Text abbreviations and acronyms every parent should know

In the early days of SMS messaging, I learned to keep my texts short by dropping vowels and using shorthand. “See you later” became “cu l8r.” Dropping vowels and words became essential as character limits on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) kept things around 140 characters. But today I find myself lost in the new slang and abbreviations created by younger generations. Terms like “afk” and phrases such as “Ngl Ong that song is so sus no cap smh this lunch is bussin frfr” leave me scratching my head.

While I may never fully understand all the nuances of Gen Z or Gen Alpha lingo, text abbreviations have become universal. The good news for parents is that there are resources available to help decode this evolving language—like this one. Bookmark this page for a handy reference when you need it most!

Common (and mostly harmless) social media and text abbreviations, slang and acronyms every parent should know.

Note that all of these can be in either CAPS or lowercase letters, but teens and tweens now typically opt for lowercase UNLESS THEY’RE SHOUTING. Also, they’re usually in normal font, not bold.

Affection and romantic rejection

11:11 — make a wish

143 — I love you (derives from the number of letters used to spell each word)

bae — before anyone else (refers to a favorite person); also a shortened form of babe or baby

bff — best friends forever

curve (someone) — reject someone’s romantic interest or advances in a subtle or kind way

fimh — forever in my heart

ghost — when someone disappears, stops calling or stops texting

ick — a feeling of disgust toward a romantic partner’s actions or possessions

ily — I love you

imu — I miss you

pookie – term of endearment, similar to “boo”

rizz — charisma, the ability to flirt or attract romantic interest

ship – rooting for two people to be together romantically

thirsty – seeking attention, usually romantic

wywh — wish you were here

Achievements and actions

ate – did something perfectly or with style

goat/goated – they both mean “greatest of all time,” though goated is the newest iteration

left no crumbs – complements “ate,” meaning flawless performance

let him cook – encouraging someone to continue, often to prove a point

lock in – focusing or staying dedicated to a task

savage – bold, daring or unapologetic behavior

slay – doing something exceptionally well

Fashion and appearances

bop – originally for catchy music, can also mean someone dating around

drip – describes high-fashion style

fit check – showing off or checking out an outfit

glow up – Positive transformation in style or confidence

serving – bringing a strong look or attitude

slaps – used for excellent music or appearance

snatched – looking stylish or fit

Food and lifestyle

bussin’ – describes something exceptionally good, often food

Fanum tax – playfully taking food from someone else

glhf – good luck, have fun

IG – I guess

main character energy – someone who gives off energy like they are the main character of a story

noob – someone inexperienced, especially in a skill or activity

snack – someone who is attractive

yktv – you know the vibes

Gaming terms

afk– away from keyboard, indicating someone is temporarily unavailable

buff – strengthening a character or skill in a game

camping – staying in one spot to gain an advantage, often in shooter games

gg – good game, shows sportsmanship at the end of a match

l – loss or failure

nerf – Reducing power or ability, often in updates

npc – non-player character, can refer to someone who seems scripted or unoriginal

op – overpowered, describes something overly strong or unfair in a game

pog /poggers – expression of excitement or amazement

sweaty – playing intensely or trying hard to win

w – win, success​

Humor, sarcasm and casual conversations

big facts – strong agreement with a statement

can’t relate – used when something isn’t relatable

caught in 4K – being caught red-handed with undeniable evidence

cringe – embarrassing or awkward

dead – finding something hilarious

delulu – playfully calling someone delusional

gucci – all good, everything is fine

hits different – when something feels special or unique

it’s giving – describes the vibe or feel of something

just put the fries in the bag, bro – a humorous way to tell someone to get to the point or stop overcomplicating thing

low-key – subtly important or downplayed

mid – describes something average or unimpressive

ohio – used to describe something as weird or bizarre, often based on the “Only in Ohio” meme

skibidi – pronounced like skippity and usually is the start of a conversation filled with nonsense terms, and comes from a popular video meme involving dancing and human-headed toilets

Miscellaneous reactions

awks — awkward

aymm — are you my mother?

bet — sure, yes

cap — lie

cwot — complete waste of time

f — my condolences; comes from a gaming meme: “press F to pay respects” after an unfortunate or tragic event

facts — I agree

fax – asserting the truth, similar to “facts, no lies”

flex — show off

fr — for real

ftw — for the win

gmta — great minds think alike

hundo p — 100% agree

idc — I don’t care

ifyp — I feel your pain

mood — I feel the same way; a relatable feeling

no cap — truth

o7 — salute (emoticon, paying respect)

omdb — over my dead body

ong — on God, a term used to express strong belief or emotions

oop — expression of shock, embarrassment or amusement

qq or q_q — crying (emoticon)

smh — shaking my head (meaning, that’s so dumb)

srsly — seriously

ssdd — same stuff, different day

sus — suspicious, suspect, questionable or dishonest

wth — what the heck/hell

Opinions, warnings and disclaimers

afaik — as far as I know

dm — direct message

fwiw — for what it’s worth

icymi — in case you missed it

idk — I don’t know

imho — in my humble opinion

imo — in my opinion

iykyk — if you know you know

jsyk — just so you know

nbd — no big deal

ngl — not gonna lie

nsfw — not suitable for work (signals nudity, violence or other potentially offensive material)

rbtl — read between the lines

tbh — to be honest

tia — thanks in advance

tldr or tl;dr — too long (lazy), didn’t read

tw — trigger warning (indicates content that can possibly cause emotional harm)

ygtr — you got that right

ymmv — your mileage (experience) may vary

ynk — you never know

Warnings about parents being nearby

9 — parent around

99 — parent gone

aitr — adult in the room

back on silence – switching to silent mode with parents nearby

cd9 — parents around (also code 9)

kpc — keeping parents clueless

m/pos — mother/parent over shoulder

no cap, no parents – truthful with parents unaware

pa / pa911 — parent alert

pah — parent at home

pal — parents are listening

pal alert – warning that parents are nearby

paw — parents are watching

paw patrol – alerting friends that parents are around

pbb — parent behind back

pir — parent in the room

sneaky link – secret meeting or relationship

spy mode – staying discreet due to nearby parents

Notifications, wishes, greetings, closings

afk — away from keyboard

atm — at the moment

brb — be right back

g2g or gtg — got to go

gl — good luck

irl — in real life

l8 — late

lmk — let me know

omw — on my way

ruok — are you OK

spill the tea — tell me the gossip

ttyl — talk to you later

w8 — wait

wya — where you at?

wyd — what you doing?

Signaling humor or sarcasm (followed by a situation, a gif or a meme)

hifw — how I feel when

mfw — my face when

mrw — my reaction when

tfw — that feeling when

til — today I learned

Ready to use these acronyms, abbreviations and slang words for texting?

Go for it! Your kids may think your text messages are cringy sometimes, but at least they’ll know you’re curious about what’s important to them—and you made an effort to learn. Most of all, remember that it can be hard to decipher what your kids are trying to say on a screen—so do check-ins and keep talking to each other. Even though texting is entertaining, spending time with your kids irl is more fun.

Monitor your kids’ text activity—then talk about it together FR—with Verizon Family.