NGL, IDKWYM. SMH. No, I haven’t just had a stroke and let my face hit the keyboard. That’s actually internet abbreviation speak for: “Not going to lie, I don’t know what you mean (shaking my head)”, which is a phrase you might want to keep nearby, if this year’s most confusing text abbreviations – SYBAU (shut your b**** a** up) and WYLL (what you look like) – are anything to go by.
If you live in the TikTok comment section, then these contractions, along with those ranking further down Unscramblerer.com’s Most Confusing list – POV (point of view), HMU (hit me up), OTP (one true pairing), and FWIW (for what it’s worth) – might be somewhat familiar. IYKYK.
But if you’re not chronically online and still live somewhere out there in the real world, reading this might make you feel like you’re suffering some sort of aneurysm where the English language has ceased to have meaning.
DW (don’t worry), though. The vibes may not be as off as we think they are IRL (in real life). Although the number of people Googling what the hell these acronyms mean is rising as they continue to proliferate online, few of us actually like – or respond well – to them when sent directly.
In fact, people who use abbreviations were less likely to receive responses to messages or to be perceived as sincere, an analysis found in 2024.
“While abbreviations can save time and effort, our research suggests that they may also hinder effective communication and negatively influence interpersonal perceptions,” the authors of the study wrote in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Although young people were more likely to use abbreviations, the negative effects remained among them, too.
But, while we may all well sit in pretty much the same boat when it comes to abbreviations – almost nobody wants to be told ILY instead of “I love you” – there are other debates that are far more contentious.
For example, capitalisation. Many Gen Z, myself included, have switched off auto-capitalisation on their keyboard for social media and messaging. They feel too formal. Too aggressive. “i turned off auto capitalisation [and i feel like] i’m me again,” one no-caps fan wrote on X/Twitter, while other users went so far as to call capital letters “so ugly” and “so angry”.
Another wrong move: full stops at the end of a message. Although grammatically correct, to young people the black dots of doom imply severity, judgement or rage. As far back as 2015, scientists found that texts that ended with a full stop were less heartfelt than those that didn’t.
Meanwhile, ellipses (beloved by dads the world over) have the power to trigger an instant cortisol spike, as they’re seen as severely awkward as someone giving you a long, disapproving look after an anecdote. Tell me, in this pregnant pause, what exactly are we waiting for...
And that’s before we even get onto emojis. Studies have found that couples who use them feel closer than those who don’t. But don’t you dare send a thumbs-up emoji (another dad classic) to anyone under 30 unless you feel like handing out the equivalent of the middle finger.
The cry-laughing emoji, also, is a big fat ick IMO (in my opinion).
Most of the time, much like tone of voice, texting is adaptive – and the key to success is tailoring. You wouldn’t eat brunch with your family in the same suit you wore to work all week. So, probably don’t message your daughter with the same full stops and corporate acronyms you’d use with employees, unless you want a frosty response.
Yes, the rulebook for online comms is expanding at a rate few of us can keep up with. But really, there’s only one rule to be aware of to get messaging right: Know your audience. LFG (let’s f****** go).
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