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The meaning of "irl": What you can understand by the abbreviation

When it comes to abbreviations from the Internet, the list is almost endless. But some very specific ones, such as "irl", have also made it into everyday language use and we reveal what they mean.

Digital exchange between two or more people has always produced abbreviations that should make it easier for us to communicate precisely in a hurry and with a limited number of characters. Many of these expressions and concepts have recently made it into our everyday language. For example " irl " and we'll explain what that means.

What does "irl" mean? The simple answer

The abbreviation "irl" is, quite formally, an acronym. This means that the first letters stand for a single word, in this case one from the English language. Written out, "irl" means "in real life".

If you're wondering what such an abbreviation is supposed to be good for, we'll take you on an excursion into the world of gamers, in which between your "real life", i.e. your "rl" and the one you lead in the game, is distinguished.

Sometimes this is also sorely needed, because nowadays there are no longer just simple video games, but even an entire virtual reality in which the borders between the real and online world blur in a magical way. But even in the roleplay modifications of popular titles, such as "GTA V Online", it can sometimes be helpful to put a statement with an attached "irl" in the right context to avoid misunderstandings.

How to use "irl" correctly

You're probably much more interested in how to actually use the abbreviation "irl" correctly. The answer to this is basically given quickly: Whenever you want to quickly differentiate between a situation that you experience online or in a game and one that affects your life in front of the monitor.

Since the abbreviation has now been made socially acceptable thanks to social media, Twitch and Co., you don't need to be afraid to use it at the right moments. For example, if you write to someone via Facebook or Instagram and want to make it clear that something is also happening outside of the platform, just "irl". But the classic variant, namely in online games, is also more than common. For example, if you embody a small and mean gnome in the game, but "irl" measures almost two meters.

Further examples:

"Wow, I forgot I have a lot to do this week too!"

"I can't believe he's such a nice guy in-game, but he's quite an idiot."

"Luckily that didn't happen to us!"

More abbreviations from the World Wide Web

Of course, as mentioned at the beginning, "irl" is just one of many abbreviations that you are likely to come across regularly on the Internet. If you are interested in which ones have made it into our everyday lives, we still have a few in stock for you. For example, the abbreviation “sus”, which you may not have been familiar with before. The small but fine abbreviation "btw" is used just as often and we'll tell you what it actually stands for. And so that you don't lose track, we 've summarized the 22 most popular chat abbreviations for you.