Abbreviations on the Internet

“Time is money” wrote Benjamin Franklin in “Advice to a Young Tradesman”.¹ His work appeared in 1748, and since the internet almost certainly did not exist at that time, time is unlikely to be a justification for the numerous abbreviations we encounter online every day. “What do you actually do, you nimble hoarders of seconds, with all the time you save when you type ‘KR’ instead of greeting kindly?” asks Jens Muehling aptly.²

Below is a list of international and German abbreviations commonly used on the internet today.

International internet abbreviations

*gig* means “giggle”.

2F4U stands for “too fast for you”. If numbers and words are pronounced phonetically identically – for example, the number “two” (2) and “to” – then digits are also found in the abbreviations.

2L8 means “to late”.

2U stands for “to you”.

4U means “for you”.

4YO means “for you only”.

AAMOF stands for “as a matter of fact”.

ADN means “any day now”.

AFAIC is the abbreviation for “as far as I’m concerned”.

AFAICT means “as far as I can tell”.

AFAIK stands for “as far as I know”.

AFAIR means “as far as I remember”.

AFAP abbreviates “as far as possible”.

AFK means “away from keyboard”, so someone is absent from the computer.

AGF stands for “assume good faith”.

AIS means “as I said”.

AISI shortens “as I see it”.

AIUI is the abbreviation for “as I understand it”.

AKA stands for “as / also known as”. This abbreviation is often used by artists who were temporarily active under a different name.

AMA is short for “ask me anything”.

ANSCD is a running gag of the British comedy group Monthy Python: “and now (for) something completely different”.

ASAP means “as soon as possible”. This abbreviation is often used in business correspondence when something has to be done quickly.

ASL means “age, sex, location”.

ATM means “at the moment”. ATM should not be confused with “automated teller machine”.

B2K means “back to keyboard”.  Alternatively, BTK or BAK can also be found as internet abbreviations.

B2T means “back to topic”.

B4N stands for “bye for now”.

BB means “bye bye”.

BBK means “be back later”.

BBS stands for “be back soon”.

BEG means “big evil grin”.

BF has at least two meanings: “boyfriend” or “best friend”.

BFF means “best friends forever”.

BLT is not an internet abbreviation, but a name for a sandwich with “bacon, lettuce and tomato”. (And I’m hungry already… 😎)

BOL means “beginning of life”.

BRB stands for “be right back”.

BS addresses “bullshit”.

BTAIM means “be that as it may”.

BTDT is short for “been there, done that”.

BTW stands for “by the way”.

BWTHDIK means “but what the heck do I know…?”. However, the abbreviation is so long that it is probably not used very often.

C&P means “copy and paste”.

C6 and CS stand for “cyber sex”. In some internet chats, the game Counter Strike is also abbreviated as CS.

CU stands for “see you”. It’s a good example of how abbreviations on the internet are not always acronyms used to shorten words or word groups to their spelled first letters and then put together. Actual pronunciation and, in some cases, even “slang” may also be incorporated into abbreviations. In the USA, for example, instead of “see you”, people also say “see ya”, which is why there is also the abbreviation CYA.

CU2 stands for “see you too”.

CUL means “see you later”. CUL8R has the identical meaning.

CYO means “see you online”.

DFTT is a request: “don’t feed the troll”. It is about not responding to provocative statements or comments on internet platforms.

DIKU asks the question “Do I know you?”.

DIY can be found in pretty much every cooking or DIY blog: “do it yourself”.

DL stands for “download”.

DND is a request or demand: “do not disturb”.

DOB stands for “date of birth”.

DQMOT means “don’t quote me on this”. Unfortunately, there is probably no internet abbreviation that denounces quoting without reference to the original source.

ELMO stands for “enough, let’s move on”.

EOB is the abbreviation for “end of business” and means at the end of the working day. Alternatively, EOBD (“end of business day”) can also be found,

EOD demands or proclaims “end of discussion”.

EOT accordingly declares “end of thread”.

EOM means “end of message”. It is written, for example, at the end of the subject line of an e-mail if an e-mail only has a subject line but no further content.

ETA stands for “estimated time of arrival”. It is an expression that was certainly in use even before the Internet age.

F2F stands for “face to face”, which means “face to face” or “in personal conversation”.

FACK stands for “full acknowledge”, which means “I completely agree with you”.

FAQ is often found on websites. It stands for “frequently asked questions” and indicates answers to the most “frequently asked questions” of users or customers.

FFS is the abbreviation for “for f*ck’s sake”, a somewhat cruder variant of “for heaven’s sake”.

FISH means “first in, still here”.

FMTYEWTK is short for “far more than you ever wanted to know”.

FTR means “for the record”.

FTW is an abbreviation with different meanings: Online gamers use it sarcastically as “for the win”, motorcyclists as “forever two wheels”. FTW also stands for “free the whales”, ” free the weed”, or “forget the war”. Due to the numerous meanings, it is advisable to use this abbreviation rather cautiously.

FUBAR means “f*cked up beyond all repairs”, loosely translated: “something is irreparable”.

FWIW stands for “for whatever it’s worth”.

FYEO means “for your eyes only”.

FYI means “for your information”.

G2G means “got to go”.

GA means “go ahead”.

GG is a greeting at the start or end of a competition and stands for “good game”.

GIYR claims “Google is your friend”. Understood as an appeal, it is an invitation to use the search engine because Google knows the answer to a question.

GJ is an acknowledgement in the form of “good job”. This abbreviation is usually used at the end of a job.

GL stands for “good luck”.

GLHF means “good luck, have fun”.

GMTA postulates “great minds think alike”.

GN8 is the greeting for “good night”.

GOAT is a rating often used in sports: “greatest of all time”.

GTRM stands for “going to read mail”.

HAND means “have a nice day”.

HF means “have fun”.

HTH expresses a wish: “hope that helps”.

IAC stands for “in any case”.

IANAL says “I am not a lawyer (but)…”.

IDC stands for “I don’t care”.

IDK means “I don’t know”.

IKR is the reverse and means “I know, right”.

ILY or ILU stands for “I love you”.

IMAO stands for “in my arrogant opionion”.

IMNSHO is short for “in my not so humble opion”.

IMO stands for “in my opinion”. In a somewhat more friendly formulation, it is also referred to as IMHO “in my humble opinion”.

IOU means “I owe you”.

IOW means “in other words”.

ISTR means “I seem to recall”.

IRL stands for “in real life”. As an internet abbreviation, it refers to the world outside the internet. And yes, despite all the prophecies of doom, it still exists… 😉

IYSWIM means “if you see what I mean”.

JFYI is the abbreviation for “just for your information”.

JIC means “just in case”.

JK stands for “just kidding”.

JTLYK means “just to let you know”.

K is short for “okay”.

KAY is a slightly longer form of “okay”.

KISS stands for “keep it simple and stupid”. It is a call not to make things unnecessarily complicated. Thus KISS is also a principle of software development.

KK means “okay, okay”.

KLKRKL stands for “kisses left, kisses right, kisses left”.

KOTC means “kiss on the cheek”.

L2P or LTP is a request: “learn to play”.

L8R is a greeting and stands for “later”.

LMAO is a slightly cruder version of LOL: “laughing my *ss off”.

LMGTFY is an abbreviation for “let me Google that for you”. (Next time you do it yourself.)

LMK is a request: “let me know”.

LOFL means “lying of the floor laughing”.

LOL stands for “laughing out loud” and means “laughing out loud”. The sender is having a great time.

LULAB means “love you like a brother”.

LULAS means “love you like a sister”.

MOM is an expression for mum or the short form of “moment”. This abbreviation probably already existed in Benjamin Franklin’s time. MOMPLS is the friendly variant: “(one) moment, please”.

MOTD stands for “message of the day”.

MUSM is a statement: “miss you so much”.

N/A stands for “not available”.

N1 means “nice one”.

N8 stands for “night”. It is used when wishing a “good night”.

NC means “no comment”.

NM is an answer to the question of what someone is doing: “not much”.

NP means “no problem”.

NRN means “No response necessary.

NSFW stands for “not safe for work”.

NSY stands for “not seen yet”.

NVM is the abbreviation for “never mind”.

OBO is an expression for “or best offer”.

OMG means “oh, my god”.

OMFG is the intensification: “oh, my f*cking god”.

OOO stands for “out of office”, i.e. “not in the office” (present). Sometimes it also stands for “out of order”.

OP means “overpowered”.

OT is the abbreviation for “off topic”.

OTOH means “on the other hand”.

PANS is a rating: “pretty awesome new stuff”.>

PAP is a request to “post a picture”.

PAW is a hint among teenagers: “parents are watching”.

PBKC or PEBKAC are abbreviations for “problem exists between keyboard and chair”, i.e. the user and not the technology is the cause of a problem. Alternatively, there is also PICNIC (“problem in chair not in computer”).

PLONK is a request: “please leave our newsgroup, kid”.

PM stands for “private message”. In the UK, you can send a PM to the PM (“Prime Minister”)…. 😁

PTO means “please turn over”.

PWNED is a corruption of “owned” and refers, for example, to a situation where personal data has been compromised by cyber criminals. Originally, the term comes from the gaming sector and is an expression for “being dominated”.

Q&A stands for “Question and Answer”.

RIP is a Latin phrase for the closing of the requiem mass and stands for “Requiescat in pace”, i.e. “Rest in Peace”.

RL stands for “real life” (similar to IRL) and refers to the world outside the internet.

ROFL is an abbreviation for “rolling on floor laughing”.

ROFLMAO is the derivative of ROFL and stands for “rolling on floor laughing my ass off”.

RSN is an announcement and means “real soon now”.

RSVP comes from French and stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, i.e. “please respond”.

RTFM means “read the f*cking manual”. Obviously, it is more of a crude indication that questions can be answered or problems solved with a little initiative by reading up.

RUOK asks “are you ok?”.

[sic] (sometimes also [sic!]) comes from Latin and means “so” or “really so”. It is usually written in square brackets and indicates that the preceding passage of a quotation or statement has been correctly copied.

SCNR stands for “sorry, could not resist”.

SMH means “shaking my head”.

SNAFU means “situation normal, all f*cked up”.

SOS is an emergency signal that has been around since 1909 and stands for “save our souls”.

SRY simply means “sorry”.

SSN is the Social Security Number, which is very important in the United States of America. On the internet, however, the meaning is probably much less 😉 .

STFU means “shut the f*ck up”.

STW stands for “search the web”.

TAFN means “that’s all for now”.

TBA means “to be announced”.

TBC is an abbreviation for “to be continued” or “to be confirmed”.

TBD means “to be defined”.

TBH means “to be honest”.

TGIF is an exclamation and stands for “thanks god it’s Friday”.

THX stands for “thanks” or “thank you”.

TIA is the abbreviation for “thanks in advance”.

TIL means “today I learned”.

TL;DR or TLDR abbreviates “too long; didn’t read” or “too long; don’t read”. Perhaps this list of abbreviations on the internet is TL;DR? 😇

TMI goes in a similar direction: “too much information”.

TTT means “thought that too”.

TTYL stands for “talk to you later”.

TU is the abbreviation for “thank you”.

UTFSE is a clear request: “use the f*cking search engine”.

UW is the answer to a thank you: “you’re welcome”.

w/o means “without”.

W8 is a request: “wait”.

WB stands for “welcome back”.

WDALYIC asks sarcastically, “who died and left you in charge?”.

WE simply stands for “weekend”.

WFM means “works for me”.

WIBNI means “wouldn’t it be nice if…”.

WTF stands for “what the f*ck”. This abbreviation is less vulgar than it might sound at first.

WTH is an exclamation: “what the hell”.

WUF asks “where are you from?”.

WYSIWYG is the abbreviation of “what you see is what you get”.

XD stands for a laughing face turned 90 degrees. The X symbolises the eyes squeezed shut with laughter and the D the laughing mouth.

XOXO is a greeting formula in which the O stands for a hug and the X for a kiss.

XXX is used either as an abbreviation for “kiss kiss kiss” or “kiss kiss kiss” or to indicate sexual content.

YAW stands for “you are welcome”.

YHBT is the abbreviation for “you have been fooled”.

YMMD is a compliment: “you made my day”.

YMMV is short for “your mileage may vary”, which means someones experience may be different different.

YOLO means “you only live once”. This is probably true.

ZZZ means “sleeping, tired or bored”.

ZZ Top is not an internet abbreviation, but a US rock band. 🎸

German abbreviations on the internet

In addition to the numerous English or international abbreviations on the Internet, there are also some German-language creations:

*g* is the abbreviation for “grins”, in English “grin”.

*fg* means “fettes Grinsen” or “fat grin”.

ABF stands for “allerbeste:r Freund:in”, which means “very best friend”.

BD means “bis dann” and is identical with L8R.

BG means “bis bald” or “see you soon”.

BM means “bis morgen” or “until tomorrow”.

BN means “bis nachher” or “see you later”.

DAU stands for “duemmster anzunehmender User”, the “stupidest user”. A DAU is, for example, someone who knows very little about using a computer.

DUW means “duck und weg”, in English “duck and run”. It is interpreted as a symbolic ducking and running away.

GLG abbreviates “ganz liebe Gruesse”, “very best regards”.

GSD means “Gott sei Dank”, “thank God”.

GUK abbreviates “Gruss und Kuss”, “greetings and kisses”.

HDF is an abbreviation for a vulgar “Halt’ Deine Fresse”, “shut your face”.

HDL stands for “hab’ Dich lieb” or “love you”.

HEL means “hab’ Euch lieb” or “love you, guys”.

HDGDL is the intensification of HDL and means: “hab’ Dich ganz doll lieb”, “love you very much”.

HGW means “herzlichen Glueckwunsch” or “congratulations”.

IDA stands for “ich Dich auch”, witch means “I love you too”.

ILD is a beautiful message: “ich liebe Dich”, “I love you”.

KA is a self-knowledge: “keine Ahnung” or “I don’t know”.

KT stands for “kein Text” or “no text” and is written like EOM in the subject lines of comments or mails to indicate that no further text follows. KWT is the slightly longer variant: “kein weiterer Text”, “no further text”.

MFG is the abbreviation for “mit freundlichen Gruessen”, “with kind regards”.

MMN means “meiner Meinung nach” or “in my opinion”.

LD should perhaps not be abbreviated: “liebe Dich” or “love you”.

LG is an abbreviated farewell formula and stands for “liebe Gruesse”, “dear regards”.

VG stands for “viele Gruesse”, “many greetings” in English.

VT means “Verschwörungstheorie” or “conspiracy theory”. Ouch.

WMDS asks: “Was machst Du so?”, which translates as “What do you do?”.

Conclusion

The list of abbreviations on the internet is quite long and probably gets longer every day. It is possible that new youth words such as BRE, SLAY, WYLD or SIUUUU will be added soon; to be on the safe side, I will then consult the daughters and sons of friends, because I have KA what these words stand for. This is probably quite Cringe, but certainly at least LameLame. TAFN and TU for your interest.

Notes:

We have deliberately chosen in this article not to mention some particularly crude abbreviations that serve only the purpose of insult.

[1] Benjamin Franklin: Advice to a Young Tradesman
[2] Jens Mühling, everyday poetry from the big city, Tagesspiegel
[3] SOS – das Notsignal

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