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A list of shortened words and phrases often used in casual English.
Written English uses many abbreviations. Poligo has a list of formal abbreviations that are often used in business emails, notes and memos.
This list will help you understand casual English abbreviations. These are often used on the web or in SMS messages and emails between friends. The written examples are all casual English. This way of writing is very informal, and some people think it is very bad. Use these kinds of abbreviations very carefully. Don't use them in business emails or with people you don't know very well. You'll make a bad impression.
| Abbreviation | Meaning | Written example | Used in spoken English? |
| @ | at | C u @6 | No - say "at". |
| 1 | won | We 1 the game! | - |
| 2 | to/too | It's 2 late 2 go | - |
| 2day | today | Not going 2day | - |
| 2moro | tomorrow | Let's go 2moro | - |
| 2nite | tonight | Movie 2nite? | - |
| 4 | for | Got time 4 a coffee? | - |
| AFAIK | as far as I know | AFAIK he's away till Fri. | No - say "as far as I know". |
| AFAIR | as far as I remember | AFAIR u left it at work | No - say "as far as I remember". |
| AKA | also known as | My boss, AKA "Monster Face", is really annoying. | Yes - read it as "ay-kay-ay". |
| ASAP | as soon as possible | Can you call me ASAP? | Yes - you can read it as "ay-ess-ay-pee" or "ay-sap". |
| ATM | at the moment | On phone ATM | No - say "at the moment". |
| B | be | I'll b there soon. | - |
| b4 | before | Can't go b4 8. | - |
| B4N | bye for now | Gotta go. B4N. | No - say "bye for now". |
| BBL/BBS | be back later/be back soon | Gotta go. BBL. | No - say "be back later" or "be back soon". |
| b/c | because | Can't come b/c of meeting. | No - say "because". |
| BF | boyfriend | Is ur BF there? | No - say "boyfriend". |
| BFF | best friends forever | Is she your BFF now? | Yes - say "bee-eff-eff". Note: People use it ironically. |
| BFN | bye for now | Hafta go. BFN! | No - say "bye for now". |
| BRB | be right back | Just a sec. BRB. | No - say "be right back". |
| BTW | by the way | BTW party at my house on Sat. | No - say "by the way". |
| BYO (also BYOB) | bring your own (bottle) | The restaurant is BYO. | Yes - read it as "bee-why-oh". |
| C | see | I'll c if I can. | - |
| cld | could | U cld call him. | No - say "could". |
| C U | see you | Time 2 go. C U. | - |
| CUL8R | see you later | Break's over. CUL8R. | - |
| cos (also coz, cuz) | because | Left early cos boring. | - |
| cya | see ya | cya l8r | - |
| DIY | do it yourself | She's into DIY. | Yes - read it as "dee-eye-why". |
| DM | direct message | DM me l8r. | No - say "send me a message". |
| esp | especially | Lunch was esp. good. | No - say "especially". |
| ETA | estimated time of arrival | What's ur ETA? | Yes - read it as "ee-tee-ay". |
| FYI | for your information | FYI I am off 2moro | Yes - say "eff-why-eye". |
| GF | girlfriend | Waiting 4 GF | No - say "girlfriend". |
| GR8 | great | Gr8 idea! | No - say "great". |
| IDK | I don't know | IDK. I'll ask sum1. | No - say "I don't know". |
| IIRC | if I remember correctly | IIRC it was on Friday. | No - say "if I remember correctly". |
| IMO (also IMHO) | in my opinion (in my humble opinion) | We'll need 2 do it again IMO | No - say "in my opinion" |
| k | OK | A: Can u come now? B: K. C u soon. |
Yes - read it as "kay". |
| L8 | late | I'll b L8. | No - say "late". |
| L8r | later | c u l8r | No - say "later". |
| LOL (also LULZ, LOLZ, LMAO) | laughing out loud | This picture is so funny. LOL! | No - but some people say "ell-oh-ell" or "lol" ironically. |
| Luv | love | C u in a week. Luv U! | - |
| msg | message | Send me a msg whn u finish | No - say "message". |
| OMG | Oh my God | OMG! I got the job! | No - but some people say "oh-em-gee" ironically. |
| PC | politically correct | I don't think that would be PC | Yes - read it as "pee-cee". |
| PDQ | pretty damn quick | I need it PDQ | Yes - read it as "pee-dee-cue". |
| PM | private message | Can u PM me? | No - say "send me a message". |
| pls (also plz) | please | Call me back pls. | No - say "please". |
| POV | point of view | It's just his POV. | No - say "point of view". |
| ppl | people | 2 many ppl here. | No - say "people". |
| prob | probably | B there prob b4 10. | No - say "probably". |
| ROFL | rolling on floor laughing | I saw ur video! ROFL! | No - this say what you are doing, not what you are saying. |
| sec | second | Just a sec. | Yes - read it as "seck". |
| shd (also shld) | should | Shd I call u? | No - say "should". |
| SNAFU | situation normal -- all fucked up. | It's SNAFU @ work. | Yes - read it as "sna-foo". |
| sum1 (also any1, no1) | someone (anyone, no-one) | Sum1 called 4 u | - |
| TGIF | Thank God it's Friday | TGIF! Wanna get a beer? | Yes - say it as "tee-gee-eye-eff". |
| Thnx/Thx | thanks | Thx 4 ur help 2day! | No - say "thanks". |
| TIA | thanks in advance | Pls send file. TIA. | No - say "thanks in advance". |
| TLC | tender loving care | Give it some TLC & it shld b OK | Yes - say "tee-ell-see". |
| TTFN | ta ta for now | Time to go. TTFN! | No - say "ta ta for now". |
| TTYL (also TTUL8r etc.) | talk to you later | TTYL. Boss is back. | No - say "talk to you later". |
| u | you | tlk 2 u l8r. | - |
| ur | your | Got ur ticket? | - |
| U R | you are | U R gr8! | - |
| v | very | I thought it was v. good. | No - say "very". |
| w | with | I'm going w Jenny. | No - say "with" |
| w8 | wait | w8 4 me @McD's | - |
| wld | would | What wld u do? | No - say "would" |
| WTF | what the fuck | U lost ur job? WTF?! | No - but some people say "double-you-tee-eff" ironically. |
| XXX (also XOX) | kiss, kiss, kiss (kiss, hug, kiss) | Miss U! XXX | No. |
| Y | why | Y R U so GR8? | - |
| Zzzz | asleep/bored | Presentations all day today... Zzzzz. | No. |
- Some of these casual abbreviations appear in the formal abbreviations list. It is because you can use them in both formal and casual situations (like "ASAP").
- There are lots and lots more abbreviations used in English by different generations, different nationalities and different subcultures. Use Acronym Finder to find the meaning of anything that is not on this list — their database has more than 5,000,000 acronyms and abbreviations!
- In written casual English (especially SMS or text messages), people often leave out vowels (a, e, i, o, u) if the context makes it clear what the word is. For example, "talk" becomes "tlk" and "people" becomes "ppl". People call this "textese" from "text", as in "text message" (SMS), and "-ese", as in "Japanese" or "Chinese".
- A lot of these abbreviations are phonetic, like "2" for "to" and "too" or "8" for "-ate" etc. These kinds of abbreviations usually use "b", "c", "2", "4" and "8". Ex. "4got" = "forgot"; and "I 8 dinner" = "I ate dinner".
- When you use abbreviations in formal English, you need to be careful to use a period. Because this is casual English, you don't need to worry about using a period with these abbreviations.
- Abbreviations that are short for fuck are OK. Using an abbreviation for bad language is usually OK. For example, people use "sh*t" or "sh**" and "F***" of "f**k" etc.
