ILY

or ily

abbreviation for

I love you.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of ILY¹

From its use in digital communications

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Example Sentences

Sandra Hernandez-Cazares has been arrested and charged in the death of her daughter, Ily Ruiz, who was found locked in the family car with Hernandez-Cazares on the 1300 block of Fashion Lane on Friday, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

From Los Angeles Times

A family member eventually called 911 after finding Hernandez-Casarez and Ily passed out inside a white Ford Expedition parked in front of the family’s Anaheim apartment, according to the district attorney’s office.

From Los Angeles Times

Officers attempted CPR on Ily before she and her mother were rushed to a hospital.

From Los Angeles Times

Ily was pronounced dead at the medical facility.

From Los Angeles Times

Abbreviations including “LOL” and “ILY” are popular expressions used across the web, and these days chances are you have probably seen “CFBR,” which stands for “commenting for better reach” and appears regularly under posts on LinkedIn.

From Seattle Times

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More About ILY

What does ILY mean?

ILY stands for I love you. It is used in digital communication (online) as an earnest or playful declaration of affection.

ILY is also associated with an American Sign Language sign for I love you.

How is ILY pronounced?

[ ahy-el-wahy ]

What are other forms of ILY?

ily

What are some other words related to ILY?

Where does ILY come from?

The phrase I love you, in one form or another, is as old as the English language itself. ILY, the acronym, on the other hand, is a bit more recent.

In American Sign Language, the ILY hand sign for I love you combines the signs for letters I, L, and Y in American Sign Language. It is represented in emoji form as the I love you hand sign: 🤟.

Signing Savvy

ILY is also common in textspeak, or the abbreviations, acronyms, and slang used on cell phones and the internet. ILY appeared online by the 1990s.

How is ILY used in real life?

ILY in American Sign Language can express a range of positive feelings—love chief among them, of course.

Jimmy Carter memorably used the ILY sign during his Inauguration Day parade in 1977. The Marvel superhero, Doctor Strange, uses the gesture to cast spells.

Sometimes the ILY sign is confused with the sign of the horns gesture (🤘), as associated with rock music.

Online and in text messages, people use ILY as a shorthand way to express a variety of affectionate and loving emotions.

imy and ily all so much 😭💖 pic.twitter.com/BXoFG7vEQm

— cedrıc (@cpaculan_) February 23, 2020

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‼️After working more than one year for you guys , HEAVEN MAY CLOTHING ( my brand ) is coming out really soon !! I can’t wait for u guys to see all the collection I made :)))) Ily and thank u for ur support 🖤❤️ @heavenmayclothing

A post shared by Thylane 🦋 (@thylaneblondeau) on Sep 1, 2018 at 3:13pm PDT

I.L.W.U.Ilyushin

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