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Abbreviations in English
In the era of mobile text messages, it is essential to know the most used abbreviations in English so as not to get lost in conversations.
The boom in instant communication and especially since WhatsApp crept into our lives and it is essential to know these abbreviations in English. Surely you already master them in Spanish, that's why today we tell you the most common ones in English. Below is a list of more than a hundred.
Recommendations to learn abbreviations in English
We advise you not to try to learn these abbreviations in English by heart because it is an almost impossible feat to achieve. It is preferable, as has probably happened to you in Spanish, that you gradually incorporate them into conversations with your friends.
And a warning that you should bear in mind: applying the logic of taking the first letter of each word to reduce a sentence to the maximum is the most common, but it does not always correspond to reality. This standard is met, for example, with FYI (For you Information), but this is not the case with CUL8R.
Honestly, the first time we saw it written we didn't identify this acronym with See you later, but it has an explanation. We find it in a document from the Oxford University Press, where it is indicated that in short message services some words are represented by a letter or a number that sounds the same or similar. And this is the case: C sounds the same as see, U the same as you and the number 8 is pronounced eight in English.
Anyway, at first it can be a bit difficult, but with practice everything is possible and we are sure that you will be able to identify the meaning of these abbreviations in English. Experience tells us that, as in Spain, millennials and the most techy tend to pick up these abbreviations on the fly. If you are not among these groups, be patient.
Can you help us complete the list so we can continue learning together? Many thanks to the Global Link Languages teachers who have collaborated with their experience.
Abbreviation in English Full word Meaning in Spanish
@ At To the attention of…
1 One Uno
2 Two Dos
2DAY/ 2DY Today Hoy
2MORO Tomorrow Mañana
2NITE Tonight Esta noche
4 For Para
4U For you For you
AFAIK As far as I know That I know
AIUI As I understand it I understand that…
ASAP As soon as possible As soon as you can
ASL Age, sex, location Age, sex, where are you
ATB All the best All the best
ATM At the moment At this time
B4 Before Before
BBB Bye, bye babe Goodbye, little
BBBG Bye, bye. Good bye. Be good
BBIAB Be back in a bit I'll be back in a minute
BBIAS Be back in a second Be back in a second
BBQ Barbecue Barbecue
BDAY Birthday Birthday
BF Boyfriend Boyfriend
BFF Best friend forever Best friend forever
BTW By the way By the way BYOB
Bring your own bottle Bring your drink
BZ Busy Busy
CM Call me Call me
CU See you See you
CUL8R / CUL See you later See you later DIKU
Do I know you? We know each other?
DIY Do it yourself Do it yourself DND
Do not disturb Do not disturb EOD
End of day End of day
EOM End of message End of message
F2F Face to face Face to face
F2T Free to talk Speak freely
FWIW For what It's worth FYI
For you information For your information
FYIO For you information only For your information only
G2G Go to go I have to go
GAL Get a life Get a life
GF Girl friend Girlfriend
GL Good luck Good luck
GNITE Good night Good evening
GR8 Great Great, great
HAND Have a nice day Good day
HOWRU How are you? How are you?
HW / HMWK Homework Homework
IC I see I see, I understand
IH8U I hate you I hate you ILUVU
I love you I love you IMO
In my opinion In my opinion
IMU I miss you I miss you
IOU1 I owe you one I owe you one IOW
In other words In other words
J/K Just kidding It's a joke
JAM Just a minute Wait a minute
JAS Just a second Wait a second
JIC Just in case KISS
Keep it simple Keep it simple
KIT Keep in touch We're in touch
LOL Laughing out loud Laughing out loud
LOML Love of my life Amor de mi vida
LY4E Love you for ever I will always love you
M8 Mate Colleague
MB Maybe Maybe
MSG Message Message
MYOB Mind your own business Mind your own business NE
Any Any NO1
No one Nobody
NOFI No offense intended No offense intended
NP No problem No problem
NRN Not right now Not now NSFW
Not safe for work Don't open (email) at work
NVM Nevermind Nevermind
NW No way No way
OMG Oh, my God! OMG!
OMW On my way I'm on my way
PCM Please call me Please call me
PIC Picture Foto
PLS / PLZ Please Please
PPL People People
Q4U Question for you Question
ROFL Rolling on the floor Rolling around with laughter
RUOK Are you OK? Are you okay?
SRY Sorry I'm sorry
TB Text back I await your reply
TGIF Thanks God is Friday Thanks God is Friday
TIA Thanks in advance Thanks in advance
TLC Tender loving care TTYL
Talk to you later We'll talk later
TX / THX / THNX Thanks Thanks
U2 You too You too
WAN2 Want to Want (something)
WAN2TLK Want to talk? You want to talk?
WKND Weekend Weekend
WOM Waste of money Throw away money
WTF What the fuck! What the hell!
WU What's up? How are you?
X Kiss Kiss
XLNT Excellent Very good, great
XOXOX Kisses and hugs Kisses and hugs
XXX Kisses Kisses
Y Why? Why?
YR Your You, you
YW Your welcome Welcome
