FWIW there are a lot of acronyms out there, especially on AIM, YIM, MSN, and IRC. I am FAQ about what these things mean. It would be nice to tell people to RTM, but AFAIK there aren’t very many comprehensive lists available (BICBW). So, here is a list of many common acronyms I’ve seen used from time to time. HTH. IAE, if I left some favorite ones out, BMG to add them in the comments. Just keep them kid friendly. Thx!
A/S/L … Age/Sex/Location
AFAIK … As far as I know
AFK … Away from keyboard (especially mobile users not at a computer)
AIM … AOL Instant Messenger; also verb for transferring files via AIM
ASAP … As soon as possible
ATM … At the moment
B … Back
BAK … Back at keyboard (typically used after AFK or BRB)
BBL … Be back later
BBS … Be back soon
BC … Because
BCNU … Be Seein’ You
BFF … Best Friends Forever
BFN … Bye for now
BG … Big grin
BIAB … Back in a bit
BICBW … But I could be wrong
BMG … Be my guest
BRB … Be right back
BTA … But then again
BTW … By the way
CFN … Ciao for now
CID … Consider it done
CUL … See you later
CUL8R … See you later
CYA … Cover your arse
C-YA … See Ya
DQMOT … Don’t quote me on this
DYOH … Do your own homework
EOM … End of message
FAQ … Frequently asked questions
FWIW … For what it’s worth
FYI … For your information
G2G … Got to go
GIGO … Garbage in, garbage out
GL … Good luck
GMTA … Great minds think alike
GRA … Go right ahead
GW … Good work
HLVB … Hasta la vista baby
HT … Hi there
HTH … Hope this helps
IAC … In any case
IAE … In any event
ICQ … ICQ Instant Messenger
IDK … I don’t know
IIRC … If I recall correctly
IM … Instant message
IMHO … In my humble/honest opinion
IMO … In my opinion
IMPOV … In my point of view
IMS … I am sorry
IOW … In other words
IRC … Internet Relay Chat (a method of instant messaging/chatroom)
JIC … Just in case
JK … Just kidding
JTLYK … Just to let you know
K … Okay
KIS … Keep it simple
L8 … Later
L8R … Later
LOL … Laughing out loud
M$ … Microsoft
MSN … Microsoft Network (or MSN Messenger)
NBD … No big deal
NP … No problem
NRN … No response necessary
OH … Off hand
OIC … Oh I see
OMG … Oh my gosh!
OTOH … On the other hand
OTP … On the phone
PLS … Please
PLZ … Please
POC … Point of contact
POV … Point of view
ROFLMAO … Rolling on floor laughing my arse off
ROTFL … Rolling on the floor laughing
RSN … Real soon now
RTFM … Read the flippin’ manual
RTM … Read the manual
RUOK? … Are you okay?
SYS … See you soon
TAFN … That’s all for now
TBA … To be announced
TBD … To be determined/decided
TBH … To be honest
THX … Thanks
TIA … Thanks in advance
TTFN … Ta ta for now
TTYL … Talk to you later
WB … Welcome back
WFM … Works for me
WTF … What the f—?
WTG … Way to go
WTH … What the heck?
WU? … What’s up?
YIM … Yahoo Instant Messenger
YT? … You there?
YW … You’re welcome
The “Alphabet Soup” header image was generated by Midjourney using prompts crafted by K.W. “Will” Murray (Willscrlt) and is licensed under the CC BY 4.0 license. It is available for public remixing per Midjourney’s terms and conditions. All other rights are reserved.
Alphabet Soup – Chat Acronymns…