The acronyms abbreviate common phrases and slang we're all familiar with, and the emoticons (also known as "smileys") combine letters, symbols, and numbers to create faces that express emotions visually.
Download
Page 1 of 2

Glossary of Internet Acronyms and Emoticons

As more and more students take to Chat Rooms and adopt Instant Messaging for socializing, a new shorthand language has evolved among them: Internet acronyms and emoticons. The acronyms abbreviate common phrases and slang we're all familiar with, and the emoticons (also known as "smileys") combine letters, symbols, and numbers to create faces that express emotions visually.

Note: this is only a basic listing. There are many more acronyms and emoticons than what is shown here, and more are being created every day.

Acronyms

AAMOF = As A Matter Of Fact
AFAIK = As Far As I Know
AFK = Away From Keyboard
ASAP = As Soon As Possible
B4N = Bye For Now
BAK = Back At Keyboard
BBL = Be Back Later
BBFN = Bye-Bye For Now
BFN = Bye For Now
BOT = Back On Topic
BRB = Be Right Back
BTW = By The Way
CMIIW = Correct Me If I'm Wrong
CU = See You
CUL(8R) = See You Later
CWOT = Complete Waste Of Time
CYA = See Ya
DGT = Don't Go There
DIY = Do It Yourself
DQYDJ = Don't Quit Your Day Job
EOD = End Of Discussion
EOL = End Of Lecture
EZ = Easy
F2F = Face To Face
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions
FBOW = For Better Or Worse
FITB = Fill In The Blank
FOAF = Friend Of A Friend
FOCL = Falling Off Chair Laughing
FWIW = For What It's Worth
FYA = For Your Amusement
FYI = For Your Information
/ga = Go Ahead
GAL = Get A Life
GBTW = Get Back To Work
GFETE = Grinning From Ear To Ear
GMTA = Great Minds Think Alike
GTG = Got To Go
GTRM = Going To Read Mail
HAND = Have A Nice Day
HHOK = Ha Ha, Only Kidding
HTH = Hope This Helps
IAC = In Any Case
IAE = In Any Event
IC = I See
IDGI = I Don't Get It
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
IMO = In My Opinion
IOW = In Other Words
IRL = In Real Life
IYKWIM = If You Know What I Mean
JIC = Just In Case
J/K = Just Kidding
KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid
L8TR = Later
LD = Later, Dude
LOL = Laughing Out Loud
LTNS = Long Time No See
MorF = Male or Female?
MTCW = My Two Cents' Worth
NRN = No Reply Necessary
OTOH = On The Other Hand
OTTOMH = Off The Top Of My Head
OIC = Oh, I See
OTF = On The Floor
OTFL = On The Floor Laughing
OT = Off Topic
PLS = Please
PU = That Stinks
REHI = Hello Again (re-Hi!)
ROFL = Rolling On Floor Laughing
ROTF = Rolling On The Floor
RSN = Real Soon Now
RUOK = Are You OK?
SIYD = Still In The Dark
SNAFU = Situation Normal All Fouled Up
SO = Significant Other
SOL = Smiling Out Loud
TAFN = That's All For Now
THX = Thanks
TIA = Thanks In Advance
TIC = Tongue In Cheek
TLK2UL8R = Talk To You Later
TMI = Too Much Information
TMK = To My Knowledge
TPTB = The Powers That Be
TSWC = Tell Someone Who Cares
TTFN = Ta-Ta For Now
TTYL(8R) = Talk To You Later
TWIMC = To Whom It May Concern
TYVM = Thank You Very Much
Txs = Thanks
w/b = Welcome Back
w/o = Without
WRT = With Regard To
WTG = Way To Go
WU? = What's Up?
ZZZ = Sleeping
= Grinning
= Joking
= Laughing
= Smiling
= Yawning

Featured High School Resources

Romeo and Juliet Teaching Unit Kit

LESSON PLANS

Romeo and Juliet Teaching Unit Kit

A complete teaching kit for a full or partial unit on Romeo and Juliet Take your students on a thought-provoking, insig...

Add to Folder
creative writing
children's book
activities
classroom tools
language arts and writing
vocabulary
Create new folderCREATE NEW FOLDER
lesson plans for animal farm - kit for a complete unit on the novel

LESSON PLANS

Animal Farm Teaching Unit Kit

Everything you need to teach a full or partial unit on Animal Farm Help your students dive into the modern relevance, m...

Add to Folder
creative writing
children's book
activities
classroom tools
language arts and writing
vocabulary
Create new folderCREATE NEW FOLDER
Poetry Packet for High School

ACTIVITIES

National Poetry Month Themed Packet for High School

To celebrate Poetry Month, this resource shares 3 activities that will help high school students to engage with poetry i...

Add to Folder
creative writing
children's book
activities
classroom tools
language arts and writing
vocabulary
Create new folderCREATE NEW FOLDER

Related Resources

TEACHING RESOURCE

Questions Before, During, and After Reading

Asking Questions Before, During, and After Reading To aid their comprehension, skillful readers ask themselves questi...

Add to Folder
creative writing
children's book
activities
classroom tools
language arts and writing
vocabulary
Create new folderCREATE NEW FOLDER

TEACHING RESOURCE

Good Assessment Strategies

    Preparing Students for Tests Good Assessment Strategies by Pearson Education Developmen...

Add to Folder
creative writing
children's book
activities
classroom tools
language arts and writing
vocabulary
Create new folderCREATE NEW FOLDER
New Teacher

TEACHING RESOURCE

Ten Guiding Principles for the Beginning of the Year

Ten Guiding Principles for the Beginning of the Year Although some of you would like a specific menu of first-day act...

Add to Folder
creative writing
children's book
activities
classroom tools
language arts and writing
vocabulary
Create new folderCREATE NEW FOLDER

TEACHING RESOURCE

States with Corporal Punishment in School

States with Corporal Punishment in SchoolIs spanking a child for breaking school rules a useful or destructive practice?...

Add to Folder
creative writing
children's book
activities
classroom tools
language arts and writing
vocabulary
Create new folderCREATE NEW FOLDER

TEACHING RESOURCE

Interview Questions & Supporting Documents

Interview Questions & Supporting Documents AnticipatedQuestions (Probes) SupportingDocuments What is y...

Add to Folder
creative writing
children's book
activities
classroom tools
language arts and writing
vocabulary
Create new folderCREATE NEW FOLDER

REFERENCE

Thanks Around the World

It's what your parents always remind you to say.

Add to Folder
creative writing
children's book
activities
classroom tools
language arts and writing
vocabulary
Create new folderCREATE NEW FOLDER

About the author

TeacherVision Staff

TeacherVision Editorial Staff

The TeacherVision editorial team is comprised of teachers, experts, and content professionals dedicated to bringing you the most accurate and relevant information in the teaching space.

loading gif