When you're typing with your thumbs, you need to save your effort by communicating with as few letters as possible. Consequently, users created text message symbols as a sort of shorthand to make texting easier and faster. Most symbols make sense and have become a mainstay in texting language.
List of Common Text Message Symbols Meanings
There are a few different ways the unique language of text messaging is created. Some text message symbols abbreviate words by leaving out vowels or replacing several letters with a single letter that has the same sound. Others are acronyms, replacing an entire sentence with the first letter of each word. This list presents some of the most commonly used abbreviations and acronyms.
| Message | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Aight | Alright |
| Ask me anything | AMA |
| And | & or + |
| Anyone | NE1 |
| Are | R |
| Are you okay? | RUOK? |
| As a friend | AAF |
| At | @ |
| At any rate | AAR |
| Ate | 8 |
| Back in five | BI5 |
| Be | B |
| Be right back | BRB |
| Because | BC or B/C |
| Before | B4 |
| Belly laughing | BL |
| Best friends forever | BFF |
| Better you than me | BYTM |
| Bored to death | B2D |
| Boyfriend | BF |
| By the way | BTW |
| Cancelled | CX |
| Cutie | QT |
| Direct Message | DM |
| Don't mention it | DMI |
| End of text | ETX |
| Face to face | F2F |
| For | 4 |
| Forever | 4EVER or 4EVA |
| Friend of a friend | FOAF |
| Girlfriend | GF |
| Good luck | GL |
| Good game | GG |
| Got to go | GTG or G2G |
| Great | GR8 |
| Happy birthday | HB |
| Hi again | REHI |
| Hugs and kisses | XO |
| I don't know | IDK |
| I see | IC |
| In my opinion | IMO |
| Just kidding | JK |
| Kiss for you | K4U or KFY |
| Keep it real | KIR |
| Later | L8R |
| Laughing out loud | LOL |
| Love | LUV |
| Must be nice | MBN |
| Moving right along | MRA |
| My friend | MF |
| No big deal | NBD |
| No problem | NP |
| Oh my God | OMG |
| Oh no I didn't | ONID |
| One to one | 121 |
| Over and out | OAO |
| People | PPL |
| Please | PLZ or PLS |
| Point of view | POV |
| Praise the Lord | PTL |
| Quit Laughing | QL |
| Quote of the day | QOTD |
| Read and find out | ROFO |
| Reason to be single | RTBS |
| Same to you | S2U |
| See you later | CUL8R |
| Sorry | SRY |
| Thank you | TY |
| Thanks | THX |
| Thinking of you | TOY |
| Today | 2DAY |
| Tonight | 2NITE |
| Way to go | WTG |
| What's up? | SUP? |
| Without | W/O or WO |
| You only live once | YOLO |
| You | U |
| Your or You're | UR |
Common Text Message Emoticon Symbols
Emoticons are pictures or faces made from characters on a cell phone's keypad. You may choose to send emoticons to express your mood or add some humor or personality to a message rather than typing out an entire message.
| Meaning | Emoticon |
|---|---|
| Angel | 0:-) |
| Angry | >:-( |
| Baby | ~:o |
| Braces | :-# |
| Cat | =^.^= |
| Confused | :-/ or %-( or :-S |
| Crying | :'-( or : ,-( |
| Dork | 8-B |
| Drool | :-)... |
| Elvis Presley | 5:-) |
| Evil | >-) |
| Glasses | 8-) |
| Greedy | $_$ |
| Happy | :-) or :) |
| Happy Tears | :') |
| Heart | <3 |
| Hugs | (((H))) |
| Intoxicated | %-} |
| King | \VVV/ |
| Kiss | :-* |
| Laughing | :-D |
| Liar | :-----) |
| Lips are sealed | :-x |
| Pig | :@ |
| Pirate | P-( |
| Punk | -:-) |
| Queen | \%%%/ |
| Robot | <(-_-)> |
| Rolling your eyes | @@ |
| Rose | @-}--- |
| Runny Nose | :-~) |
| Sad | :-( or :( |
| Santa Claus | *<|:o)> |
| Shifty | :-\ |
| Shock | :-() |
| Smoking | :-Q |
| Snake | ~~~~8} |
| Sticking tongue out | :-p or :p |
| Sunglasses | B-) |
| Surprised | :-o |
| Tongue-tied | :-& |
| Uncle Sam | =I:-)= |
| Wink | ;-) or ;) |
| Yawn | |-O |
| Yelling | :-@ |
Other Text Message Symbol Meaning Resources
The popular symbols and emoticons change on a daily basis and new ones are constantly being created. If you do not find symbols and emoticons to suit your needs on these lists or are confused by a message you have received, look to some online databases that feature a more extensive list of symbols, emoticons and other fun ideas for text messages.
- Mob1le's SMS Texting Dictionary contains multiple emoticons and symbols accompanied by their meanings.
- BOLTOP offers one of the most extensive lists of symbols and emoticons. Symbols are grouped alphabetically and emoticons are grouped by emotion and theme.
Texts Reflect Your Personality
With these symbols, not only will you save time, but you will be able to send longer texts that contain more personality and emotion. You may also use these symbols when sending messages on popular social networking sites. If you cannot find a symbol or emoticon to fit your needs, create one of your own and teach it to your friends. Who knows? Your symbol or emoticon could become the next trend.
