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What are SMS Shortcuts?
SMS (Short Message Service) is a protocol for sending and receiving brief text messaging over digital cellular networks.
Most people send SMS messages from the very small keypads on their mobile phones, and most people who receive SMS messages read them on the tiny screens of their mobile phones.
Because of those considerations, and because SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, most people who use SMS learn to type messages using a number of popular SMS shortcuts.
SMS Shortcuts
These are some of the more common SMS shortcuts.
| 2D | To Delete |
| 2G4Y | Too Good For You |
| 4E | Forever |
| 4YEO | For Your Eyes Only |
| IOU1 | I Owe You 1 |
| AAK | Asleep At Keyboard |
| AFAIK | As Far As I Know |
| AFK | Away From Keyboard |
| ASAP | As Soon As Possible |
| ATW | At The Weekend |
| AWHFY | Are We Having Fun Yet? |
| AYOR | At Your Own Risk |
| BB4E | Bye Bye Forever |
| BBB | Bye Bye Baby |
| BBFN | Bye Bye For Now |
| BBL | Be Back Later |
| BBN | Bye Bye Now |
| BBS | Be Back Soon |
| BF | Boy-Friend |
| BG | Big Grin |
| BH | Blockhead |
| BION | Believe It Or Not |
| BRB | Be Right Back |
| BTW | By The Way |
| BWL | Bursting With Laughter |
| CB | Ciao Bella |
| CM | Call Me |
| CMM | Changed My Mind |
| CU | See You |
| CUL | See You Later |
| CUSOON | See You Soon |
| CUT | See You Tomorrow |
| DAK | Dead At Keyboard |
| DK | Don't Know |
| DLTBBB | Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite |
| DTRT | Do The Right Thing |
| DWBH | Don't Worry Be Happy |
| DYSWIS | Do You See What I See |
| E2EG | Ear To Ear Grin |
| EMSG | Email Message |
| EOD | End of Discussion |
| F2F | Face To Face |
| FUD | Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt |
| FWIW | For What It's Worth |
| FYA | For Your Amusement |
| FYE | For Your Entertainment |
| FYI | For Your Information |
| GA | Go Ahead |
| GAL | Get A Life |
| GF | Girl-Friend |
| GFN | Gone For Now |
| GIGO | Garbage In, Garbage Out |
| GMTA | Great Minds Think Alike |
| GTSY | Glad To See You |
| IAC | In Any Case |
| IC | I see |
| ILU | I Love You |
| IMHO | In My Humble Opinion |
| IMNSHO | In My Not So Humble Opinion |
| IMO | In My Opinion |
| IMPOV | In My Point Of View |
| IOW | In Other Words |
| IRL | In Real Life |
| IWALU | I Will Always Love You |
| J2LYK | Just To Let You Know |
| JK | Just Kidding |
| L8R | Later |
| LMHO | Laughing My Head Off |
| LOL | Laugh Out Loud |
| LTM | Laughing To Myself |
| LTNS | Long Time No See |
| LY | Love You |
| LYWAMH | Love You With All My Heart |
| MTF | More To Follow |
| MU | Miss You |
| NC | No Comment |
| NN | Nothing New |
| NP | No Problem |
| O4U | Only For You |
| OIC | Oh, I See |
| OL | Old Lady (wife) |
| OM | Old Man (husband) |
| OOSOOM | Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind |
| OTOH | On The Other Hand |
| OTTOMH | Off The Top Of My Head |
| PC | Private Chat |
| PM | Private Message |
| POAHF | Put On A Happy Face |
| QSL | Reply |
| QSO | Conversation |
| QT | Cutie |
| RL | Real Life |
| ROTFL | Rolling On The Floor Laughing |
| RTFM | Read The Fine Manual |
| RUOK | Are you ok? |
| SC | Stay Cool |
| SO | Significant Other |
| SWAK | Sealed With a Kiss |
| TA | Thanks Again |
| TAF | That's All Folks |
| TNT | Till Next Time |
| TOY | Thinking Of You |
| TTFN | Ta Ta For Now |
| TU | Thank You |
| TUVM | Thank You Very Much |
| VBG | Very Big Grin |
| W4U | Waiting For You |
| WB | Welcome Back |
| WTH | What the hell? |
| WUWH | Wish You Were Here |
| YAFIYGI | You Ask For It; You Got It |
Create Your Own SMS Shorcuts
You can create your own SMS shortcuts by combining other words with these common word translations:
| Be | B |
| For | 4 |
| See | C |
| To | 2 |
| You | U |
| Why | Y |
Warnings About SMS Shorcuts
There are a couple of risks to keep in mind with SMS shortcuts.
The first risk is that the receiver won't understand what you are saying. Stick to the shortcuts that make sense to you and you should be fine.
The second risk involves using SMS shortcuts outside of SMS or in conversation with business associates. "Normal" people sometimes find SMS shortcuts to be unprofessional.
Send SMS Messages Online
You can send SMS messages online at no cost using our Free SMS service.
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