OMG! IMO, texting abbreviations are the GOAT! If you have absolutely no idea what that means, it might be time to brush up on your texting abbreviations. These collections of letters, short for a single word or group of words, are so common in texting that many have migrated into spoken conversations. And they’ve moved beyond text conversations, becoming widespread in social media captions and comments too. If you’re pairing these texting abbreviations with a GIF, find out what GIF stands for.
Why do we use abbreviations when we text?
It seems impossible to imagine texting without abbreviations today, but how did abbreviations become such a massive part of texting lingo? Well, in the days before smartphones, and even before keyboard phones, texters were working with a limited number of characters—160, to be exact—and before “unlimited” plans became the law of the land, each text cost money to send. Plus, typing just with thumbs isn’t quite the speedy process that typing on a traditional keyboard is. Not to mention, before keyboard phones, you had to press the number corresponding with the letter you wanted—enough times for that letter to appear. Needless to say, typing full words was cumbersome, and it became customary to shorten words and phrases. And, of course, abbreviating is just convenient in general, and is certainly not exclusive to texting—just look at all these common abbreviation and acronym examples.
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Classic texting abbreviations
1. LOL
This is perhaps the most ubiquitous texting acronym. Short for “laughing out loud,” “LOL” is now used to express even the mildest amusement. You can respond “LOL!!” perhaps paired with one of these popular emojis when your friend tells you a hilarious story, but you can also just say something like, “I forgot to have breakfast today, LOL.” It’s something of a catch-all reaction. Another note: “LOL” does not stand for “lots of love.” In the early days when texting abbreviations became mainstream, plenty of people made this LOL-worthy mistake.
2. OMG
The abbreviation “OMG,” for “oh my God” (or gosh, or goodness, or your expression of choice) vastly predates texting. In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary tracked its earliest recorded use to a letter written in 1917! Today, you’ll see it used in sentences like, “OMG, can you believe how hot it is today?!” It’s a pretty catch-all exclamation or reaction.
3. IDK
“IDK” is perhaps the theme of this article, because it literally means “I don’t know,” which is exactly how you felt about all these text abbreviations before you learned what they stood for. Next time you get a text from your kid asking where their favorite shirt is, reply with “IDK, ask your mother/father/sibling.”
