Texting 101: Abbreviations from FWIW to TTYL
Most of us send so many instant messages that we need a way to make it a little easier, and to keep our fingers fresh!
Initialisms help us type less. These are abbreviations in which the first letter of each word is read aloud separately.
Some are more common than others, but they're all useful if you're sending messages or when using social media.
For example, if you want to add some extra information, instead of typing all eight letters of "by the way," you can just type "BTW."
And "ASAP," meaning "as soon as possible," is so common that it's also used in spoken conversations — and can be said either as the letters A-S-A-P or as "eh-sap."
Here's another one: "ATM." In text language it isn't anything to do with banks — it means "at the moment."
You might also use "RN" — "right now" — if you're talking about what you're doing at that time.
If you're giving your opinion about something in your messages, you might write "FWIW" — "for what it's worth." That means you're sharing some information, but you aren't sure if it's going to be useful.
For example, if you're texting friends about a movie you watched, and the others didn't like it, you could add: "FWIW, I enjoyed it."
A similar initialism is "NGL," meaning "not gonna lie" — you're saying that you're giving your honest opinion.
And if you're finished with a conversation, one way you could end it is with "TTYL" — "talk to you later!"
