Texting Shorthand

From LoveToKnow Cellphones

Limited time or limited space paired with a charge per text message can make texting shorthand a necessity. Also known as text message abbreviations, these shorthand ways of getting your point across are surprisingly universal.

Texting Shorthand

When to Use Texting Shorthand

Some people just insist on typing everything out, all the time. Those people hopefully don't text while driving, so you may notice your texts from them being few and far between. Texting shorthand is a huge time saver, so you can send messages while:

  • At a red light
  • At a drive-thru
  • Waiting in line at the grocery store
  • Between classes
  • Between bites at lunch
  • Any other time you have just a single spare moment

You can get your point across without costing yourself or the recipient a fortune. Condense two or three texts with the words all typed out in their entirety to just one text message with texting shorthand. You also are more likely to get your whole message to your recipient in order. Have you ever typed four messages and later found that the intended recipient didn't get one of the texts? Cut down on the risk with texting shorthand.

Common Abbreviations

Every now and then, you may get a text back that simply says "???" when you send an abbreviation, but for the most part, texting shorthand is universally understood. Even if the recipient has never seen a certain abbreviation or combination of symbols before, they're fairly easy to figure out in context. You'll notice that when it makes sense to use a number in place of a word or part of a word, it's common to do so. For example, if you want to say "tonight" you may say "2nite" instead. Want to say "great!"? "Gr8." For some keypads, that may be more convenient than using letters exclusively.

Numbers and Symbols
  • 143 means "I love you."
  • 2GTBT means "Too good to be true" (see how much more quickly you could type that out on the go?)
  • 2nite means "Tonight"
  • 411 means "Information"
  • 4COL means "For crying out loud"
  • 4ever means "Forever" (and it has its place in those romantic texts you may be tempted to send!)
  • <3 is a heart on its side and also has its place in romantic or flirty texts
  • A3 means "Anyplace, anywhere, anytime"
  • B4N means "Bye for now"
  • G1 means "Good one"
  •  :) is a smiley face turned on its side
  •  ;) is a winking face on its side
  • L8R means "Later"
  • NE1 means "Anyone"

Letters Only
  • ADAD means "Another day, another dollar"
  • AEAP means "As early as possible"
  • BC means "Because"
  • BEG means "Big evil grin"
  • BF means "Boyfriend"
  • BFF means "Best friend forever"
  • BWDIK means "But what do I know"
  • CM means "Call me"
  • FWIW means "For what it's worth"
  • ILY means "I love you"
  • UR means "Your"
  • IMO/IYO means "In my opinion"/"In your opinion"
  • KHYF means "Know how you feel"
  • LFTI means "Looking forward to it"
  • NBD means "No big deal"
  • NMP means "Not my problem"
  • NNWW means "Nudge nudge, wink wink"

To Use Shorthand or Not

Skip using texting shorthand when you're communicating with your boss or co-workers. Save it for friends, certain family members, and acquaintances with whom you feel comfortable sending very informal messages. Consider your audience, too, when sending texts to determine whether you'll be able to get your point across without too much confusion. If it’s a friend who is well-versed in text talk, you may have to teach them a phrase or two. If it's a family member who barely texts at all or doesn't spend much time online (many of the abbreviations double as instant messenger abbreviations), you may do best to hold off on your text until you can type it all out or call.

A Final Word

Even if learning texting shorthand is like learning a foreign language to you or your friends frequently ask you to clarify what you mean, the transition from full words to abbreviations shouldn't take as long as you're afraid it might—and you can educate your friends on a few phrases as you go. In casual texting conversations, you can save time and potentially money by sending the shorthand versions of words and phrases.

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