Online language moves fast, and the shorthand teenagers use today can look completely baffling if you’re not seeing it every day.
It’s understandable that parents and carers want to keep an eye on what their children are doing online—especially with the risks that can come with social media, forums, and open-world gaming.
Sometimes a message that appears to be random letters is just harmless slang. Other times, it can be a coded reference you wouldn’t recognise at first glance.
Instead of having to trawl through Urban Dictionary and decode everything line by line, here’s a straightforward guide to some common terms and acronyms currently being used.
Some are innocent—like ‘JIC’ (just in case)—but others are more worrying, such as ‘NIFOC’ (naked in front of computer), which shows why context matters.
Following the release of Netflix’s Adolescence, which highlights how young people can be exposed to harmful online spaces and coded language, St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School and Sixth Form in Birmingham shared a reference list to help families better understand what they might be seeing.
- Jarring – Annoying
- ‘Bye Felicia’ – Dismissive phrase to tell someone to go away
- Jokes – Really funny
- ‘Can’t even’ – Expression of exasperation
- JSYK – Just so you know
- ‘I’m weak’ – That was funny
- 4eae – Forever and ever
- NAGI – Not a good idea
- Aired – Ignoring someone
- OTP – Fictional couple meant to be together
- PAP – Post a picture
- Begfriend – Someone who sucks up to others
- BF or GF -Boyfriend or girlfriend
- Peng or tidy – Really attractive
- Blates – Obviously
- Blessed – Nice person
- BOL – Be on later
- Bookie – Weird or disgusting
- Booted – Left behind or dumped
- PTB – Please text back
- RAK – Random act of kindness
- Bromance – Close friendship between two boys
- ROFL – Rolling on the floor laughing
- CBA – Can’t be bothered
- Salty – Bitter about something
- Sip tea – Mind your own business
- Ship – Relationship admiration
- Sick – Fantastic/cool
- Cuz – Friend
- Skurt – Go away or leave
- Slay – Doing really well
- Dime – Extremely good-looking person
- Slipping – Messing up
- SMH – Shaking my head
- Fam – Close friends
- Stacked – Muscly, toned
- Straight fire – Hot/trendy
- FOMO – Fear of missing out
- Swipe right – Tinder term of approval
- TBR – To be rude
- Trolling – Fooling someone; often abusive online
- TTYL – Talk to you later
- Gucci – Good/cool