Just try to figure out this text from a 10-year-old to their mom, for example: “Ngl that song is so sus no cap smh.” Sus no cap? I had to ask my kids what it meant. The text translates to: “Not gonna lie, that song is so suspicious no lie shaking my head.” Yeah, so now I need a translation for the translation because I’m still not sure what any of that means, which I guess is not surprising. Truth is, I’m never going to understand everything that millennials or Gen Zers are saying. Just as body language and facial expressions can alter spoken words, context is crucial for today’s teenage slang, and I need to remember that their references and touchstones are different from mine. The good news is that many text abbreviations and text acronyms are now so common and universal that their meaning is not hard to figure out. And we can help you! Parents, bookmark this page, share it and use it as a reference, because here’s a list that you will absolutely want to come back to when you need it most. Note that all of these texts can be in either CAPS or lowercase letters, but teens and tweens now typically opt for lowercase UNLESS THEY’RE SHOUTING. Also, they’re usually in normal font, not bold. Affection and romantic rejection 11:11 — make a wish 143 — I love you (derives from the number of letters used to spell each word) bae — before anyone else (refers to a favorite person), also a shortened form of babe or baby bff — best friends forever curve (someone) — reject their romantic interest or advances in a subtle or kind way fimh — forever in my heart ghost — when someone disappears, stops calling, stops texting ily — I love you imu — I miss you wywh — wish you were here Laughter jk — just kidding lol — laughing out loud rofl — rolling on the floor laughing lmao — laughing my a** off tntl — trying not to laugh Miscellaneous reactions awks — awkwardCommon (and mostly harmless) social media and texting abbreviations, slang and acronyms every parent should know in 2022
aymm — are you my mother?
bet — sure, yes
bop — good song
cap — lie
cwot — complete waste of time
dead — I think this is hilarious
f — my condolences
facts — I agree
flex — show off
ftw — for the win
gmta — great minds think alike
hundo p — 100% agree
idc — I don’t care
ifyp — I feel your pain
low-key — modest, not showy (adjective)
mood — I feel the same way, relatable feeling
o7 — salute (emoticon, paying respect)
omdb — over my dead body
omg — oh my God!
qq or q_q — crying (emoticon)
slaps — excellent
smh — shaking my head (meaning, that’s so dumb)
srsly — seriously
ssdd — same stuff, different day
sus — suspicious / suspect / questionable / dishonest
Opinions, warnings and disclaimers
afaik — as far as I know
diy — do it yourself
dm — direct message
fwiw — for what it’s worth
fyi — for your information
icymi — in case you missed it
idk — I don’t know
ifykyk — if you know you know
imho — in my humble opinion
imo — in my opinion
jsyk — just so you know
nbd — no big deal
ngl — not gonna lie
nsfw — not suitable for work (signals nudity, violence or other potentially offensive material)
pov — point of view
rbtl — read between the lines
tbh — to be honest
tia — thanks in advance
tldr or tl;dr — too long (lazy) didn’t read
tw — trigger warning (indicates content that can possibly cause emotional harm)
ygtr — you got that right
ymmv — your mileage (experience) may vary
ynk — you never know
Warnings about parents being nearby
3o3 — mom
9 — parent around
99 — parent gone
aitr — adult in the room
cd9 — parents around (code 9)
kpc — keeping parents clueless
m/pos — mother/parent over shoulder
pa / pa911 — parent alert
pah — parent at home
pal — parents are listening
paw — parents are watching
pbb — parent behind back
pir — parent in the room
Notifications, wishes, greetings, closings
afk — away from keyboard
atm — at the moment
brb — be right back
g2g or gtg — got to go
gl — good luck
irl — in real life
l8 — late
lmk — let me know
omw — on my way
ruok — are you OK
spill the tea — tell me the gossip
ttyl — talk to you later
w8 — wait
wya — where you at?
wyd — what you doing?
yktv — you know the vibe
Signaling humor or sarcasm (followed by a situation, a gif or a meme)
hifw — how I feel when
mfw — my face when
mrw — my reaction when
tfw — that feeling when
til — today I learned
Ready to use these acronyms, abbreviations and slang words for texting?
Go for it! Your text messages to your kids may be cringe-worthy sometimes, but at least they’ll know you’re curious about what’s important to them and that you’ve made an effort to learn. Most of all, remember that when you’re staring at your own screen it can be hard to figure out what your kids are really saying—so do check-ins and keep talking to each other, because although texting is entertaining, spending time with your kids irl is more fun.
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