Twitter Symbols And Abbreviations Make New Lingo
As Twitter becomes more and more popular and users try to learn the ins and outs of using it, they might come across different symbols, some of which might be unknown to them.
We all know the # stands for a hashtag and is used when something is trending or has the potential to trend. But do you know what the most popular symbols on Twitter mean?
Mashable came up with an interesting guide to what they call “Twitter Lingo”.
@ used to indicate someone’s handle or Twitter name. Similar idea as that used for email addresses.
# the pound sign, as indicated, is used to emphasize an event, emotion, or person. Used widely on Twitter and now Facebook has also adopted it.
^ the caret or hat, is used when there are several individuals using the same account, as in a business. At the end of the Tweet the name of the person tweeting would be added after the symbol. (^PD).
$ The dollar sign is used on Twitter before a company’s shortened stock market name/code as a kind of financial hashtag.
Now to some of the best abbreviations on Twitter, which can be similar to those used in texting.
AFAIK “As far as I know.”
CC “carbon copy.” Used with an @ mention, it is used to bring a Tweet to someone’s attention.
CX “Correction.”
DM Direct message or private message. When someone tweets DM me, it means send me a private message.
FF “Follow Friday,” a way to give an endorsement or shout out to other Twitter users by suggesting that people follow them. A recognition to your followers.
HT some times H/T, “hat tip” is a way to give a polite nod to the person who originally shared content you are tweeting. Similar to giving someone a “via”.HT will be followed by an @ mention giving a namecheck. mmon definition, but is pretty much the same sentiment.ICYMI
MM “Music Monday” used to be a popular way to suggest music you were currently enjoying or artist recommendations. It isn’t used often, but if you see it, that’s what it means.
MT Modified tweet. When changing an original tweet within a retweet, usually due to space restrictions. One has to be creative with 140 characters.
NSFW “Not safe for work.” Could be inappropriate or graphic content.
OH “Overheard.” Used to refer to a humorous or eyebrow-raising comment.
PRT “Partial retweet”. A way of letting people know you’ve edited a tweet. Can also mean “please retweet.”
RLRT “Real life retweet. Similar to OH, RLRT is used when you tweet a quote from someone “in real life.”
RT “Retweet”. Choosing the option allowed by Twitter to RT. Sometimes done manually, at the beginning of the original tweet.
SMH “shaking my head”. Is used to express puzzlement at someone’s comment.
TFTF “Thanks for the follow.”
TIL “Today I learned…”
TLDR “Too long; didn’t read.” Used jokingly or as an insult. Beware.
TMB “Tweet me back.”
TQRT “Thanks for the retweet.”
TT “Translated twee”. A warning that an original tweet has been translated to a different language.
W/ “With.”
Some of these might be obvious, but you could sit there, staring at the screen for a long time trying to figure out what some of the abbreviations mean. I know I’ve done it and usually end up asking.
You may want to save this handy list, to check up when you see that strange abbreviation
[Image via Shutterstock]
