Chat slang dictionary

Every abbreviation you’ll meet in a chat with a stranger — what it stands for, what it really means, and how to use it without sounding like a time traveller.

Got a whole message to decipher? Paste it into the slang decoder.

Openers and small talk

The first few messages with a stranger are almost always one of these. They are easy to send and easy to answer badly, so each page shows a reply that keeps the chat going instead of ending it.

ASLAge, Sex, Location

A question asking for someone’s age, gender, and where they live. It was the universal opener of early chatrooms and Omegle — often the very first message strangers exchanged.

WYDWhat You Doing?

A casual check-in asking what the other person is up to right now.

HRUHow Are You?

Shorthand for asking how someone is doing.

WBUWhat About You?

Bounces a question back to the other person. Also written “hbu” (how about you).

Agreeing, stressing and being honest

Short words that do a lot of emotional work. They signal that you relate, that you mean it, or that you are about to say something candid, and small differences in punctuation change how they land.

FRFor Real

Expresses agreement or sincerity. “fr fr” doubles the emphasis.

ONGOn God

A stronger “I swear / I’m serious”. Similar energy to “fr” but more emphatic.

NGLNot Gonna Lie

Signals you’re about to be honest — often before a compliment, confession, or hot take.

TBHTo Be Honest

Prefaces an honest opinion, similar to “ngl” but older and more neutral.

Opinions and advice

Ways to share a view without sounding like you are laying down the law. Useful in debates about films, games and everything else strangers love to argue about.

IMOIn My Opinion

Marks a statement as personal opinion. “IMHO” adds “humble”.

FWIWFor What It’s Worth

Offers input while acknowledging the other person may not need it.

Not knowing, not minding, never mind

The abbreviations most likely to be misread. Each can sound relaxed or dismissive depending on what surrounds it, so these pages focus on how to use them without accidentally ending a conversation.

IDKI Don’t Know

Exactly what it says — “I don’t know”. Often paired with “idc” (I don’t care).

IDCI Don’t Care

Indifference — can be relaxed (“whatever works”) or dismissive depending on tone.

NVMNever Mind

Retracts or drops what you just said.

Stepping away and saying goodbye

The etiquette of leaving. A quick brb or gtg is the difference between a conversation that ends well and one where the other person wonders what they said.

BRBBe Right Back

Stepping away from the chat briefly.

AFKAway From Keyboard

Not at the device right now. Born in gaming and old-school chat.

GTGGot To Go

You’re leaving the conversation.

TTYLTalk To You Later

A goodbye implying you’d chat again.

Online life, offline life and other apps

Words about the world outside the chat. They are ordinary slang, but in a conversation with a stranger they are also where requests for personal details or moving platforms show up, so these pages cover that too.

IRLIn Real Life

The offline world, as opposed to online.

DMDirect Message

A private message on a social platform.

GCGroup Chat

A chat with three or more people.

Reading slang in a chat with a stranger

With someone you know, you can read slang against everything else you know about them. With a stranger you only have the message, so a few habits help:

Punctuation and emoji carry the tone. “fr.” can sound flat or sarcastic, while “fr 😭” is warm. Read the whole message before deciding how it was meant.
Lowercase is not rude. Most chat slang is typed in lowercase for speed; capitals are usually what adds emphasis or annoyance.
When unsure, ask. “wait what does that mean?” is a perfectly normal message, and it keeps the conversation going.
Watch the requests, not the words. Slang that asks for personal details (ASL, IRL questions) or to move somewhere else (“dm me”, “add me”) deserves a moment’s thought before you answer, whatever abbreviation it arrives in.

For the longer story of where this vocabulary came from, read chat slang decoded, and for how to use it without friction, see random chat etiquette.

Now go use them on a real stranger

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