Crack the code of your teen’s texts and teen emoji meanings with this handy guide…
Teen slang is ever-changing and fast-moving making it difficult for any parent to keep up with what the latest emoji or acronym means in teen-talk. It might look like an innocent vegetable emoji to you, but it can have an entirely different meaning to a teenager. As a parent or guardian, you may be concerned about the messages that are being sent between your teen and their peers. You may also assume that many of the emojis below may be totally innocent when in fact they convey some quite adult messages.
It can be a full-time job trying to crack this code and, just when you think you finally have it sussed, it morphs and expands into an entirely different meaning. Things like emoji meanings for teens can literally change within a period of weeks or months. We’ve tried to collate as many as possible to help you navigate the chaotic landscape of teen emoji meanings and teen texting slang.
Acronyms – Meanings and Translations
This is by no means an exhaustive list but here’s a rundown of the most commonly used abbreviations and acronyms:
143: I love you
2DAY: Today
4EAE: Forever and ever
AF: As f*ck
ADN: Any day now
AFAIK: As far as I know
AFK: Away from keyboard
ATM: At the moment
BFN: Bye for now
BOL: Be on later / Best of luck / Burst out laughing
BRB: Be right back
BTW: By the way
CTN: Can’t talk now
DM: Direct Message
DWBH: Don’t worry, be happy
F2F or FTF: Face-to-face
FOMO: Fear of missing out
FWIW: For what it’s worth
GAL: Get a life
GB: Goodbye
GG: Good game
GLHF: Good luck, have fun
GTG: Got to go / Good to go
H8: Hate
HAK: Hugs and kisses
HMU: Hit me up
HTH: Hope this helps / happy to help / how the h*ll
HW: Homework
ICYMI: In case you missed it
IDK: I don’t know
IIRC: If I remember correctly
IKR: I know, right?
ILY / ILU: I love you
IM: Instant message
IMHO: In my honest opinion
IMO: In my opinion
IRL: In real life
IU2U: It’s up to you
IYKWIM: If you know what I mean
JK: Just kidding
J4F: Just for fun
JIC: Just in case
JSYK: Just so you know
KFY: Kiss for you
L8: Late
LMAO: Laughing my a** off
LMIRL: Let’s meet in real life
LMK: Let me know
LOL: Laugh out loud
LSR: Loser
MIRL: Meet in real life
MOS: Mum over shoulder
NAGI: Not a good idea
NM: Nevermind / not much
NMU: Not much, you?
NP: No problem
NTS: Note to self
OIC: Oh I see
OMFG: Oh my f*cking god
OMG: Oh my god
ORLY: Oh, really?
OT: Off-topic
OTP: On the phone
P911: Parent alert
PAW: Parents are watching
PCM: Please call me
PIR: Parent in room
PLS / PLZ: Please
PPL: People
POS: Parents over shoulder / Piece of Sh*t
PTB: Please text back
RAK: Randon act of kindness
RL: Real life
RN: Right now
ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
RT: Retweet
RUOK: Are you okay?
SMH: Shaking my head
SOS: Someone over shoulder
SRSLY: Seriously
SSDD: Same stuff, different day
STFU: Shut the f*ck up
SUS: Suspicious
SWAK: Sealed with a kiss
SWYP: So, what’s your point?
SYS: See you soon
TBC: To be continued
THX: Thanks
TIME: Tears in my eyes
TL;DR: Too long, didn’t read
TMI: Too much information
TMRW: Tomorrow
TTYL: Talk to you later
TY / TU: Thank you
VSF: Very sad face
WB: Welcome back
WTH: What the h*ll?
WTF: What the f*ck?
WTPA: Where’s the party at?
WYCM: Will you call me?
YGM: You’ve got mail
YOLO: You only live once
YW: You’re welcome
ZOMG: Oh my god (with emphasis)
Look out for these sexually related phrases:
RED FLAG CODES
ASL: Age/sex/location
FWB: Friends with benefits
FYEO or 4YEO: For your eyes only
GYPO: Get your pants off
IWSN: I want sex now
KPC: Keeping parents clueless
NIFOC: Naked in front of computer
NSFW: Not safe for work
TDTM: Talk dirty to me
Teen Emoji Meanings – What Common Emojis Mean
For teens, emojis often have more than one meaning and they use them in a very different way to us. Phallic-shaped emojis are often used to represent a penis while round fruits and foods often symbolise buttocks or a vagina. Here’s a summary of the most commonly used emojis and what they mean:
You’re hot
Breasts
Psycho
Send nudes
Ugly
Vagina
Cut someone or lesbian
Cunnilingus
Send nudes
Vagina or virginity
Sex
Oral sex
Buttocks
Penis
Touch my breasts
Sex tape
Having sex in bed
Genuine, 100%
Waiting on you in bed
Marijuana
Having sex on the couch
Police
Have sex
Threat
We hope you find this dictionary helpful. Remember: the meanings of emojis are fluid. They change often and an emoji that might once have been used to symbolise sex might now be ‘extinct’. Likewise, some teens may be using emojis purely for their actual meaning and not necessarily talking in code. They may be unaware of an emoji’s double meaning. If you do think your teen may be becoming sexually active there are lots of ways to communicate and approach this in a positive and caring way.
