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Decoding Internet Jargon: From 'LOL' to 'YOYO'

Do you ever get a message from a grandchild or a younger friend and wonder, "What on earth are they saying?!" With the rise of the internet and texting, a whole new set of shorthand phrases and acronyms have emerged. Let's dive in and decode some of these!


LOL: Laugh Out Loud

BRB: Be Right Back

SMH: Shaking My Head

TBT: ThrowBack Thursday

ICYMI: In Case You Missed It

IMO: In My Opinion

IMHO: In My Humble Opinion

DM: Direct Message

FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out

NSFW: Not Safe For Work

TL;DR: Too Long; Didn't Read

BFF: Best Friends Forever

GIF: Graphics Interchange Format

OOMF: One Of My Friends/Followers

YOLO: You Only Live Once

BAE: Before Anyone Else or a term for a loved one

MCM: Man Crush Monday

WCW: Woman Crush Wednesday

IDK: I Don't Know

IRL: In Real Life

QOTD: Quote Of The Day

TBH: To Be Honest

ROFL: Rolling On the Floor Laughing

LMAO: Laughing My Ass Off

BTW: By The Way

OMG: Oh My God/Goodness

TMI: Too Much Information

JK: Just Kidding

FYI: For Your Information

GTG: Got To Go

WTF: What The F* (usually expresses disbelief or shock)

AMA: Ask Me Anything

ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5 (years old)

OP: Original Poster (the person who started a discussion online)

PM: Private Message

FWIW: For What It's Worth

NVM: Never Mind

AFAIK: As Far As I Know

DIY: Do It Yourself

OOTD: Outfit Of The Day

POTD: Photo Of The Day

RN: Right Now

TIL: Today I Learned

YOYO: You're On Your Own

HBD: Happy Birthday

ICYDK: In Case You Didn't Know

LMK: Let Me Know

S/O: Shout Out

FF: Follow Friday (a way to recommend Twitter users to others)

DMs: Direct Messages

RT: Retweet


Why use these short forms?

Now, you might wonder, "Why don't they just write out the whole thing?" The beauty of these acronyms is their brevity. Especially when texting or chatting online, it's much quicker to type 'LOL' than 'That was so funny!'. Plus, it's become a kind of secret language that younger folks love using!


Joining the fun!

The next time you read a funny email or get a hilarious text, why not reply with an 'LOL' or 'LMAO'? It's a great way to show you're in the loop and appreciate the humour. After all, who said internet jargon was just for the youngsters?



An owl looking confused by internet jargon
Confused by Internet Jargon?


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