Used to express an opinion, or as a way of asserting that you are correct.Įxample: “No. IMO / IMHO ( I n M y O pinion / I n M y H umble O pinion).Another way of saying “I’m not sure how helpful this will be”.Įxample: “FWIW, I noticed baked beans are half-price at the supermarket today” You say this when you want to express approval or support. Įxample: “FYI, the bar closes at 11pm, so make sure you get here before then.” Used to alert someone to certain information / give them a heads-up. Not really a new acronym, but one that is hugely popular these days.

Often used in chatrooms and on dating sites to find out basic details about another person. Used when you’re not completely sure about something.Įxample: “AFAIK he’s in bed, but he might not have come home last night. HF & TYT! (Have Fun & Take Your Time!) How many of these abbreviations did you know? To help you recognise some of the most common shortened words and phrases – particularly the ones you’ll find online – we’ve put together this list of 20 new English abbreviations and examples how to use them.

Many of these, such as LOL (‘Laugh Out Loud’) and OMG (‘Oh My God’) have even become common in spoken English. The adoption of email, followed by SMS on mobile phones, plus the widespread use of online forums and social media have helped create a whole new vocabulary of abbreviations and acronyms. Since the 1990s, new English abbreviations have been added to the language almost daily. For example, “Hw r u ts mng?” meant “How are you this morning?” Back in the 19 th century, telegraph operators used to communicate using abbreviations that look very much like modern text messages. New technology has often been the influence behind new English abbreviations and acronyms (an acronym is a type of abbreviation that uses the first letters of each word, such as ASAP – the acronym for A s S oon A s P ossible). Also, when writing was a slow process, using abbreviations saved you valuable time. The more space you could save with abbreviations, the less material you used.

Stone and parchment were expensive writing materials. It’s easy to see why abbreviations were useful. Take a look at almost any Latin inscription or medieval manuscript and you’ll find abbreviations like ‘ARG’ for ‘Argentum’ (silver or money) or even simply ‘M’, which could stand for dozens of words like ‘Magister’ (teacher), ‘Mater’ (mother) or even ‘Mortus’ (dead). Abbreviations – shortened forms of words or phrases – have been with us for a very long time.

Abbreviations for words in english