OMG, Deciphering Texting Acronyms FTW

Acronyms, FWIW

Acronyms are fun little words. And incredibly useful. Often of the first letter of a series of words or by shortening a word, small punchy acronyms have always been around. However, now they’ve become ubiquitous thanks to texting and social media.

That means that texting and social-media posts can become quite hard to decipher. So, here’s a little acronym dictionary to whip out when you get a text or comment that look like gibberish … but definitely has some intended meaning.

WATCH: Suspicious Slang Your Kids Are Using

FWIW

This means For What It’s Worth. You type this when you’re sending information that may or may not have any value. You just want to get it out there. Here it is, it may be something, or it may be nothing. Just want to let you know. Also a great option for passive aggression.

SWAK

This romantic acronym gets plenty of use for Valentine’s Day: SWAK means “Sealed With A Kiss.”

If you wanted to send a valentine in 1953, you would have had to slather on lipstick, press your lips against an envelope, ride your horse to the postal office, and slip the letter in a mailbox. Now you can just send an emoji-filled text and end it with SWAK.

ICYMI

ICYMI means “In Case You Missed It.” Use ICYMI any time there’s something interesting or important that you need someone to see.

Maybe you come across an anxiety-inducing news article … or a video of a cat doing something humans usually do. Either way, it’s a big deal, and you need your friends to see it.

FYEO

FYEO is the acronym meaning “For Your Eyes Only .” When you’ve been sent something super classified … or super juicy … this acronym is probably accompanying it.

It’s also easier/quicker/and less formal than typing “CLASSIFIED.”

SMH

SMH stands for “Shake (or Shaking My Head). A great acronym for communicating disbelief, or to point out something obvious or frustrating.

The tone of SMH often implies an impatience with a perceived unnecessary stupidity of a person or process. SMH is often issued to preface what the user is disappointed or frustrated by.SMH is also intensified, most commonly as smdh (shaking my damn head) but also smfh (shaking my f**king head), and smmfh (shaking my motherf**king head).

NOYB

This one stands for “None Of Your Business.” You may receive this one via text when you’ve asked for privileged or private information that they’re unwilling to give you.

And, it pairs nicely with angry face with horns emoji 👿 – angry face with horns emoji . Avoid using this when your significant other asks you where you’ve been all night.

OOMF

OOMF is an acronym standing for “one of my friends” or “one of my followers.” This is a way to mention someone without directly naming them.

Though it originated on Twitter, it can also be found on Tumblr and Instagram, since they’re both platforms that have a follower system.

As a positive thing, it could be used to covertly confess affections or call a follower attractive in plain sight. It can also be more akin to a subtweet, which is entirely negative. With this sort of function, it can be a tool of targeted passive aggression without giving away the target’s identity. It may also be a wholly neutral comment, such as someone wishing they knew a follower in real life.

EOM, TLDR

If you just want to send a really quick message, you can type it in the subject line, and then add EOM at the end. EOM means End Of Message, so the reader knows that’s all you’re sending—no additional text forthcoming.

Or, if you sent them a long email, you might get the response of TLDR (or tl;dr), meaning Too Long Didn’t Read. LOL. Occasionally, TLDR can stand for too lazy, didn’t read, sometimes used when a person makes fun of their own short attention span.

ROFL

If you’re ROFL then you’re “Rolling On The Floor Laughing.: It can also be typed as ROTFL ROTF or , whatever you like.

This ones often reserved for things that are especially funny, funnier than something that only deserves an LOL or LMAO. This should be used when you are weak-in-the-knees laughing. (Or when you want someone to think you are.)

RSVP

You’ve seen this one a million times and you definitely already know it means to respond to an invitation.

But, the real deciphering with this one comes in the form of it’s definition. Do you know what it RSVP stands for?

Welp, it’s a French acronym for Repondez S’il Vous Plaît, or “Reply, if you please.”

FTW

FTW stands for For The Win. Used as a triumphant declaration when you’ve successfully accomplished a goal. Or to point out that something or someone is awesome. Maybe you swing by your favorite cafe on your way to yoga: “Pre-workout quad shot mocha #FTW.”

Numerous internet claims suggest the term originated with the game show. As in, “Tom, I’ll go with Gavin McLeod for the win!”