In today’s world of texting and tweeting, short form is quite common. Abbreviations are mostly used informally, so unless it’s a
Latin term, you probably shouldn’t use abbreviations in a formal setting, like a school paper or official business. Here’s a list of some common English abbreviations.
Internet & Text Speak
| afaik |
as far as I know |
| afk |
away from keyboard |
| atm |
at the moment |
| brb |
be right back |
| brt |
be right there |
| btw |
by the way |
| ftw |
for the win |
| g2g |
got to go |
| idk |
I don’t know |
| ikr |
I know, right? |
| imo |
in my opinion |
| irl |
in real life |
| jk, j/k |
just kidding |
| lol |
laughing out loud |
| nvm, nm |
never mind |
| omw |
on my way |
rofl |
rolling on the floor laughing |
| tbh |
to be honest |
| tmi |
too much information |
| ttyl |
talk to you later |
| ty |
thank you |
| w/e |
whatever |
Miscellaneous & Shorthand
| aka |
also known as |
asap |
as soon as possible |
b/c |
because |
btw |
by the way |
eta |
estimated time of arrival |
| etc |
et cetera * [and so on] |
| e.g. |
exempli gratia * [for example] |
fyi |
for your information |
| i.e. |
id est * [that is, in other words] |
| mph |
miles per hour |
| p.s. |
post scriptum * [written after] |
| rsvp |
répondez s’il vous plaît ** [please respond] |
| w/ or w/o |
with or without |
* Latin
** French
Time
| Sun, Su |
Sunday |
| Mon, M |
Monday |
| Tues, Tu |
Tuesday |
| Wed, W |
Wednesday |
| Thurs, Th |
Thursday |
| Fri, F |
Friday |
| Sat, Sa |
Saturday |
| a.m., am |
ante meridiem * [before midday] |
| p.m., pm |
post meridiem * [after midday] |
| sec |
second |
| min |
minute |
| hr |
hour |
| wk |
week |
| mo |
month |
| yr |
year |
| Jan |
January |
| Feb |
February |
| Mar |
March |
| Apr |
April |
| Jun |
June |
| Jul |
July |
| Aug |
August |
| Sept, Sep |
September |
| Oct |
October |
| Nov |
November |
| Dec |
December |
* Latin
Measurements
| cm |
centimeter |
| km |
kilometer |
| m |
meter |
| mm |
millimeter |
| g |
gram |
| kg |
kilogram |
| mg |
milligram |
| ft |
foot |
| in |
inch |
| mi |
mile |
| yd |
yard |
Geography
| AK |
Alaska |
| AL |
Alabama |
| AR |
Arkansas |
| AZ |
Arizona |
| CA |
California |
| CO |
Colorado |
| CT |
Connecticut |
| DC |
District of Columbia |
| DE |
Delaware |
| FL |
Florida |
| GA |
Georgia |
| HI |
Hawaii |
| IA |
Iowa |
| ID |
Idaho |
| IL |
Illinois |
| IN |
Indiana |
| KS |
Kansas |
| KY |
Kentucky |
| LA |
Louisiana |
| MA |
Massachusetts |
| MD |
Maryland |
| ME |
Maine |
| MI |
Michigan |
| MN |
Minnesota |
| MO |
Missouri |
| MS |
Mississippi |
| ave |
avenue |
| blvd |
boulevard |
| dr |
drive |
| hwy |
highway |
| ln |
lane |
| rd |
road |
| st |
street |
| tpk |
turnpike |
| MT |
Montana |
| NC |
North Carolina |
| ND |
North Dakota |
| NE |
Nebraska |
| NH |
New Hampshire |
| NJ |
New Jersey |
| NM |
New Mexico |
| NV |
Nevada |
| NY |
New York |
| OH |
Ohio |
| OK |
Oklahoma |
| OR |
Oregon |
| PA |
Pennsylvania |
| RI |
Rhode Island |
| SC |
South Carolina |
| SD |
South Dakota |
| TN |
Tennessee |
| TX |
Texas |
| UT |
Utah |
| VA |
Virginia |
| VT |
Vermont |
| WA |
Washington |
| WI |
Wisconsin |
| WV |
West Virginia |
| WY |
Wyoming |
| mt |
mount, mountain |
| mts |
mountains |
| sq |
square |
Think you know these abbreviations? Take the quiz!
