The offline world, as opposed to online.
How to use it
“What do you do irl?” asks about life outside the chat. Share only what you’re comfortable with.
Examples
- im way quieter irl than online lol
Chat slang
What does IRL mean?
IRL
stands for “In Real Life”
Stranger: what do you do irl
You: student, studying design. you?
Stranger: nurse
You: that sounds intense. night shifts?
Where it comes from
“In real life”, used since early online communities to separate the offline world from life on the internet.
Is it friendly or rude?
Neutral, but in a chat with a stranger, questions about your IRL life can drift toward personal details. It is fine to keep those vague.
Spellings and variations
“irl” is standard, and “in real life” spelled out reads the same. “offline” and “outside the internet” are the plain alternatives, and “irl friends” means people you know in person rather than online.
Common mistakes
IRL questions are where casual chat can drift into identifying details: the name of your school, your workplace, your neighbourhood. Answering at the level of “student” or “work in healthcare” is plenty. Be wary of anyone who keeps pressing for more specific real-life details after you have kept things general.
How to reply to “irl”
- Share at your comfort level: “student irl, nothing exciting”.
- Decline cleanly: “I keep the irl stuff off here, but happy to talk about anything else”.
Questions about IRL
Is it safe to share irl details with a stranger?
Keep them general. A hobby or a rough idea of what you do is fine; your full name, school, workplace or city is not.
What does irl friend mean?
Someone you know offline, as opposed to a friend you only talk to online.
Related slang
More in Chat Slang Decoded and random chat etiquette.
Try it: use “irl” on a real stranger
what’s something you’re into irl that people wouldn’t guess?
We’ll put this in your message box when you’re matched. Free, anonymous, 18+.
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