English in Electronic Communication

Electronic text communication takes a number of different forms, chiefly email, posting to online chat rooms and newsgroups, and SMS (Short Messaging Service) messages between mobile phones. Although all electronic communication shares certain features, each form is developing its own specific conventions.

Some of the more established abbreviations used in all types of electronic communication are listed below:

AFAIK as far as I know
AFK away from the keyboard
ASL age, sex, location
ATB all the best
B be
BAK back at the keyboard
BBL be back late(r)
BCNU be seeing you
BFN bye for now
B4 before
BRB be right back
BTW by the way
C see
CUL8R see you later
F2F face to face
F2T free to talk
FWIW for what it’s worth
FYI for your information
GAL get a life
GR8 great
HAND have a nice day
H8 hate
HSIK how should I know?
HTH hope this helps
IANAL I am not a lawyer, but…
(as a disclaimer)
IMHO in my humble opinion
IMO in my opinion
IOW in other words
JIC just in case
JK just kidding
KIT keep in touch
KWIM know what I mean?
L8R later
LOL lots of luck/laughing out loud
MOB mobile
MSG message
MYOB mind your own business
NE any
NE1 anyone
NOYB none of your business
NO1 no one
OTOH on the other hand
PCM please call me
PLS please
PPL people
R are
ROTF(L) rolling on the floor (laughing)
SIT stay in touch
SOM1 someone
SPK speak
TTYL talk to you later
TX thanks
U you
WAN2 want to
W/ with
WKND weekend
WU what’s up?
X kiss
XLNT excellent
XOXOX hugs and kisses
YMMV your mileage may vary (i.e. your
experience may differ)
YR your
2 to, too
2DAY today
2MORO tomorrow
2NITE tonight
3SUM threesome
4 for

Emoticons

Emoticons typically represent a facial expression and are used chiefly to mark the tone of the
preceding sentence or to indicate the writer’s feelings. The following are some of the more
commonly seen:

:-) happy (a ‘smiley’)
:-( unhappy
:-c very unhappy
:-X my lips are sealed
:-Q I don’t understand
;-) winking
X= fingers crossed
:-P sticking one’s tongue out
:-D laughing
:’-( crying
:-/ sceptical
:-| bored, indifferent
:-o surprised
:-* kiss
O:-) angel
:-Y aside comment
:-V shouting