Answer to English Grammar Question 6921

What is it called when letters are substituted for words, i.e., LOL stands for Laugh out loud.

From member: Vin CARLIN in USA

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Answer

Hi Vin, they are everywhere and they are called 'acronyms'! An acronym was originally a pronounceable word made from the initial letters of other words. For example, NATO for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. As acronyms have invaded our lives more and more we have started to coin other shorthand versions such as TV for Television, USA for United States of America, IOU for I Owe You (a debt), MD for Medical Doctor, or CEO for Chief Executive Officer which are not acronyms in the original sense of being a 'new pronounceable word' made up of the first letters but which we still pull into our bulging bag of acronyms. Acronyms are often used as mnemonics, a device for helping you remember something. You'll often see this sort of usage in training manuals and self-help manuals. An illustration of this sort of acronym would be one that I found on a quick trawl of the Internet; taking the word 'HOPE' as an acronym for 'Hanging Onto Positive Expectations'. You may remember other similar acronyms from your school days designed to help you remember a spelling rule, historical event or math equation. I remember, for example, ROYGBIV, a mnemonic acronym for remembering the colors of the rainbow - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet - a pretty senseless sounding acronym but one that has stuck in my mind since I was around seven years old! But where acronyms have really exploded and become a sub-language of their own is through text messaging, the Internet and email where the 'need for speed' has led to the creation of hundreds of new acronyms that are used globally by millions of people. Your example, LOL for 'Laugh Out Loud' is one of the most used of these Internet acronyms. Here is a list of some of the other common Internet acronyms used in emails, SMS and text messaging. Hope it helps, CU! Common Acronyms Used in SMS, Text and Internet Chat:

A
AFAIK	As far as I know
AFK	Away from keyboard
AKA	Also known as
AOL	America Online
ASAP	As soon as possible
ASL	Age, sex, location
ATM	At the moment
B
B/C	Because
B4	Before
BBIAB	Be back in a bit
BBL	Be back later
BCC	Blind carbon copy
BF	Boyfriend
BFF	Best friends forever
BFN	Bye for now
BOT	Back on topic
BRB	Be right back
BTW	By the way
C
CC	Carbon copy
CTN	Can't talk now
CU	See you
CUL	See you later
CYA	See ya
CYE	Check your e-mail
D
DIY	Do it yourself
DL	Download
DW	Don't worry
E
EG	Exempli gratia (Latin: For example)
EOD	End of discussion
ETA	Estimated time of arrival
F
F	Female
FAQ	Frequently Asked Questions
FOFL	Falling on the floor laughing
FUBAR	Fouled up beyond all recognition
FWIW	For what it's worth
FYI	For your information
G
G2G	Gotta go
GB	Goodbye
GF	Girlfriend
GG	Good game
GJ	Good job
GL	Good luck
GM	Good match
GR8	Great
H
H/O	Hold on
HH	Ha-ha
HOAS	Hold on a second
HTH	Hope this helps
I
IAC	In any case
IC	I see
IDK	I don't know
IE	Id est (Latin: That is)
IIRC	If I remember correctly
IK	I know
IM	Instant Message
IMHO	In my humble opinion
IMO	In my opinion
IOW	In other words
IRT	In reply to
J
J/K	Just kidding
JC	Just curious
JK	Just kidding
K
K	OK
KIT	Keep in touch
KWIM	Know what I mean
L
L8	Late
L8R	Later
LMAO	Laughing my a** off
LOL	Laugh out loud
M
M	Male
MMA	Meet me at
MMB	Message me back
MSG	Message
MYOB	Mind your own business
N
N/A	Not Available
NC	No comment
NE1	Anyone
NM	Not much
NP	No problem
NRN	No reply necessary
NW	No way
O
OMG	Oh my gosh
OT	Off topic
OTOH	On the other hand
P
PDA	Public display of affection
PHAT	Pretty hot and tempting
PIR	People in room
PK	Player Killing
PLZ	Please
POS	Parent over shoulder
PPL	People
Q
QT	Cutie
R
RE	Regarding
ROFL	Rolling on the floor laughing
ROTFL	Rolling on the floor laughing
RPG	Role Playing Game
RT	Real-time
RTFM	Read the flippin' manual
S
SMH	Shaking my head
SOS	Someone over shoulder
SOSO	Same old, same old
SP?	Spelling?
STR8	Straight
SUP	What's up
T
TBC	To be continued
TBH	To be honest
TC	Take care
TGIF	Thank goodness it's Friday
THX	Thanks
TIA	Thanks in advance
TIC	Tongue in cheek
TISNF	That is so not fair
TLC	Tender love and care
TMI	Too much information
TOH	Typing one-handed
TTFN	Ta-ta for now
TTYL	Talk to you later
TY	Thank you
U
U2	You too
UR	You are
V
VBG	Very big grin
W
W/	With
W/E	Whatever
W/O	Without
W8	Wait
WB	Write back (e-mail)
WOOT	Way out of topic
WTG	Way to go
X
XOXO	Hugs and kisses
Y
Y	Why
YRG	You are good
YW	You're welcome
Z
ZZZ	Sleeping

Answer to English Grammar Question 6921

What is it called when letters are substituted for words, i.e., LOL stands for Laugh out loud.

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