Texting abbreviations are shortened versions of a word or phrase used. The abbreviations are used to save time, avoid typing and ensure a social media post stays within a certain character limit. In the day before smartphones, and even before keyboard phones, texters were working with a limited number of characters, 160 to be exact, and before unlimited plans became the law of the land, each text cost money to send. Not to mention, you had to press the number corresponding with the letter you wanted, enough times for that letter to appear. Typing full words became customary to shorten words and phrases. And of course, abbreviating is just convenient in general. Although many seem as if they are misspelled, grammatically incorrect or confusing, texting abbreviation is commonly used and are meant to expedite communications.

            Here are some common texting abbreviations we often find and of course, use, in our daily life:

1. BTW (by the way)
2. ILY (I love you)
3. IMO (in my opinion)
4. IRL (in real life), this phrase is typically used to differentiate between online personas, and how things are in reality.
5. JK (just kidding), you might genuinely use this texting abbreviation while joking around, but it is also frequently used to indicate sarcasm.
6. LOL (laughing out loud), originally this phrase was used in texting and chatting to communicate that you found something so funny that you were literally moved to laughter. Over time, LOL has evolved from its original meaning and is now typically used to signal that you are amused or even just tracking with what the other person is saying.
7. OMG (oh my God), a popular and long-used abbreviation, the Oxford English Dictionary has traced usage of “OMG” back to the early 1900s, but this exclamation did not come into common use on the internet until the 1900s.
8. TBH (to be honest), this phrase is used to indicate that you are expressing your true opinion.
9. IDK (I don’t know)
10. OMW (on my way)

Sources:

https://www.rd.com/article/texting-abbreviations/

https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Texting-Twitter-chat-and-IM-abbreviations-and-acronyms

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/texting-abbreviations/

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