Texting Abbreviations A–Z (With How to Reply)

Texting abbreviations are short letter codes for common phrases: LOL is "laughing out loud," BRB is "be right back," WYD is "what (are) you doing," NGL is "not gonna lie" and LMK is "let me know." The list below covers more than 100 of them from A to Z. Each row gives the plain meaning, who you can safely send it to, and a reply you can copy. The sections after the table cover what most lists leave out: abbreviations with two meanings, how tone works in a text, which codes are fine at work, and the handful worth a second look if they turn up on a child's phone.

How to use this list

Every row in the A-Z table has four parts:

• Means: the expansion, then what people actually mean by it when that is different.
• Send to: Anyone (fine with a parent, a teacher or your boss), Friends (casual, fine with people you know), Work (mostly a workplace code), or Careful (a disguised swear word, or a safety flag).
• Reply: a natural response. Many abbreviations need no reply at all, and the table says so.

Capital letters are optional. Most people under 30 type these in lowercase ("idk," "ngl," "lmk"), and capitals mostly appear for emphasis or out of habit. "LOL" and "lol" mean the same thing.

Texting abbreviations A–Z

A–C

D–H

I–K

L–N

O–R

S–T

U–Z

A few number codes from the flip-phone era still turn up, mostly from older relatives: "2day" (today), "l8r" (later), "gr8" (great), and "b4" (before).

Reply scripts for the questions

Most abbreviations are reactions. A few are questions, and those are the ones people get stuck on. Here is what to send back, depending on how much you want to talk. For more on the three greetings, see how to reply to wsg, wyd and hyd.

WSG / WSP (a hello)

• Want to chat: "nm, just got home. wbu"
• Busy: "hey, can't talk rn, ttyl"
• With news: "wsg, guess what happened"

WYD (what are you doing)

• Free: "nothing much, wbu"
• Busy: "at work til 6, text you after"
• If it is late and from someone you are dating, it often means "can we talk or meet up." Answer the question you want to answer: "about to sleep, talk tomorrow"

HYD / HRU (how are you)

• Polite: "good, hbu"
• Honest: "ngl kind of a long day. you?"
• Not now: "doing ok, I'll call you later"

WYM (what do you mean)

• Don't repeat the same words louder. Rephrase: "I mean can we move dinner to 8 instead of 7"

WBU / HBU (and you?)

• They answered your question and asked it back. Answer it. Skipping it reads as uninterested.

LMK / HMU

• If you know: give the answer now.
• If you don't: give a time. "will lmk by tonight" is better than silence.

ILY

• From family: "ily too."
• From someone you are not sure about: you don't have to match it. "aw that's sweet" or a heart reaction is a kind way not to.

K

• If a lone "k" feels cold, the safest reply is a short check-in: "we good?" Often the sender was just busy.

Abbreviations with two meanings

These cause most of the real misunderstandings. Context almost always settles it.

The LOL mix-up is the one older relatives worry about most. Dictionary.com records LOL as "laughing out loud," first recorded in 1985-90, and the "lots of love" reading belongs to handwritten letters. If a grandparent ends sad news with "LOL," they almost certainly meant love. Our texting abbreviations for grandparents guide covers this and other generational mix-ups.

Tone: lowercase, periods and the lone "k"

Text has no voice, so small choices carry the mood.

• Lowercase is the casual default. "idk lol" is relaxed. "IDK" in capitals can read as stronger, sometimes annoyed.
• A period can sound sharp. In a 2015 Binghamton University study, 126 undergraduates rated one-word replies such as "Okay." as less sincere when they ended with a period than when they had no punctuation. The same effect did not show up in handwritten notes. "ok" and "ok." can land differently.
• "lol" at the end softens. "can't make it lol" reads lighter than "can't make it." Nobody is laughing. It works like a friendly shrug.
• Length signals effort. "k" can feel like a brush-off, "kk" or "ok" neutral, and "ok sounds good" warm. None of these is rude on its own, and plenty of people type "k" because they are busy.
• Doubling adds force. "frfr" is more insistent than "fr," and "nooo" softer than "no."

If a message reads cold, ask before assuming. A quick "you good?" fixes most misread texts.

Which abbreviations are fine at work

Workplace chat has its own rules, and they vary by office. A safe default:

Two habits help. First, never answer a question with only an abbreviation the other person may not know. Second, be careful with FYI and ASAP when writing to someone senior: "FYI" on its own can read like a correction, and "ASAP" without a time can feel like pressure. "Sharing in case useful" and "by 3 p.m. if possible" say the same things more kindly. For the phrases behind work emails, see our corporate jargon list, or paste a message into the email subtext decoder.

The ones to handle with care

Most abbreviations are harmless. A few hide a swear word, and two can be part of an unsafe conversation.

Disguised swearing. LMAO, PMO, TS and BFFR each stand for a phrase with a curse in it. Teens use them the way adults say "darn," often without thinking about the letters. A school might mind them in a class chat. None of them is an insult aimed at anyone.

Safety flags. WYLL ("what you look like") is a request for a photo. Between friends it is curiosity. From a stranger, especially as a first message on Snapchat or in a game chat, it is worth a talk. The same goes for "asl" sent on its own, which asks for age, sex and location. Neither is a secret code, but both are easy to miss in four letters.

Parents who want the full picture, including codes for "parent nearby" and the warning signs to watch for, should read teen text codes parents should know.

Where these abbreviations came from

Many of these are older than people think. Guinness World Records cites a letter from Admiral John Fisher to Winston Churchill, dated 9 September 1917, as the first known printed "O.M.G.," and the Oxford English Dictionary used that letter when it added OMG in March 2011. LOL entered the OED in the same update. Dictionary.com dates LOL to the late 1980s and FOMO to the early 2000s.

The early wave (LOL, BRB, TTYL, ROFL, A/S/L) came from chat rooms, message boards and instant messengers. Length limits on early text messages and slow typing on phone keypads gave people another reason to shorten. YOLO had existed for years before Drake's 2011 song "The Motto" turned it into a catchphrase.

The newer layer is different. ONG, TS, PMO and FR carry phrases from African American Vernacular English ("on God," "for real") into typed form, and they spread through Black users online before TikTok and Snapchat carried them to everyone else. GG and AFK came from multiplayer games in the late 1990s, and our gaming slang dictionary covers that branch. FYP, POV and OOMF come from specific apps. Each linked term page has a dated timeline.

Printable cheat sheet: the 30 to know

If you only learn a few, learn these. They cover most everyday texts.

Greetings and check-ins

• WSG / WSP = what's good / what's up (hi)
• WYD = what are you doing
• HYD / HRU = how are you
• WBU / HBU = and you?
• WYA = where are you
• NM = not much

Honesty and emphasis

• NGL = not gonna lie
• TBH = to be honest
• ICL = I can't lie
• FR = for real
• ONG = on God (I swear)
• ISTG = I swear to God

Reactions

• LOL = laughing (or a softener)
• LMAO = very funny
• SMH = disappointed
• IKR = I agree
• IYKYK = inside joke
• ATP = at this point

Plans and sign-offs

• LMK = let me know
• HMU = get in touch
• OMW = on my way
• BRB = be right back
• GTG = got to go
• TTYL = talk later
• GN = good night

Useful extras

• IDK = I don't know
• BTW = by the way
• FYI = for your information
• ILY = I love you
• NP = no problem

When something new turns up, type it into the Gen Z translator, or check the Gen Z slang list for words rather than letters. For the emoji that often come with these, see emoji meanings.

Key takeaways

• Most texting abbreviations are shortened everyday phrases. Lowercase and capitals mean the same thing.
• Questions in disguise (WSG, WYD, HYD, WYM, WBU) need an answer. Reactions (LOL, IKR, SMH) usually don't.
• Watch for double meanings: ASL, PMO, GG and LOL are the usual sources of mix-ups.
• Tone lives in small things. A period or a lone "k" can sound sharper than intended, so ask before assuming.
• At work, stick to FYI, ETA, EOD, OOO and friends, and spell out anything the reader may not know.
• From a stranger, WYLL or a lone "asl" is a photo or personal-information request, not small talk.

FAQ

What are the most common texting abbreviations?

The everyday core is LOL, OMG, IDK, BTW, BRB, TTYL, LMK, TBH, NGL, FR, SMH, IKR and WYD. Among teens and people in their twenties, WSG, HYD, ATP, ICL, ONG and IYKYK are also common in 2026.

Does LOL mean "lots of love"?

Not in texting. LOL means "laughing out loud," and in practice it often just makes a message sound lighter. "Lots of love" is an older letter-writing use, and a few older relatives still sign off that way, which is where the famous mix-ups come from.

What should I reply when someone just texts "k"?

Usually nothing. If the conversation needed more, or the "k" followed something important, a short "we good?" is enough. Many people send "k" simply because they are busy.

Is it rude to use abbreviations in a work message?

Standard business ones such as FYI, ASAP, EOD, ETA and OOO are fine in most offices. Casual ones such as LOL or NGL depend on the person and the place. Leave out anything that hides a swear word, and spell out any abbreviation the reader might not know.

Why do people type abbreviations in lowercase?

Lowercase is faster on a phone and reads as relaxed. Capitals tend to signal emphasis or strong feeling, so "LMAO" can read as bigger laughter than "lmao."