Understanding chat and texting acronyms, lingo

Eric Geier is the owner of On Spot Techs, which provides on-site computer repair and IT services at homes and businesses in the Dayton and Springfield areas. For more information, visit www.onspottechs.com or call 937-315-0286.

As you may very well know, computers and cellphones have led to broken grammar and a whole new language: Acronyms and lingo to serve as shorthand for chatting, cellphone text messaging and other online communication. You may even hear kids and adults these days speak them in-person, which I’m sure breaks the hearts of all the English teachers out there.

Though you might not want to communicate via this new language, you still might need to know the basics just to understand this generation.

Here are a couple happy ones to start:

lol = laugh out loud

rofl/rotfl = rolling on the floor laughing

lmao = laughing my a— off

thx = thanks

plz = please

bff = best friends forever

Here are some not so happy acronyms:

wth = what the heck. (There’s a profane variation of this, which I won’t print here.)

gth = go to h—-

omg = oh my god

noyb = none of your business

There are a few ways to end a conversation:

g2g/gtg = got to go

brb = be right back

ttyl = talk to you Later

Here are some popular random acronyms:

btw = by the way

fyi = for your Information

tmi = too much information

g4u = good for you

idk = I don’t know

hmu = hit me up (contact me)

irl = in real life

jk = just kidding

nm = never mind or nothing much

np = no problem

pov = point of view

pm = private message

sms = short message service (cell phone text messages)

fb = Facebook

Here are some newly created words:

k = OK

u = you

ur = your or you’re

dunno = don’t know

lemme = let me

noob = newbie

2nte = tonight

2moro = tomorrow

l8r = later

txt = text message

If ur chat lingo noob, practice w/ some1 nxt time u txt, k? or hmu pm on fb. gtg, l8r

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