How to read this
nym is the shorthand; the right column expands it and sometimes adds notes. Variants are grouped or mentioned inline.
Classic net shorthand
| nym | expansion / note |
|---|---|
<3 | i like that comment heart / like |
aamof | as a matter of fact |
afk | away from keyboard |
asap | as soon as possible |
atm | at the moment |
brb | be right back sometimes “bathroom break” |
btw | by the way |
fwiw | for what it’s worth |
fyi | for your information |
gtg | got to go also g2g |
ic | i see |
iirc | if i recall correctly |
imho | in my humble opinion |
imo | in my opinion |
irl | in real life |
jk | just kidding |
lmao | laughing my a** off |
lol | laughing out loud |
np | no problem |
omg | oh my gosh alt: god |
ppl | people |
rtfm | read the *fine* manual polite version |
ta | thanks british usage |
tmi | too much information |
ttyl | talk to you later |
ty | thank you also thx, tnx |
wfm | works for me |
wysiwyg | what you see is what you get |
ymmv | your mileage may vary |
Net culture & in-jokes
| nym | expansion / note |
|---|---|
aybabtu | all your base are belong to us classic meme |
cq... | seeking contact / calling all stations ham radio |
fb | fine business ham shorthand |
ftw | for the win |
gmta | great minds think alike |
hdj | he’s dead, jim irretrievably broken |
iha | i hate acronyms ironically an acronym |
pal2 | peace and long life 🖖 vulcan reply to LLAP |
rofl | rolling on floor laughing |
smmas | sudo make me a sandwich xkcd / UNIX joke |
wsof | way short of f***s (to give) censor style |
ygbkm | you gotta be kidding me |
Modern chat & gaming
| nym | expansion / note |
|---|---|
bff | best friends forever |
brt | be right there logistics |
dm | direct message also PM |
eta | edited to add / estimated time of arrival |
fam | close friends / folks slang |
fr | for real |
glhf | good luck, have fun gaming |
hmu | hit me up |
idk | i don’t know |
ikr | i know, right? agreement |
irl / afk | real life / away from keyboard paired status |
istg | i swear to god |
lfg | looking for group gaming |
ngl | not gonna lie preface to opinion |
nrn | no reply necessary email/chat etiquette |
nvm | nevermind |
oof | sympathy / wince reaction |
opsec | operations security don’t overshare |
otp | one true pairing fandom |
pov | point of view meme label |
rn | right now |
smh | shaking my head disapproval |
sus | suspicious Among Us → mainstream |
tldr | too long; didn’t read |
wys | what you said agreement |