OMG - Text message abbreviations/ short forms
hbu = How about you?
These short forms are mostly used in text messages.
Please LMK if u use any others.
⚠️ - words marked with this symbol could be considered vulgar/impolite.
ATM - at the moment
B4 - before
BDAY - birthday
BF/GF - boyfriend/girlfriend
BFF - best friend forever (‘She’s my BFF’)
BTW - by the way
CU soon - see you soon
DM /PM (me) - direct message/private message
DoB - date of birth
DW - don’t worry
ETA - expected time of arrival
e.g. - for example
FOMO - fear of missing out (JOMO - joy of missing out)
FYI - for your information (*this can sometimes sound rude - see polite alternatives below)
HBU? - How about you?
🤷♀️ IDK - I don't know
IG - I guess
i.e. - that is ('in other words') ('Staff get the standard discount i.e. 20%')
IMO - In my opinion
K - OK
LMK - let me know
obvs - obviously
⚠️ LMAO - laughing my ass off
😂 LOL - laughing out loud
NVM - never mind
😲 OMG - Oh my god! Oh my goodness!
⚠️ PITA - pain in the ass
POV - point of view
R U OK - are you ok?
SUP - what's up?
SRY - sorry
TBH - to be honest
TBF - to be fair
THX - thanks (also 'ta')
TL;DR - too long; didn't read (used as a comment on a post that is thought to be too lengthy)
😳 TMI - too much information (used when someone is giving too many details about a subject in a way that is embarrassing, usually personal details about something that should be kept private)
TY - Thank you
⚠️ WTF - what the f***?
⚠️ WTAF - what the actual f***?
WYD - what are you doing?
WUU2 - what are you up to?
Y - why?
Thank you to Stefano for sharing his list in the Facebook group!
☝️ NB ('nota bene' = take note):
FAQ (Frequently Asked Question)
Is it ok to use these short forms in General Training Task 1 letters?
I do NOT recommend using these abbreviations in informal letters in General Training Task 1 unless you feel 100% confident that it's appropriate for the person you're writing to.
*More polite ways of writing FYI in emails:
- "Just wanted to let you know that..."
- "I thought you might be interested to know that..."
- "This is just for your information..."
- "I wanted to keep you in the loop about..."
- "As a quick update..."
- "This is just an update on ...."
- "In case you weren't aware..."
- "Kindly note that..."
- "Just so you know...."
- "By the way, you may be interested to know..."
PS (postscript)
See also this post about articles with acronyms.
