An Internet Abbreviation Primer
Gloria E. Jacobs, Ph.D.
Contrary to popular belief, Internet language is not the language of teens even though it has been
popularized by that group. Internet language was originally developed by early technology adopters and
this group consisted of computer programmers and engineers. The conventions grew out of the need to
communicate quickly, avoid misunderstandings because of the lack of vocal intonations and body
language, and to keep turn-taking understandable. As Internet technology became more widely
available, the early adopters within the general population tended to be young people. Thus Internet
language became closely associated with youth. Now, as the first wave of digital insiders (Lankshear &
Knobel, 2003) or digital natives (Prensky, 2001) move through college and into the work force, the
language of the Internet is becoming more and more mainstream.
Generally, by the time digital newcomers (Lankshear & Knobel) or “immigrants” (Prensky), figure out what
an online term means, that term has morphed into something else. Nonetheless, there are some
generalizations that can be made about Internet language. 1) Speed is important. 2) Facility marks the
user as “in the know. 3) Apostrophes are seldom used. 4) Capital letters are used only for emphasis—all
capital letters indicates yelling. 5) Punctuation is seldom used, except for question marks. The most
important things to remember are that Internet language is always changing, and it is specific to the group
using it.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of abbreviations, initialisms, and acronyms used on the Internet.
bbl
bc or b/c
bf
bfn
brb
btw
cd9
cu
cya
cul8r
cuz
f2f
gf
gtg
idk
im
imho
be back later
because
boyfriend
bye for now
be right back
by the way
parents nearby
see you
see ya
see you later
because
face to face (in person)
girlfriend
got to go
i don't know
instant message
in my humble opinion
jk
k
l8r
lol
lamo
nvm
omg
pos
pov
rotfl
ruok
thx
ttfn
ttyl
u
ur
y
just kidding
okay
later
laughing out loud
laughing my ass off
nevermind
oh my god
parent over shoulder
point of view
rolling on the floor laughing
are you okay?
thanks
ta ta for now
talk to you later
you
you are, you’re, or your
why
References
Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (2003). New literacies: changing knowledge and classroom learning.
Buckingham: Open University Press.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).
Additional References
Baron, N. (2000). Alphabet to e-mail: how written English evolved and where it's heading. London:
Routledge.
Baron, N. (2003). Language of the Internet. In A. Farghali (Ed.), The Stanford Handbook for Language
Engineers (pp. 59-127). Stanford: CSLI Publications.
Crystal, D. (2001). Language and the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jacobs, G. (2005). "ur part of it": Portfolio people and adolescent use of instant messaging. Unpublished
Dissertation, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.
Jacobs, G. (forthcoming). People, Purposes, and Practices: Insights from Cross-disciplinary Research
into Instant Messaging." In C. Lankshear, M. Knobel, D. Leu & J. Coiro (Eds.), Handbook of
Research on New Literacies. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.