Acronyms

Lots of acronyms are used in instant messaging. Here are some of the most popular ones (another good source is urbandictionary.com).


 * afaik -- as far as I know
 * afaict -- as far as I can tell
 * afk -- away from keyboard
 * atm -- at the moment
 * bbiab -- be back in a bit
 * bbiaf -- be back in a few (minutes)
 * bbl -- be back later
 * bbs -- be back soon
 * b/c -- because
 * bf -- boyfriend
 * bfo -- blinding flash of the obvious
 * brb -- be right back
 * brt -- be right there
 * bsod -- blue screen of death
 * btw -- by the way
 * ciao -- Italian for goodbye
 * ctrn -- can't talk right now
 * cul8r -- see you later
 * cya -- see ya
 * dhtb -- don't have the bandwidth
 * f2f -- face to face
 * ftl -- for the lose
 * ftw -- for the win
 * fubar -- f***ed up beyond all recognition
 * fwiw -- for what it's worth
 * fyi -- for your information
 * gmta -- great minds think alike
 * iam -- in a meeting
 * ianal -- I am not a lawyer
 * ihmb -- I hate my boss
 * iirc -- if I recall correctly
 * imho -- in my humble opinion
 * imo -- in my opinion
 * iow -- in other words
 * irl -- in real life
 * istm -- it seems to me
 * *g* -- grin
 * gf -- girlfriend
 * gmta -- great minds think alike
 * gtg -- got to go
 * jid -- jabber identifier
 * j/k -- just kidding
 * k -- okay
 * lmao -- laughing my ass off
 * lol -- laughing out loud
 * l8r -- later
 * msg -- message
 * n/m -- never mind
 * n/p -- no problem
 * nsfw -- not safe for work
 * oAo -- over and out!
 * oic -- oh, I see
 * omg -- oh my god
 * oob -- out of band
 * otoh -- on the other hand
 * oww -- oops, wrong window!
 * otp -- on the phone
 * otw -- on the way
 * pebkac -- problem exists between keyboard and chair
 * pita -- pain in the ass
 * pov -- point of view
 * pw -- password
 * rotfl -- rolling on the floor laughing
 * rsn -- real soon now
 * rtfm -- read the friendly manual
 * slap -- sounds like a plan
 * tbh -- to be honest
 * thx -- thanks
 * tia -- thanks in advance
 * tla -- three-letter arconym
 * tldr -- too long, didn't read
 * ttfn -- ta ta for now
 * ttyl -- talk to you later
 * wb -- welcome back
 * wfm -- works for me
 * wtf -- what the f***?!
 * wtg -- way to go!
 * xfer -- transfer
 * ymmv -- your mileage may vary
 * yw -- you're welcome