Man squinting at his laptop.

40 Younger Generation Acronyms That Leave Older Generations Perplexed

When you see a young person use abbreviations that are nothing like the traditional “RSVP” and “ASAP,” do you cringe, or does it give you FOMO? With many people wanting to send and receive information quickly, new acronyms seem to appear by the minute.

The problem? For many Americans, they’re too hard to keep up with.

Language education website Anna Spanish analyzed data from Google to determine the acronyms that Americans are most confused about. They analyzed over 150 acronyms that covered the categories of dating, gaming, business, technology, and general communication. After analyzing the searches for the 150 standalone acronyms, Anna Spanish combined them with terms like “X meaning,” “what does X mean,” “what does X stand for,” and “X definition.”

How many of these “youngin 40” acronyms can you define?

1: FWB

Friends laughing.
Photo Credit: mimagephotos via stock.adobe.com.

Not only do youngsters love making up new acronyms, but friends with benefits (FWB) is also more common than it was in the past. FWB is the most confusing acronym for Americans, with a total search volume of 577,190.

2: NSFW

Person hiding behind desk.
Photo Credit: WavebreakMediaMicro via stock.adobe.com.

If you’re guilty of sending a text or email to someone that you wouldn’t want their boss to see, it’s polite to give them a heads-up with NSFW. That means “Not safe for work,” for those of us who aren’t in the know.

3: DTF

Unmade bed.
Photo Credit: VTT Studio via stock.adobe.com.

A risqué acronym made the top three, with DTF meaning “Down to…” We’ll leave the “F” to your imagination.

4: SMH

Photo Credit: Vulp via stock.adobe.com.

If you tell someone something that disappoints them, they might respond with SMH (Shaking my head). We might as well create a new acronym while we’re at it: SYH. If you’re like us, you’re probably “shaking your head” as you read through this.

5: OTP

Photo Credit: REDPIXEL via stock.adobe.com.

Yes, some people might use OTP as an acronym referring to the musician and album of the same name. But in most cases, it’s a gaming abbreviation for “one true pairing.” For those who aren’t in the gaming world, according to Fanlore, “OTP is a fan’s favorite pairing in a given fandom.”

6: POV

Stack of old books.
Photo Credit: Sacher via stock.adobe.com.

Bookworms are likely familiar with POV when talking about a character’s “point of view.” Some people also use POV in everyday texting conversations.

7: IMO

Photo Credit: Davide Angelini via stock.adobe.com.

If you haven’t seen IMO before, prepare for your reticular activating system to pick up on this acronym moving forward. IMO stands for “In my opinion,” and is commonly seen in online discussions.

8: TL;DR

Woman with her hand up.
Photo Credit: 9nong via stock.adobe.com.

TL;DR seems harmless until you spell it out: Too long; didn’t read. Ouch. That’s a tough one to swallow, especially if you poured your heart into writing a long text message or email.

9: FOMO

Woman looking at a chart
Photo Credit: BullRun via stock.adobe.com.

FOMO is a popular acronym in the cryptocurrency and investing world, for it means “fear of missing out.” The problem? FOMO tends to strike financially uneducated folks to buy when those who are investor savvy are getting ready to sell.

10: HMU

Photo Credit: Rawpixel.com via stock.adobe.com.

Want to sound cool among your friends or a new love interest? Using HMU (Hit me up) should do the trick.

11: ISTG

Photo Credit: Volodymyr via stock.adobe.com.

No, ISTG isn’t a roundabout acronym for Instagram. Instead, it means “I swear to God.”

12: LMAO

Photo Credit: contrastwerkstatt via stock.adobe.com.

LMAO is less vulgar than DTF but still too colorful for our PG-friendly content to spell it out here. It stands for “laughing my…off.” We trust you can guess what the “A” stands for.

13: TBH

Photo Credit: Rido via stock.adobe.com.

No one likes a liar. So, if you want to be clear about the truth that’s about to leave your fingertips as you type, try using TBH (to be honest).

14: LMK

Friends eating pizza.
Photo Credit: Vasyl via stock.adobe.com.

If someone invites you to a party or event, they might end their invite with LMK (Let me know).

15: AWOL

Woman holding an empty wallet.
Photo Credit: 9nong via stock.adobe.com.

No one wants to experience AWOL in their workplace, but that’s a situation that many employees face. Absence without leave means an employee won’t receive pay for the day(s) they’re not at work.

16: ETA

Clock.
Photo Credit: blackday via stock.adobe.com.

Most Americans can get through life easily enough without knowing the definition of many of these words. In our opinion, ETA isn’t among them. Whether you’re visiting friends or relatives, someone might text you ETA, wanting to know your “Estimated time of arrival.”

17: DM

Upset student.
Photo Credit: BullRun via stock.adobe.com.

From work environments to social media, DM is a common abbreviation. It stands for “direct message.” So, be sure not to write someone publicly when they’ve specifically requested you to DM them.

18: IYKYK

Woman thinking
Photo Credit: pressmaster via stock.adobe.com.

People familiar with the acronyms on this list might roll their eyes and think, IYKYK (If you know, you know).

19: IIRC

Man sitting and thinking.
Photo Credit: Antonioguillem via stock.adobe.com.

It’s natural for memories to morph with time. So, when talking about something from the past in a text message, you may want to add IIRC (If I remember correctly).

20: OP

Man thinking at laptop.
Photo Credit: fizkes via stock.adobe.com.

When you’re reading comments people leave online, it’s common to come across the acronym “OP.” That means someone is referring to the “original post.”

21: TTYL

Photo Credit: Teodor Lazarev via stock.adobe.com.

TTYL has been around longer than several of the acronyms on this list. However, according to Anna Spanish’s study, many Americans look up its definition. TTYL stands for “talk to you later.”

22: IRL

Photo Credit: sezer66 via stock.adobe.com.

People enveloped in the gaming world might need to use IRL more than others, defining when they’re talking about something “in real life.”

23: PDA

Older couple walking outside.
Photo Credit: Jacob Lund via stock.adobe.com.

If someone tells you to keep your PDA to a minimum, you might be doting on your partner in public too much. That’s right; PDA stands for “Public display of affection.”

24: ONG

Photo Credit: Magdalena Kucova via stock.adobe.com.

Americans who don’t affiliate themselves with a religious group might be out of the loop when they read ONG (On God).

25: BAE

Photo Credit: Bits and Splits via stock.adobe.com.

If you haven’t heard of BAE, you’re far from alone. It stands for “Before anyone else,” which, if we may go so far as to say, is an acronym that many of us may never need to use.

26: TBD

Photo Credit: shurkin_son via stock.adobe.com.

TBD is a relatively classic acronym, especially when compared to BAE. But many Americans still need to look it up to learn that it means “To be determined.”

27: AFK

Woman thinking by her laptop.
Photo Credit: fizkes via stock.adobe.com.

With the rise in remote work, AFK has been an increasingly more common acronym people use on the job. It means “Away from keyboard.”

28: NGL

Upset woman at work.
Photo Credit: Mangostar via stock.adobe.com.

You can use NGL interchangeably with TBH. It means “Not gonna lie.” Yes, you must read it as “gonna” instead of “going to” in order to have the full NGL effect.

29: LOL

Friends laughing.
Photo Credit: digitalskillet1 via stock.adobe.com.

We’re going to go out on a limb and assume that many people searching for “LOL” understand that it means laughing (after all, many of us follow it up with a laughing emoji). However, not everyone may know that LOL stands for “Laughing out loud.”

30: YOLO

Hiker at the top of a mountain.
Photo Credit: Piotr Golemo via stock.adobe.com.

If you’re the type of person who frequently throws caution to the wind, YOLO might be your motto. “You only live once,” as far as any of us know, after all.

31: BTW

Two older men studying.
Photo Credit: Jacob Lund via stock.adobe.com.

BTW, how many acronyms on this list have you heard of so far? We’ll help you out with this one; BTW means “By the way.”

32: TMI

Photo Credit: andriano_cz via stock.adobe.com.

Hold up! Not everyone needs to hear about that great number two you took in the toilet. That’s TMI (too much information), thank you very much.

33: TFW

Photo Credit: Seventyfour via stock.adobe.com.

Want to show someone you can relate to them? Using TFW (that feeling when) should do the trick.

34: FYP

Girl looking at TikTok.
Photo Credit: Natalia via stock.adobe.com.

If you’re not on TikTok, FYP will understandably throw you for a loop. It stands for “For You Page,” which is a TikTok-specific page with recommended content.

35: FTW

Happy woman.
Photo Credit: JenkoAtaman via stock.adobe.com.

When you’re feeling good about something that happened, you might use the phrase “For the win.” However, it’s in style to abbreviate the saying by writing, “FTW.”

36: TBT

Photo Credit: tcsaba via stock.adobe.com.

TBT, which is often accompanied by the hashtag version (#TBT), stands for “Throwback Thursday.” It’s an internet trend where people post photos and memories on social media about special moments that happened in the past.

37: WFH

Man looking at his laptop.
Photo Credit: Jelena via stock.adobe.com.

WFH is a newer acronym that stands for “Work from home.” Even though the number of people working remotely has declined since the pandemic, WFH is about three to four times more common than it was in 2019.

38: FYI

Photo Credit: Andrii Nekrasov via stock.adobe.com.

FYI, FYI is the third to last acronym on this list. So, what does FYI stand for? It means, “For your information.”

39: ICYMI

Woman reading a book.
Photo Credit: Syda Productions via stock.adobe.com.

ICYMI, ICYMI is the second to last acronym on this list. ICYMI stands for “In case you missed it,” of course.

40: NBD

Photo Credit: Daniel via stock.adobe.com.

Sure, you can write no biggie in a text and sound fairly cool. But texting NBD (No big deal) is both faster and cooler among the text message savvy.

The Why Behind Acronyms

Photo Credit: JackF via stock.adobe.com.

A spokesperson for Anna Spanish commented on the study’s findings. “American English is always changing, and it happens more often than you might think. You don’t have to go back centuries to see it. In just the last ten years, hundreds of changes have popped up. Some of them are because of new gadgets and tech stuff. Others happen because people start using words differently.”

16 Painfully Common Grammatical Mistakes

Teacher editing a paper.
Photo Credit: Andrey Popov via stock.adobe.com.

What’s worse than poorly used words and phrases? When those words and phrases are misspelled. These are some painfully common grammar fails among Americans that’ll make grammar-savvy individuals laugh or cringe.

16 Grammatical Mistakes So Common That People Don’t Think They’re Mistakes

24 Old-Fashioned Candies That Need To Make a Comeback

Photo Credit: Gary L Hider via stock.adobe.com.

From childhood classics to forgotten chocolates, these treats bring back memories of simpler times. Rediscover the joy of beloved confections that deserve to make a comeback.   

24 Old-Fashioned Candies That Need To Make a Comeback

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *