JSYK: Your Guide to Deciphering Teen Text Speak
Bridge the communication gap between you and the young people in your life with this quick guide to texting acronyms
If you can’t keep up with the latest acronyms being bandied about by teens – and have trouble deciphering their texts to you – don’t despair. Take a look at this quick guide, and that seemingly secret language you’ve been feeling excluded from will become part of your vocabulary… and you just might start feeling #cool again.
Just in time
The days of ASAP are over. There are now myriad ways to communicate matters relating to the past, present and future.
4EAE: For ever and ever
ATM: At the moment
ADN: Any day now
BRB: Be right back
TMRW: Tomorrow
TTYL: Talk to you later
TIA: Thanks in advance
BAE: Before anyone else (also a term of endearment, in place of ‘babe’, which is so last century BTW)
Browse bedroom ideas for teenagers
The days of ASAP are over. There are now myriad ways to communicate matters relating to the past, present and future.
4EAE: For ever and ever
ATM: At the moment
ADN: Any day now
BRB: Be right back
TMRW: Tomorrow
TTYL: Talk to you later
TIA: Thanks in advance
BAE: Before anyone else (also a term of endearment, in place of ‘babe’, which is so last century BTW)
Browse bedroom ideas for teenagers
Secrets and lies
Generations of teenagers have all done it, created their own culture to separate themselves from their parents and teachers. But if you’d like to find out what they’re really up to – or you at least want to know when you’re being kept in the dark – read on.
PAW: Parents are watching
PAL: Parents are listening
PIR: Parent in room
POS: Parent over shoulder
FYEO: For your eyes only
NAGI: Not a good idea
YGM: You’ve got mail (alerting someone via text that you’ve sent them an email)
OH: Overheard
NSFW: Technically, this stands for ‘not safe for work’, but really indicates that the content is inappropriate to open or read in front of parents or in public.
KPC: Keeping parents clueless
CD9: Code 9, i.e. parents nearby
F2T: Free to talk?
GTG: Got to go
LMIRL: Let’s meet in real life
MMA: Meet me at…
RBTL: Read between the lines
OAO: Over and out
Generations of teenagers have all done it, created their own culture to separate themselves from their parents and teachers. But if you’d like to find out what they’re really up to – or you at least want to know when you’re being kept in the dark – read on.
PAW: Parents are watching
PAL: Parents are listening
PIR: Parent in room
POS: Parent over shoulder
FYEO: For your eyes only
NAGI: Not a good idea
YGM: You’ve got mail (alerting someone via text that you’ve sent them an email)
OH: Overheard
NSFW: Technically, this stands for ‘not safe for work’, but really indicates that the content is inappropriate to open or read in front of parents or in public.
KPC: Keeping parents clueless
CD9: Code 9, i.e. parents nearby
F2T: Free to talk?
GTG: Got to go
LMIRL: Let’s meet in real life
MMA: Meet me at…
RBTL: Read between the lines
OAO: Over and out
All the feels
Emojis are easy to interpret, but acronyms less so. These acronyms will give you a window into the emotional world of your teen, although they are often used with humour.
QQ: Crying
VSF: Very sad face
TIME: Tears in my eyes
ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
LMAO: Laughing my ass off
DWBH: Don’t worry, be happy
YOLO: You only live once
LQTM: Laughing quietly to myself
KMS: Kill myself (usually meant in jest)
TFW: That feeling when…
Emojis are easy to interpret, but acronyms less so. These acronyms will give you a window into the emotional world of your teen, although they are often used with humour.
QQ: Crying
VSF: Very sad face
TIME: Tears in my eyes
ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
LMAO: Laughing my ass off
DWBH: Don’t worry, be happy
YOLO: You only live once
LQTM: Laughing quietly to myself
KMS: Kill myself (usually meant in jest)
TFW: That feeling when…
Insider insults
Ah, the joys of youth. Insulting one another is sport for teenagers, but there’s no reason you can’t play along.
GJ: Good job (meant sarcastically)
TLDR: Too long didn’t read (when someone sends you something that’s so long you can’t be bothered reading it)
IIRC: If I recall correctly…
IDC: I don’t care
AUFM: Are you f**king mental?
AUPI: And your point is?
CTFD: Calm the f**k down
GOI: Get over it
GLWT: Good luck with that (sarcastic)
NOYB: None of your business
NMP: Not my problem
YASW: You are so weird
B3: Blah, blah, blah
YDTM: You’re dead to me
YYSW: Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever
Teen Spirit: Experts Reveal the 11 Key Elements for a Happy Home
Ah, the joys of youth. Insulting one another is sport for teenagers, but there’s no reason you can’t play along.
GJ: Good job (meant sarcastically)
TLDR: Too long didn’t read (when someone sends you something that’s so long you can’t be bothered reading it)
IIRC: If I recall correctly…
IDC: I don’t care
AUFM: Are you f**king mental?
AUPI: And your point is?
CTFD: Calm the f**k down
GOI: Get over it
GLWT: Good luck with that (sarcastic)
NOYB: None of your business
NMP: Not my problem
YASW: You are so weird
B3: Blah, blah, blah
YDTM: You’re dead to me
YYSW: Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever
Teen Spirit: Experts Reveal the 11 Key Elements for a Happy Home
Romance is everything
Every grown-up has been a teenager, so it should come as no surprise how preoccupied teens are with their love lives, and with those of their friends. Little wonder there are so many texting shortcuts – a romance that’s on one minute can be off the next, so it pays to be able to communicate at speed.
OTP: One true pairing (a couple in fiction or real life you think should be together)
MVP: Stands for Most Valuable Player, but means ‘you’re the best’
HAK: Hugs and kisses
ILY: I love you
FTF or F2F: Face to face
WYWH: Wish you were here
IRL: In real life
IMU: I miss you
IH8U: I hate you
SO: Significant other
SWAK: Sealed with a kiss
A&F: Always and forever
Every grown-up has been a teenager, so it should come as no surprise how preoccupied teens are with their love lives, and with those of their friends. Little wonder there are so many texting shortcuts – a romance that’s on one minute can be off the next, so it pays to be able to communicate at speed.
OTP: One true pairing (a couple in fiction or real life you think should be together)
MVP: Stands for Most Valuable Player, but means ‘you’re the best’
HAK: Hugs and kisses
ILY: I love you
FTF or F2F: Face to face
WYWH: Wish you were here
IRL: In real life
IMU: I miss you
IH8U: I hate you
SO: Significant other
SWAK: Sealed with a kiss
A&F: Always and forever
In the extreme
Teens have a penchant for the dramatic, so words that emphasise are used with abandon.
ZOMG: OMG, with disbelief thrown in. As in ‘ZOMG UR so basic!’ (oh my god, you are so boring – you are only interested in things that are trending and mainstream).
AF: Stands for ‘as f**k’ and means ‘extremely’. “I’m late AF,” for example.
OMDB: Over my dead body
SRSLY: Seriously
TFFW: Too funny for words
Teens have a penchant for the dramatic, so words that emphasise are used with abandon.
ZOMG: OMG, with disbelief thrown in. As in ‘ZOMG UR so basic!’ (oh my god, you are so boring – you are only interested in things that are trending and mainstream).
AF: Stands for ‘as f**k’ and means ‘extremely’. “I’m late AF,” for example.
OMDB: Over my dead body
SRSLY: Seriously
TFFW: Too funny for words
Everyday expressions
These are good ones to have up your sleeve, as they tend to be used pretty regularly.
DUCWIM: Do you see what I mean?
LOL: Laughing out loud
AFAIK: As far as I know
BFN: Bye for now
IDK: I don’t know
BTW: By the way
IMO: In my opinion
JK: Just kidding
K: Okay
WTF: What the f**k
LMK: Let me know
FWIW: For what it’s worth…
OMY: On my way
NYF: Not your fault
BTW, all this is JSYK.
Just so you know.
Tell us
What other must-know acronyms have you encountered? Share them with us in the Comments below, and don’t forget to like, share or save this story. Join the conversation!
More
Read more Houzz lifestyle stories
These are good ones to have up your sleeve, as they tend to be used pretty regularly.
DUCWIM: Do you see what I mean?
LOL: Laughing out loud
AFAIK: As far as I know
BFN: Bye for now
IDK: I don’t know
BTW: By the way
IMO: In my opinion
JK: Just kidding
K: Okay
WTF: What the f**k
LMK: Let me know
FWIW: For what it’s worth…
OMY: On my way
NYF: Not your fault
BTW, all this is JSYK.
Just so you know.
Tell us
What other must-know acronyms have you encountered? Share them with us in the Comments below, and don’t forget to like, share or save this story. Join the conversation!
More
Read more Houzz lifestyle stories
There’s nothing new about the gap between generations, but knowing the lingo will at least give you an understanding of what the young folk in your life are on about. Whether you can slide an acronym or two into your own communications will depend on how brave you are. Caution: attempts at texting or talking like your teen may be met with ‘SMH’, which brings me to the first must-know acronym to adopt into your vocabulary.
SMH: Shaking my head. Used not in the sense of ‘no’ but ‘OMG, I can’t believe how uncool you are’.
If you don’t know what OMG stands for, you’ve got a lot to learn.