116 Teen Text Terms Decoded for Confused Parents
Kids todaywho can understand them? Of course this is a timeless sentiment, but one that's no less true today, with young ones constantly nose-to-the-glass with smartphones and tablets, chatting with their friends. If you dare to peek at their tweets and posts, other than a near hieroglyphic scroll of emoji, you'll find a language of all their own. Below are terms that have been rolling off kids tongues, popping up in songs and memes, and generally floating around the Internet lately. , Study them. Learn them. Then, never use them, because there's nothing more out of place than a parent who is trying to fit in. , AF Technically an acronym for "as f," it means extremely. As in, "I'm hungry AF.", Bae Babe or baby, in the romantic and not the infant sense. Also short for "before anyone else." So, imagine "I Got You Bae," as sung by Pharrell and Miley, instead of Sonny and Cher. , Basic Despite meaning thoughtless, boring, conforming, self-important and many other unflattering things, a lot of thought has gone into this term, and its sidekick, "basic bitch." , Bye Felicia Adismissive term said when you want an annoying person to buzz off. Still popular, despite being a throwaway line in the movie Friday, which came out more than more than 20 years ago. Can't even An expression of exasperation, "can't even" can't even finish the sentence, it's that frustrated. , Fam Short for family, "fam" is used with only your closest friends. It could be an acronym for "from another mother," or that may just be a coincidence. Either way, that'll help you remember when someone says, "What's up, fam?" the two people aren't related. , Feels Shorthand for feelings, "feels" is a noun, not a verb. The term derived from "right in the feels," a meme that expresses extreme sadness. Also sad, it would appear we have arrived at peak feels. It's all downhill from here. , Hooking up Think back to years ago when that younger, more attractive version of yourself hooked up' with someone at a bar or a party. Now slap a Rated-G tag on that memory  today's "hooking up"means much, much more, and legally shouldn't be performed in public. , Lit An adjective used to describe something that's active or popular, like a party. It can also mean drunk or stoned. So, technically you could get lit at a party that was lit, though the only person who would ever say that would be Eugene Levy in a straight-to-video movie. , Is everything Something that is great and/or important. For instance, if you're big into modern art, you might say "Outside is everything," as TIMEdid in 1952. Yeah, we're avant garde AF. , Netflix and chill The modern version of being invited into a date's home for a nightcap, "Netflix and chill" has nothing to do with movies or relaxing, and everything to do with hooking up. , Obvi This one should be obvious. , On fleek/On point Used asan adjective,thesetwo terms both mean impeccably styled or groomed. So, which should you use? On fleek was added to Random House's Dictionary.com last year, but logophiles think Merriam-Webster is totally on point and recognizes neither. Ultimately, you should use neither, because you're not 17. , OTP An acronym for "one true pairing" it means the fictional couple you think were meant to be together, despite their will-they/won't-they history. For instance, you could say, "Pacey and Joey are my OTP," but only if you want to sound really old and out of touch. , Slay Short for doing something very well, "slay" is shorthand for slaying, which is a synonym of kill. So, in other words, killing it, only six characters shorter, thus easier on the Twitter. , Ship As a noun, "ship" is short for a romantic relationship. As a verb, it means wanting a romantic relationship. But because it's spoken by teens who have a hard time grappling with their own awkward feelings it's mainly used in fictional terms. For instance, "I ship Ron and Hermione so hard." , Snatched 2016's version of "on fleek" and "on point." Presented with a third option, which should you use? Again, none. You people already killed "on fleek." Can't you just leave "snatched" alone? , SMH An acronym for "shake my head," it's what teens will say about you if you use their slang. For instance "Woman just said my outfit was on fleek. Smh." , Swipe right Derived from the user interface of the popular hook-up app Tinder, "swipe right" is a term of approval. , TBH An acronym for "to be honest," this term evolved into a game on Facebook. Users post "Like this status for a TBH," and then leave previously unrevealed truths in the comment fields for all their friends who like the post. , Turnt/Turnt Up Similar to "Lit," these adjectives describe a particularly loud, lively affair, or being inebriated, or both. Reddit users have discussed the etymology of the term, linking it to songs by Soulja Boy, among other sources. Tbh, It likely started with Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel turning his amp up to 11. , V Short for "very," as in "I type v fast." So fast that the e, r, and y just get in the way. , YAS A very enthusiastic version of yes, "YAS" should not be confused with YAZ, a contraceptive which in other words means "no." , You da real MVP A meme that basically thanks people for doing seemingly mundane but important tasks, this term taken from the 2014 NBA MVP speech of Kevin Durant, who saluted his mother was "da real MVP." Here's an example, 143 I love you popularized by no less awesome a source than Mister Rogers himself, 2DAY Today, 4EAE For ever and ever, ADN Any day now, AFAIK As far as I know, AFK Away from keyboard, ATM At the moment, B/C Because, B4 Before, BF / GF Boyfriend / Girlfriend, BFN Bye for now, BOL Be on later, BRB Be right back, BTW By the way, DM Direct message, DWBH Don't worry, be happy, F2F or FTF Face to face, FB Facebook, FF Follow Friday Follow Friday is a recurring topic on Twitter. Each week, users post lists of people that they think others should followusing the FF or FollowFriday hashtag., FTL For the loss / For the lose, FTW For the win, FWB Friends with benefits, FWIW For what it's worth, FYEO For your eyes only, FYI For your information, GLHF Good luck, have fun, GR8 Great, HAK Hugs and kisses, HAND Have a nice day, HT or H/T Hat tip or heard through usually referencing news or an informative link, HTH Hope this helps / Happy to help, IANAL I am not a lawyer, IDK I don't know, IIRC If I remember correctly, IKR I know, right?, ILY / ILU I love you, IMHO In my honest opinion / In my humble opinion, IMO In my opinion, IRL In real life, IU2U It's up to you, IYKWIM If you know what I mean, J/K Just kidding, J4F Just for fun, JIC Just in case, JSYK Just so you know, K or KK Okay, LMBO Laughing my butt off, LMK Let me know, LOL Laughing out loud, MM Music Monday. Another recurring Twitter topic. In this case, users post a song or two that will get your week off to a better start. MSM Mainstream media, NAGI Not a good idea, NM Never mind, NMU Not much, you?, NP No problem or Now playing as in "My MP3 stream is now playing LMFAO's Party Rock., NSFW Not safe for work. If this is attached to a link, you're strongly advised not to check it out while in the workplace or any other venue where inappropriate content would be, well, inappropriate. NSFL Not safe for life. Usually a humorous disclaimer that something formerly innocent is going to be irreparably sullied if you click the link. NTS Note to self, OH Overheard, OMG Oh my God, ORLY Oh, really?, PAW Parents are watching, PLS or PLZ Please, PPL People, PTB Please text back, QQ Crying. Rather than an abbreviation, this is an emoticon, a picture created in text. The tails of the capital Q form tears, while the circles are the eyes. Saying "QQ" aloud also can mimic the "boo hoo" of someone who's upset. Usually used sarcastically or contemptuously. RAK Random act of kindness, RL Real life, ROFL Rolling on the floor laughing, RT Retweet. Similar to forwarding an email, Twitter lets you echo other people's tweets for your own followers to read. In some cases, folks will ask for something they've said to be amplified by saying "Please RT" or "PLS RT.", RUOK Are you okay? In Australia, RUOK is a regularly trending topic, following a government initiative called RUOK Day, which raises awareness of mental health issues on social networking sites. SMH Shaking my head, SRSLY Seriously, SSDD Same stuff, different day, SWAK Sealed with a kiss, SWYP So, what's your problem?, TIA Thanks in advance, TIME Tears in my eyes, TMB Tweet me back, TMI Too much information, TMRW Tomorrow, TTYL Talk to you later, TY or TU Thank you, VSF Very sad face, WB Welcome back, WTH What the heck?, WTPA Where the party at?, WYCM Will you call me?, YGM You've got mail to alert your texting partner that you've contacted them via that staid old email thing. That's sooo 2001!, YMMV Your mileage may vary, YW You're welcome, ZOMG Oh my god sarcastic