10 Social Media Abbreviations You’ve Been Using Wrong Without Even Realizing It

Remember when every word had to be spelled out in painstaking detail—and if you wanted an “S,” you might as well have been tapping out Morse code because you had to hit a number key four times? Well, those days have officially vanished into the ether, replaced by a whirlwind of abbreviations zipping through our texts and social media feeds faster than you can say “LOL.” It’s convenience wrapped in mystery, really—these quick shortcuts save us time, sure, but they also leave many scratching their heads and diving into the depths of the internet trying to decode them. So, which abbreviations are puzzling the masses the most? Buckle up, because some of these acronyms have been around forever, and one might just totally surprise you. Ready to find out what the fuss is about? LEARN MORE

Gone are the days when everything we say is written out in full. Some of it started when we had to type a number four times just to get an “S,” but even since we’ve got normal keyboards on phones, text and social media abbreviations are used everywhere.

It’s just a much faster way of communicating in the world that we live in now. We’re constantly on the go, and we need to send multiple messages fast. However, it turns out that not everyone understands what common abbreviations mean, leading to them having to search on the internet for the meaning.

One of the abbreviations is sure to surprise you. It’s been around for decades. This list covers the top 10, from the most searched abbreviation to the least searched one, according to ProfileTree’s findings.

1. “FB”
2. “TIME”
3. “AMA”
4. “NWS”
5. “MSG”
6. “DL”
7. “ATM”
8. “BBL”
9. “LOL”
10. “SMH”

“FB”

One of the most common phrases used on social media is “FB,” but it stumps around 2.26 million people in a month. Now, the actual meaning of it is going to depend on the context of the message.

“FB” stands for Facebook to a lot of people. However, for younger people, Facebook is on the out, so “FB” will mean “follow back” to them. You’ll usually be able to tell in the context of the wording whether it’s about another social media platform or if someone wants you to follow them on their social media.

“TIME”

Next up is “TIME,” with just more than a million searches in a month, but this acronym has nothing to do with the clock. It’s an emotional indicator, standing for “Tears in My Eyes.” In general, they’re saying how touched or moved they are by something.

I can understand why this abbreviation isn’t understood as much. After all, there’s an emoji to show this now, and a lot of people are going to opt for the emoji use instead.

“AMA”

The next abbreviation is something that you’ll see a lot on social media from celebrities or influencers. “AMA” stands for “Ask Me Anything,” and it’s commonly used when people are doing a Q&A or when they have some time free and they want to create some engagement on their platform.

You may also see it in some live streams. In fact, there is often a TikTok or YouTube live, where you’ll see the “AMA” tag in the caption, opening the floor to people asking the question in the comments and the reply coming through on the video. It’s also very popular on Reddit.

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“NWS”

In fourth place, it’s “NWS,” which does seem a little odd considering what it actually stands for. After all, most abbreviations will use one letter of each individual word, but this opts for one letter of one word and two letters of another.

It stands for “No Worries,” which is often used as a way to accept an apology when there’s been a misunderstanding. But yes, the “S” part of the abbreviation is a little confusing at first. When you do see the context, you can usually work it out, which is probably why the monthly searches for this are around 670,000. What’s funny is that we’ll still use “NP” for “No Problem.”

“MSG”

When you see “MSG,” you’ll probably initially think about food. After all, there are plenty of influencers on TikTok sharing about how they don’t eat something because it has MSG in it. So, it’s not confusing that this abbreviation has stumped a good 668,000 people per month.

Well, it has nothing to do with food when most people send the abbreviation. In fact, it likely won’t even be in capital letters. When someone says “msg,” they want you to “message” them. This one makes sense from the old phone days, so it’s no wonder it’s stuck.

“DL”

Have you ever had someone tell you that they want a situation on the “DL?” This is just their way of saying that they want something to be kept a secret. The abbreviation means “down-low.”

This one may not be used as much anymore, as there is a great emoji to get someone to keep a secret. It’s the face with the “shhh” finger in front of it. However, sometimes, writing “DL” is just much quicker and easier than finding that emoji.

“ATM”