too much for a crush (often jokingly).
Hubby – Husband or serious partner.
Wifey – Wife or serious partner.
Zaddy – Attractive, stylish older man.
Cutie – Cute person.
Smooch – A kiss.
Adorbs – Adorable.
Forevermood – Something you'll always love/relate to.
Babelove – Baby love (affectionate term).
LOML – Love Of My Life.
Shipit – I strongly support this relationship.
Swoon – To be overwhelmed with romantic feeling.
2.5 The Side-Eye Syllabus
Cringe – Embarrassingly awkward.
Yikes – Reaction to something bad/awkward.
Sus – Suspicious.
Facepalm – Gesture of frustration at foolishness.
OKBoomer – Dismissal of outdated opinions.
Andioop – Expression after an awkward mistake.
Itsgiving – "It's giving [negative quality]" (it evokes this).
Weirdflex – Strange brag ("weird flex but ok").
Theaudacity – Shock at someone's bold disrespect.
Notyou – "Not you being [negative thing]" (mock disapproval).
Thisaintit – This is wrong/bad ("this ain't it, chief").
Bigyikes – A major problem or faux pas.
Pickme – Someone who tries too hard for approval.
Burnthekitchen – They failed spectacularly ("let them cook? they burnt the kitchen").
Forthestreets – Not relationship material.
Delulu – Delusional.
Notthatdeep – Don't overthink it; it's not serious.
Sirthisisawendys – Pointing out irrelevant/overly intense behavior.
Sideeye – A look of suspicion or disapproval.
Reach – A far-fetched claim or assumption.
Bland – Boring, lacking personality.
Tryhard – Trying excessively hard to impress.
Basic – Unoriginal, mainstream in a boring way.
Cope – To deal with reality poorly; often said dismissively.
Seethe – To be angrily bitter (told to someone you're dismissing).
Mald – To be mad and bald (angry to the point of hair loss, jokingly).
L – A loss; failure.
Boomer – Out-of-touch person (not necessarily by age).
2.6 Platform Native Slang
FYP – For You Page.
POV – Point Of View.
Cap – Lie.
Nocap – No lie; for real.
Stan – Obsessive fan.
Ratio – When replies get more likes than the original post (sign of disapproval).
Softlaunch – Subtly revealing a relationship on social media.
Thread – Connected series of tweets/posts.
Alt – Alternative/anonymous account.
CC – Closed Captions.
Doomscroll – Scrolling through endless bad news.
Maincharacter – Protagonist energy.
Thealgorithm – The platform's content-sorting system.
Vanilla – Primary, non-anonymous account.
Bookmarking – Saving a post to view later.
Seenzoned – When someone reads your DM but doesn't reply.
Spamliking – Liking many of someone's posts quickly.
Storyhopping – Watching many Instagram Stories in sequence.
Vibeshift – A major change in a platform's or account's atmosphere.
Subs – Subscribers.
Stream – To broadcast live.
VOD – Video On Demand (saved past stream).
Clout – Influence, fame, or social capital.
Engagement – Likes, comments, shares.
Viral – Rapidly spreading across the internet.
Trending – Currently popular topic.
2.7 The Professional Digital Layer
ASAP – As Soon As Possible.
EOD – End of Day.
COB – Close of Business.
TBD – To Be Determined.
OOO – Out of Office.
IYKYK – If You Know, You Know.
B2B – Business to Business.
B2C – Business to Consumer.
POV – Point of View (in a business case).
TLDR – Too Long; Didn't Read (executive summary).
Loopin – To add someone to an email/meeting.
Circleback – To follow up later.
Bandwidth – Capacity to take on work.
Deepdive – Detailed analysis.
Synergy – Combined effort producing greater effect.
Lowhangingfruit – Easiest tasks/goals.
Movetheneedle – To have a measurable impact.
Ping – To message/check in quickly.
Hardstop – Non-negotiable meeting end time.
WFH – Work From Home.
ROI – Return On Investment.
KPI – Key Performance Indicator.
SOP – Standard Operating Procedure.
ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival/Completion.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions.
NRN – No Reply Necessary.
OOO – Out of Office.
FYI – For Your Information.
2.8 Chat Choreography
BRB – Be Right Back.
AFK – Away From Keyboard.
GTG/G2G – Got To Go.
TTYL – Talk To You Later.
NMU – Not Much, You? (standard opener).
WDYM – What Do You Mean?
IDK – I Don't Know.
TLDR – Too Long; Didn't Read.
ICYMI – In Case You Missed It.
AFAIK – As Far As I Know.
IIRC – If I Recall Correctly.
NVM – Never Mind.
TBH – To Be Honest.
OT – Off Topic.
FWIW – For What It's Worth.
AMA – Ask Me Anything.
ELI5 – Explain Like I'm 5.
TBF – To Be Fair.
OP – Original Poster.
J/K – Just Kidding.
IMO – In My Opinion.
IMHO – In My Humble Opinion.
HBD – Happy Birthday.
GR – Congratulations.
NP – No Problem.
YW – You're Welcome.
TC – Take Care.
BBL – Be Back Later.
2.9 The Reaction Arsenal
LOL – Laughing Out Loud.
ROFL – Rolling On the Floor Laughing.
OMG – Oh My God/Gosh.
SMH – Shaking My Head.
OOF – Expression of sympathy/pain.
YIKES – Reaction to awkwardness.
BRUH – Expression of shock/dismay/solidarity.
SKSKSK – Keyboard smash for laughter/cringe.
PERIODT – Emphasis; indisputable fact.
OAO – Wide-eyed shock/awe (emoticon).
IGTHFT – I Guess That Happens For a Reason.
MRW – My Reaction When.
MFW – My Face When.
ESHM – Even Satan Himself is Mortified.
TIL – Today I Learned.
👁️👄👁️ – Speechless, stunned.
DEAD – Died from laughter/shock.
SENT – Emotionally overwhelmed (by humor/beauty).
SCREAMING – Extremely amused/shocked.
CRYING – Laughing or actually upset.
WHEEZING – Laughing extremely hard.
BAWLING – Crying intensely.
SHOOK – Shocked, astonished.
MIND-BLOWN – Extremely amazed.
RIP – Rest In Peace (used for something that just ended/failed).