Abbreviations, acronyms and slang are common place in SMS messages, even those sent out by businesses. Use this quick guide to decide when and how to use SMS abbreviations.
As advocates of SMS marketing best practices, we would be remiss if we don’t acknowledge the rise of text slang and abbreviations.
Text abbreviations are shortened versions of a word or phrase used to save time. They’re also helpful when you have to stay within a limited character count.
In the past, deciphering text-speak abbreviations was for cool moms and dads who wanted to fit in with their teens.
Today, businesses of every size are starting to recognize the value of incorporating text abbreviations into their campaigns to attract, engage, and foster relationships with their customers.
Learning text abbreviations is a must for any marketer who wants to keep up with the speed and brevity of today’s bite-sized communication style.
The challenge is to adapt to text-ese (an evolving language by itself) and be able to use abbreviations while maintaining proper texting etiquette and providing value at the same time.
If you’re still baffled every time you read IIRC, BRB, and IDK, this cheat sheet of SMS abbreviations and internet acronyms commonly used is for you.
Sure, text abbreviations might make your brand look and sound a little cooler, but that’s not the real reason you’ll want to use them. Text abbreviations reduce the character count of SMS messages, and that can save your business money.
You see, when you’re sending SMS, you are limited to just 160 characters per message. If your text exceeds 160 characters, it gets split into multiple messages. Of course, if you send more text messages than necessary, you may incur unnecessary costs as well. Text abbreviations help you get your message across without using up valuable characters.
Note: MMS messages provide a much higher character count of 1,600, but they also cost a bit more than sending SMS messages.
You can totally overuse text abbreviations and make a mess of your messaging. However, if you add them strategically and make sure they’re clear to your recipients, they are a helpful tool in your SMS marketing playbook.
Texting abbreviations can be casual, but you’ll also need quick and easy ways to tell that special someone you’re thinking about them.
This list of SMS abbreviations and Internet acronyms is far from complete. Like culture, text-ese evolves over time. As a result, new acronyms and SMS abbreviations are introduced and used every day.
These are a few of our favorite text abbreviations that you can be confident most people will know. Give one a try today!
Abbreviation/acronym |
Meaning |
ABT | About |
ADR | All Due Respect |
AFAIK | As far as I know |
AKA | Also known as |
AMA | Ask Me Anything |
ASAP | As soon as possible |
B4 | Before |
BBS | Be Back Soon |
BC | Because |
BOGO | Buy one get one |
BTS | Behind The Scenes |
BYOB | Bring Your Own Beverage |
CTA | Call to action |
DAE | Does Anyone Else |
DIY | Do it yourself |
DL | Down Low |
DND | Do not disturb |
EOD | End of day |
FOMO | Fear of missing out |
Frl | For real |
G2G | Got to go |
GOAT | Greatest Of All Time |
GG | Good game |
HBD | Happy Birthday |
HW | Homework |
IDC | I Don’t Care |
IK | I Know |
IKR | I Know Right |
IMU | I Miss You |
IOU | I Owe You |
IRL | In Real Life |
ISO | In Search Of |
JIC | Just in case |
JK | Just Kidding |
JW | Just wondering |
MFW | My Face When |
MYOB | Mind your own business |
N/A | Not available/not applicable |
NBD | No Big Deal |
NP |
No problem |
NSFW | Not Safe For Work |
OFC | Of Course |
OOO | Out of the office |
PDA | Public Display (of) Affection |
POV |
Point of view |
PSA | Public Service Announcement |
QOTD | Quote of the day |
RIP | Rest In Peace |
RN | Right now |
ROFL | Rolling On (the) Floor Laughing |
RSVP | Répondez S’il Vous Plaît (Respond Please) |
SFW | Safe For Work |
T&C | Terms and conditions |
TBA | To Be Announced |
TBH | To be honest |
TFW | That Feeling When |
TGIF | Thank god it’s Friday |
TIA | Thanks in advance |
TLC | Tender loving care |
TMRW | Tomorrow |
TTYS | Talk To You Soon |
TY | Thank you |
TYIA | Thank You In Advance |
TYVM | Thank You Very Much |
UGC | User-generated content |
YW | You’re welcome |
W/E | Whatever |
W/O | Without |
WYD | What (are) You Doing |
WYSIWYG | What you see is what you get |
YOLO | You Only Live Once |
YSK | You Should Know |
Like text abbreviations, texting slang can be confusing if you’ve never encountered them before. Take a look at the most common slang examples below.
Texting is also common among coworkers and customers. These abbreviations will help you navigate the world of professional texting.
As with any industry, the world of business texting and text marketing is rich with jargon and abbreviations. And when you’re up against a tight character limit, the temptation to shorten your words is real.
In an effort to help you avoid confusion or misdirection with any of your SMS compliance messaging, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (CTIA) developed a list of approved abbreviations you can use in your text marketing that will help you save space without sacrificing clarity.
Approved CTIA abbreviations include:
Now that you’ve reviewed our comprehensive list of abbreviations for text messages, let’s look at a few examples. Here are some ways you might use text abbreviations in real life to manage your SMS character count and communicate a clear message.
Let’s say you want to notify customers they’ve got one last chance to take advantage of your store’s buy-one–get-one-free promotion. Your text could read something like this:
Now that you’re an expert in business text abbreviations, your next step is to familiarize yourself with the do’s and don’ts of using them.
Our lists are a great way to keep on top of the must-know text speak for your professional and personal life.
There are hundreds of word abbreviations out there, so any fear of using slang abbreviations for texting is warranted. The best thing to do is play it safe. Nobody’s going to be on your case if you type out the full phrase.
However, if you do want to start incorporating more abbreviation in your text messages these are two key things to avoid:
In a communication method that’s only a decade old, it’s hard to imagine text abbreviations going out of date.
But meanings change, just as they do in our everyday language. Keep an eye out for text message abbreviations that others around you are using. This is not only to gauge appropriateness, but also to keep on top of what phrases are still commonly used.
Sure, most young people can understand text abbreviations just fine. But nobody wants to read a full message written in them. Avoid:
When in doubt simply take your time to type out the full word. It’s the fail-safe way of making sure your text messaging is read in the correct context.
Just like addressing different people in day to day life, SMS requires you to adapt your speech based on who you’re talking to. Some of the popular SMS abbreviations you use on your friends might not be appropriate for your boss or a client.
Let’s say you’re hosting an in-person event and you want to let your contacts know about it by sending out a text blast. A few text abbreviations can help you craft a concise SMS message:
When you first get new SMS subscribers to opt in to your text messages, a quick note to confirm, say thanks, and welcome them is important. Using text abbreviations not only helps limit character count, it also comes across as friendly and conversational.
Let’s say someone uses an SMS keyword to subscribe to daily tips you send via text. Your welcome message could read like this:
Besides being friendly this example also uses abbreviations to help ensure you follow rules for SMS compliance.
Text messages are a good way for local businesses to let loyal customers know if there are changes in hours of operations or disruptions to the normal schedule. Text abbreviations help you communicate with people quickly and concisely:
Finally, here’s how you could take advantage of text abbreviations when using SMS to collect customer feedback:
Alfredo is SimpleTexting's brand manager. He's passionate about using his 10+ years of marketing experience to help small businesses grow.
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