Have you ever had to Google a word that your friend just used in a conversation on the Internet? Maybe not even a word, but a combination of letters.
A conversation with someone online is often very different from a conversation in real life. While people enjoy spending hours on social media, no one has the patience to write every sentence or even use full words. This is where things like online abbreviations and emoticons come in handy.
However, there are so many acronyms and emoticons that mean different things, it is easy to misinterpret them or use them in the wrong situation.
If you often don’t understand what online slang is, check out our list of some of the most common abbreviations on the Internet and how they are used in everyday communication.
Online shortcuts versus shortcuts
The last thing to do before learning how to use acronyms in online communication is knowing the difference between acronyms and abbreviations. Internet users often confuse these two concepts, although the difference is only on the surface.
An abbreviation is an abbreviated form of a word used in writing, such as approx. for “about” or ex. eg “. An acronym is an independent word formed by the initial letters of a complete phrase or name. For example, ROFL for“ rolling on the floor laughing, “or FAQ for“ frequently asked questions. â€Although both are used as shorter forms of the original words, abbreviations are – these are the ones you’ll find on forums, social networks and other communication channels on the Internet.
Take a look at some of the most commonly used abbreviations on the Internet and see how many of them you use on the Internet daily.
Things You Know
We’ll start with the most common acronyms on the Internet. You’ve probably seen them a thousand times in texts or memes. These are the ones that indicate laughter – LOL (loud laughter) and ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing).
Most Used Online
On any website, you will come across the abbreviation FAQ (FAQ). It stands for Frequently Asked Questions and can be used to refer to an information page as well as in newsletters, emails and articles. You can also see variations of it such as Q&A, which stands for questions and answers.
Social Media
Some acronyms are very specific to certain social networks. Like RT for retweeting on Twitter. One online acronym that is more commonly used in almost all social media is DM for direct message (or PM for private message).
Users often ask each other to write to them about something if they want to keep the rest of the conversation private.
Elements are completely useless
While some of the abbreviations are definitely useful and familiar to everyone, some of them are just completely useless. Like THNX for “thank you” and YH for “yes”, both are only 2 letters shorter than full words.
Confirmations
In a casual conversation with friends or colleagues, instead of “yes†for the hundredth time, you can use one of the affirmative abbreviations.
For example, IKR for “I know, right?” or OFC for “of course”. If you have more to add, you can start your post with FWIW, which stands for “worth it,” or TBH, which stands for “being honest.”
Conversely, if you don’t know the answer to a friend’s question and don’t have time to explain it, you can simply say IDK, which reads “I don’t know.” And if you want to end the conversation right away, you can just use NVM, which means “never mind.”
The right items for when you have to go
When you are talking to someone and you need to leave for a short period of time, the quick type BRB (will be back soon) will inform them that you will be back in a minute to continue the conversation. If you are not going to return to the chat, you can use G2G (it’s time).
If you need someone to know that you are close to the meeting point, use fast OTW, which means “on the way” or OMW, which means “on the way.”
Most Realistic Person
When you talk about something that doesn’t happen on the Internet, there is a handy abbreviation IRL, which stands for “in real life.”
Naughty
When you add something personal to a chat that is not intended for anyone’s eyes other than the eyes of the recipient, it is good to use the acronym NSFW. It means “not safe for work†and tells them not to open it on their work computer.
However, this usually means that the message contains images of a nude or sexual nature.
Opinion holders
Because when you strongly feel something, but want to express it politely, there are abbreviations IMO (in my opinion) and IMHO (in my humble opinion). You can even take it a step further using AFAIK (as far as I know) or AFAIC (as far as I know).
The WTF One
Another widely known acronym is WTF. Both the original version and the WTH version (what the heck) are used to express your surprise or annoyance at something.
TLDR (Too Long, Not Read)
Abbreviations can be very useful when you are typing quickly on your phone while on the go. It takes less time to enter two or three letters than a complete word or phrase.
However, not many of them are accepted in professional communication. Therefore, it is best to use abbreviations in everyday chats and conversations with friends, and abbreviations – with work colleagues.
While there are hundreds of new acronyms appearing on the Internet every day, we’ve covered the most commonly used ones on the Internet. Once you learn them, you no longer need to ask your friends what this word they just used means.
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